Are your social media feeds making you feel better or worse?
Over a billion people around the world use social media, making it a big part of our daily lives. Social media helps us stay connected. We can share our thoughts easily, and tell our stories to others without being together. But it can also affect our mental health.
The thing is, social media affects everyone differently. How it impacts you really depends on “when” and “how” you use it. This article will focus on many generations from Baby Boomers to Generation Z, with each group experiencing social media.
How Each Generation Uses Social Media
Baby Boomers and Social Media: Staying Connected, Avoiding Misinformation
Let’s talk about baby boomers first. They primarily use social media to connect with family and friends and stay updated on global news.
Their most used platform is Facebook. This app allows them to post their photos and videos with less, long to no context, share their life stories, and comment on the other posts like their friends and loved ones.
Moreover, Social media can help them feel less lonely and stressed. It can also help them stay socially engaged, especially after retirement or when their children have started families of their own.
This generation may face risks like false information, news, or online scams, especially when sharing unverified content. Pew Research found that over 70% of Baby Boomers use Facebook regularly as their main platform for staying connected.
Generation X: Balancing Real Life and Social Media
For Generation X, they grew up during a period of major changes in technological advancements and cultural shifts that shaped their experiences.
They often use social media to build professional relationships and stay informed, such as using Facebook to share their personal lives, Instagram to share their beautiful image and LinkedIn to connect with coworkers or find jobs.
As they try to find a balance between their real and online lives, they may face pressure to compare themselves to others on social media. Although they’re not as addicted as younger generations, this generation has made a significant effort to deal with the “social comparison” that occurs every day online.
Millennials: Dealing with Social Media Pressure and Mental Health
Millennials are often seen as “digital natives” who have emerged from the current trend where platforms have taken over their lives. They are storing a vast amount of different information including their personal and work lives on platforms like Facebook,Instagram and Twitter.
People use these platforms to build and maintain relationships, share their lifestyles, express opinions, and stay informed.
However, being online all the time can also cause a lot of emotional stress. Many people feel pressure when they always need to post the perfect photo, which can cause stress, anxiety, and problems with self-acceptance. The fear of missing out (FOMO) and comparing themselves to others can make them feel lonely or not good enough.
Generation Z: Living in the Stream
For Generation Z, social media is not just a tool but an important part of their lives and the way they communicate and socialize.
Mostly they use TikTok to show their creativity in short video versions and always keep up with global trends. They also use Instagram to create beautiful images of themselves or sometimes communicate with their friends. And use Snapchat to communicate with their close friends in real time.
However, living online all the time has its downsides. Many people struggle with the need for acceptance, such as the need for a lot of likes, shares, or comments, in order to feel valuable. Some also struggle with body image issues from seeing heavily edited images or the influencer culture.
Cyberbullying is a big concern and can have serious effects. In a world where “going viral” is seen as success, Gen Z can feel overwhelmed trying to keep up.
The Mental Impact: Shared Issues, Different Focus
Social Comparison
No matter how old they are, people still compare themselves to others on social media. Some adults feel isolated when they see others going out or living interesting lives, while teens often worry about how others view them which can affect their confidence and self-worth.
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is the act of sharing false stories, modifying content, or impersonating someone online, with hostile motives and the intention to cause embarrassment. It causes negative psychological effects such as embarrassment, anxiety, distrust, hopelessness, and isolation, and is easily caused by technology and social media.
FOMO
FOMO or Fear of Missing Out is a social anxiety disorder that causes people to constantly check the news, fear of not being accepted, fear of not being important, and wanting to know first, share and get lots of likes. If something doesn’t go as expected, stress, anxiety and restlessness will occur.
Mood & Well-being
If you spend too much time on social media, it can make your mood getting worse and lead to mental health issues, like feeling sad, bored, or tired. This tends to happen when you use it without a specific purpose or simply as part of a routine.
Tips to Protect Mental Health in the Digital World
- Set Clear Time Limits: Put a timer on your apps so you don’t get stuck scrolling all day!
- Create Screen-Free Zones & Times: Pick spots (like the dinner table) and times (like before bed) where phones are off-limits.
- Find Offline Alternatives: When you’re bored, try reading, writing, or exercising instead of looking at your screen.
- Turn Off Unnecessary Notifications: Shut off those alerts from apps you don’t really need to see right away, so you’re not always getting distracted.
Conclusion
The way social media affects mental health can be different for each generation. People of different ages consume different social media platforms and face different challenges. Although social media provides a lot of benefits such as connection and engagement, it also presents risks such as anxiety, comparison, and cyberbullying to its users.
“Don’t forget to take care of your mental health ! Spend time online less and make sure to balance it with real-life activities. You can start finding that balance today!”
Source
- 4 Effective ways to limit screen time and social media usage – hotline. (2025, February 13). https://hotline.ie/limit-screentime/
- Cyberbullying คืออะไร วิธีรับมือการกลั่นแกล้งและระรานบนไซเบอร์แบบอยู่หมัด | FillGoods. (n.d.). https://www.fillgoods.co/facebook-marketing/no-shop-what-is-cyberbullying
- Cyberbullying : ระรานออนไลน์ ร้ายล้านวิว. (n.d.). ETDA. https://www.etda.or.th/th/Knowledge-Sharing/Cyberbullying-in-IFBL.aspx
- Gedgoodlife. (2024, July 15). ต้องเสพทุกกระแส ไม่พลาดสักข่าว! อาจเสี่ยงเป็น FOMO “อาการกลัวตกกระแส” – GED good life ชีวิตดีดี เว็บไซต์เพื่อสุขภาพ ปรึกษาปัญหาสุขภาพ ฟรี. GED Good Life ชีวิตดีดี เว็บไซต์เพื่อสุขภาพ ปรึกษาปัญหาสุขภาพ ฟรี. https://www.gedgoodlife.com/lifestyle/115680-fomo/
- Thongsuk, W. (2023, November 17). เทคนิคพิชิตใจ Gen X แบรนด์ควรวางกลยุทธ์อย่างไร ให้ประสบความสําเร็จ? TalkaTalka. https://talkatalka.com/blog/strategies-for-gen-x/
- เจาะลึก generation ต่าง ๆ พร้อมเทรนด์พฤติกรรมบนโลกโซเชียล [ล่าสุด]. (n.d.). Mandala AI. https://blog.mandalasystem.com/th/generation
