How Apps Control Our Emotions

By: Caleb Dunn , Seasonal Public Relations Intern | Digital4Good

Our smartphones hold an array of apps designed to do a multitude of things that result in entertaining us and keep us connected with our peers. However, the integration of technology into so many aspects of our lives can have its drawbacks when it comes to the state of our emotional health.

Apps provide us with entertainment, motivation and social connection. However, excessive use can cause anxiety and addiction. As we navigate the digital world, it is important to reflect on the relationship between our device usage and our emotional state.?

Emotional Ups and Downs of Apps

While social media can help build self-confidence and create a sense of community and belonging, it can also take a negative toll on our emotions. Let’s take a look at some of the positive and negative ways in which social media influences our emotional well-being.?

Ups

Inspiration: Seeing inspiring content on social media can significantly improve your emotional state, whether it’s an uplifting story about an act of kindness or a unique photo that gets your creative juices flowing and inspires your next artistic piece.?

Happiness: Social media algorithms curate your feed with content you enjoy seeing and interacting with, like funny TikToks or cute pictures of your favorite animal.??

Connectedness: Apps keep us connected with friends and family around the globe. They also make it easy to form new friendships with users who share our interests.?

Welcomed: When people interact with our photo dumps or stories, this helps us feel seen and accepted by others, boosting our self-esteem.?

Downs

Anxiety and Depression: Social media influences us to compare our own lives to other people’s. Seeing a friend’s luxurious vacation photos can make us feel dissatisfied with our own lives. The truth is that a person’s social media will only show you a curated “highlight reel” of their life; their reality is often very different from what you see on your feed.?

Irregulated Dopamine: The simple act of liking, commenting, and sharing posts triggers a dopamine release, