Media and the Decline of Emotional Health

Media is a constant presence in daily life, shaping how people learn, connect, and perceive the world. While technological advancements have made information more accessible, continuous exposure presents challenges. Excessive media engagement can weaken emotional resilience, impair cognitive function, and negatively impact well-being.

Media Enagement

Media plays a powerful role in shaping emotions and mental health. While it can bring people closer and offer enjoyment, its impact isn’t always positive. Media can trigger fear, anxiety, and depression, especially when platforms exploit emotional responses.

Through curated content, targeted notifications, and interactions like suggested comments and connections, platforms drive activity by targeting emotional reactions to capture attention and extend screen time. Resurfaced posts, reminders, and artificial memories captivate users by pulling them back into past experiences, maintaining a cycle of emotional engagement. ^[1]

Beyond engagement, media platforms create artificial pressures by manufacturing connections with content. Through curated content, personalized recommendations, and targeted interactions, platforms shape preferences and behaviors, building bonds with users. These relationships influence perception, anchor identity, and shape actions. By reinforcing behaviors with reward systems like likes, comments, and achievements, platforms keep users engaged with content under their control.

Media and Fear

Media platforms have commoditized user content, turning it into a shallow, disposable product, packaged and delivered to keep users engaged. News headlines, social posts, and algorithm-driven content are carefully distributed to provoke emotions and trigger reactions, often presenting perceived threats.

When a threat arises, the brain releases norepinephrine, the fight-or-flight chemical, to prepare the body for action. ^[2] Similar to how thrill-seekers chase adrenaline through extreme sports, many become hooked on the rush of norepinephrine. This surge sharpens focus, heightens awareness, and creates urgency, evoking compelling sensations. Media platforms exploit this biological response, transforming fear into an emotional high that keeps users coming back for more.

Common Fears Triggered by Media:

• Health Fear (e.g., COVID-19 Virus): The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a rapid spread of information, amplifying fear and panic. Misinformation, alarming headlines, and graphic imagery fueled anxiety about the virus’s spread and impact. Even reliable sources contributed to sensationalized content, spreading false claims about symptoms, death tolls, and exaggerated risks.
• Political Fear (e.g., Immigration, Drug Smuggling): Fear-driven rhetoric on social media amplifies concerns about immigration and drug smuggling, painting a picture of imminent danger. Headlines like “illegal immigrants flooding the border” or “drug cartels infiltrating the country” spread quickly, exaggerating threats and creating a false sense of urgency.
• Fear of Random Acts of Violence (e.g., School Shootings, Terrorist Attacks): Coverage of school shootings and terrorist attacks often shifts from reporting to sensationalism. Graphic images and viral videos amplify fear, making random violence seem more imminent. Continuous exposure heightens anxiety about public spaces, despite the low statistical risk.

Awareness Tip: Be mindful of how media spreads fear through sensationalism. Limit exposure to negative content and focus on reliable sources to help manage anxiety.

Media Contributes to Anxiety and Depression

Media has been linked to anxiety, depression, and behavioral changes as platforms manipulate emotions and behaviors to drive engagement. Notifications, digital memories, and sensory triggers like sounds and colors keep users engaged, blurring the line between passive consumption and compulsion. Many tactics fuel addictive interactions, reinforcing a continuous cycle that is difficult to break. ^[3]

Many people remain consciously unaware of these effects, often dismissing them or believing they are immune. However, recognizing how media impacts emotions and mental health enables more mindful choices, the setting of boundaries, and limiting exposure to media.

How media contributes to anxiety and depression:

• Social Isolation: Overreliance on digital interactions replaces in-person connections, contributing to loneliness and emotional detachment.
• Increased Stress: Constant exposure to media content heightens stress, often driven by the pressure to keep up with trends and online debates.
• Lowered Self-Esteem: Comparing oneself to idealized social media portrayals leads to feelings of inadequacy, fueling depression and diminishing self-worth.
• Compulsive Use: Features like infinite scroll and constant notifications promote addictive behavior, making it harder to disconnect from media.
• Mental Fatigue: Continuous media consumption leads to overstimulation, impairing focus and reducing mental clarity.

• Awareness Tip: Set boundaries around media use by limiting screen time and taking breaks from social media. Engage in offline activities like exercise or nature walks to reduce stress and reset emotional balance.

Media is Stimuli

Just as the parasympathetic nervous system regulates the body’s response to stimuli, media continuously shapes brain activity and emotional states. ^[4] The parasympathetic system, which helps restore calm, struggles to function in an era of constant digital engagement. According to a report by the American Psychological Association (April 2024), news alerts and algorithm-driven feedback loops sustain user engagement while keeping the brain in a heightened state of arousal, contributing to mental and emotional strain. Their findings show that this persistent stimulation, particularly through social media, can lead to emotional dysregulation, prolonged stress responses, and cognitive fatigue.

Unlike natural interactions, digital media is designed to sustain attention, often overriding the brain’s regulation. Constant alerts and recommendations can disrupt focus and emotional balance. Like physical exertion, the mind needs breaks to avoid overstimulation and exhaustion.

Media platform stimulation tactics:

• Media Notifications: Constant alerts from social media or messaging apps demand attention, keeping the brain in a heightened state of engagement and preventing the parasympathetic system from restoring calm after stress.
• Digital Memories: Features like “memories” or “time capsules” on social media platforms resurface past content, triggering emotional responses tied to previous states. This recall of digital memories can influence current mood and further engage the brain in overstimulation.
• Sensory Triggers (Sounds and Colors): The sounds of notifications or the bright colors used in app designs are specifically engineered to grab attention. These sensory cues serve as triggers that keep the mind engaged and can intensify emotional responses, making it harder for the brain to disengage and relax.

Media platform subduing tactics:

Just as media platforms use stimulus tactics to grab attention, they also subdue users by automatically controlling key settings that shape the user experience. These platforms remove the ability to make certain decisions, subtly guiding behavior to keep users engaged longer.

• Sound: Automatically adjusting volume levels or adding notification sounds to capture attention and sustain focus.
• Screen Brightness: Modifying screen brightness to keep the user engaged and to prevent disengagement.
• Resolution: Altering display quality to maintain visual appeal and keep the user immersed in the content.

By controlling sound, screen brightness, and resolution, media platforms manipulate how users interact with content, limiting autonomy and making it harder to disengage.

Awareness Tip: Practice digital detox by designating “screen-free” times each day to help restore emotional and mental balance, allowing the brain to recover from constant stimulation.

Wearable Media Devices

Wearable media devices, like fitness trackers and smartwatches, have changed how media consumption impacts physical and emotional well-being. Companies like Google use these devices to collect real-time biofeedback, including heart rate, sleep patterns, and stress levels. These devices track physical responses to media content, whether it’s the excitement from a YouTube video or the calming effect of soothing music on Apple Music.

Wearable devices give media platforms access to more than just what people watch; they also track emotional and physiological responses.^[5] If a user’s heart rate spikes with certain content, media platforms may recommend more of that type of media, reinforcing the cycle of engagement. This creates a feedback loop, where media adapts not only to preferences but also to emotional reactions, making it harder to disconnect. As wearable media blurs the line between personal well-being and content consumption, it offers unprecedented insight into health while simultaneously driving engagement in ways that can negatively impact mental and emotional balance.

Types of wearable media:

• Smartwatches (e.g., Apple Watch, Fitbit): Smartwatches track heart rate, sleep patterns, and stress levels in real time. As users engage with media, the watch detects changes in heart rate or skin temperature and records the emotional response. Media platforms then analyze this data to assess media’s impact on physical state, providing insight into stress or excitement levels during content consumption.
• Fitness Trackers (e.g., Garmin, WHOOP Strap): Fitness trackers monitor biometrics such as heart rate variability (HRV), sleep quality, and physical activity levels. As users engage with different media types, these devices collect biofeedback, tracking heart rate increases or sleep pattern fluctuations after exposure to emotionally stimulating content. Platforms analyze this data to assess digital media’s impact on emotional well-being and refine content recommendations.
• Sleep Trackers (e.g., Oura Ring): Sleep trackers measure sleep quality by monitoring REM cycles, heart rate, and overall restfulness. When media is consumed close to bedtime, these devices detect disruptions in sleep patterns caused by late-night screen exposure or emotionally charged content. Analyzing this data helps determine how media consumption affects the body’s ability to unwind and achieve restful sleep.

• Awareness Tip: Consider throwing away wearables altogether and focusing instead on mindful, unfiltered awareness of how media affects the body and emotions. The power comes from recognizing these responses directly, without relying on devices to track them.

Social Media and Mental Illness

The connection between social media and emotional health has become a signifcant concern as research continues to reveal its effects on emotional well-being. A 2023 study conducted by Baylor University, led by Meredith E. David, Ph.D., and James A. Roberts, Ph.D., examined the psychological impact of Instagram and TikTok use. Their findings showed that users immersed in these platforms, experiencing a phenomenon known as “Telepresence”, were more likely to exhibit symptoms of mental illness. Alarmingly, the study found that 28% of Instagram users and 24% of TikTok users met clinical addiction criteria, highlighting the psychological grip these platforms have on their users. ^[6]

How social media impacts mental health:

• The Addictive Loop: Social media’s endless scrolling and instant alerts keep users hooked, making it hard to disconnect. This constant stimulation disrupts sleep, limits activity, and strains real-world relationships.
• Emotional Withdrawal: Social media offers an escape from real-world stress, but prolonged use can encourage emotional detachment. This withdrawal can lead to lower energy, decreased motivation, and diminished interest in meaningful real-life activities.
• Unrealistic Standards: Curated and idealized portrayals on social media shape perceptions of success, beauty, and relationships, promoting unrealistic expectations. Constant exposure to these images can trigger comparison and self-doubt, eroding self-esteem and increasing emotional distress.
• Cyberbullying: The anonymity provided by social media platforms makes it easier for people to engage in bullying behaviors. Victims of cyberbullying often experience severe emotional and psychological distress, leading to anxiety, depression, and self-esteem issues.

• Awareness Tip: Stay mindful of how social media affects mental health. Regularly check in to notice emotional shifts and take breaks when needed. Recognizing signs of overuse, such as stress or anxiety, helps regain control and establish healthier boundaries.

Media as Recall

Media is more than content; it is a record. Every click, search, and interaction is stored, analyzed, and used to shape a profile of identity, desires, and susceptibility to influence. These records do more than document behavior, they act as recall cues that subtly guide future decisions, shaping what is seen, felt, and done, often without awareness.

Artificially resurfaced social media memories bring back past experiences, while playlists become time capsules tied to emotion. Algorithm-driven recommendations mirror previous moods. What feels like an organic rediscovery is often a calculated reintroduction, shaping engagement in ways that feel personal but are strategically engineered. ^[7]

How media evokes emotion:

• Social Media Memories: Platforms like Facebook and Instagram deliberately resurface past posts, photos, and updates, reigniting emotional memories. A post from a past relationship or vacation can trigger feelings of nostalgia or sadness, influencing current mood.
• Health-Related Content: Interacting with health-related content on platforms like YouTube or Instagram, such as workout videos, diet tips, or wellness advice, can influence the algorithm to suggest similar content. For those with body image concerns, past health challenges, or fitness goals, these reminders can either inspire motivation or increase anxiety about personal health.
• Life Event Flashbacks: Social media intentionally prompts memories tied to significant life events like financial struggles or achievements. Users may receive ads or content about budgeting, savings, or spending habits. For those who have experienced debt or financial instability, these posts can trigger stress or anxiety.

• Awarenss Tip: Media platforms don’t just track behavior—they use it to shape emotions, predict reactions, and reinforce habits that keep users engaged. Recognizing this can help regain control over digital presence instead of being controlled by it.

Media and Self-Identity

Beyond serving as a stimulus, media plays a key role in shaping identity. Social platforms, in particular, act as mirrors, reflecting curated versions of reality. These images, often filtered and selectively presented, influence how people see themselves and how they think others perceive them. For example, when someone posts a photo on Instagram and receives likes and comments, it boosts their self-worth. However, this validation can create a problematic cycle, where external approval becomes the main factor in shaping self-image. ^[8]

As people seek affirmation, social validation becomes central to shaping their identity. Over time, this reliance on external validation creates a fragile sense of self, making individuals more vulnerable to comparison, criticism, and the pressures of digital norms.

How to protect self-identity:

• Set Boundaries: Establish time limits for social media use and create tech-free spaces to promote real-life connections and support self-reflection.
• Limit Comparisons: Focus on individual paths, rather than measuring worth against the curated, idealized portrayals of others’ lives.
• Prioritize Authenticity: Share content that reflects authenticity and engage with platforms aligned with true interests and values.

• Identity Tip: Focus on self-awareness, not social validation. A true sense of self is shaped offline, not through likes and shares.

A Healthy Relationship with Media

Building a healthy relationship with media begins with awareness. Instead of blaming meida platforms or specific groups, the focus should be on making mindful choices. By understanding how media impacts emotions and well-being, it becomes possible to take control of engagement and emotional responses.

Ultimately, a healthy relationship with media requires balance. Setting boundaries, taking breaks, and prioritizing offline activities protect mental and emotional health. Creating space for positive interactions and encouraging others to do the same supports a collective shift toward more mindful media consumption and overall well-being.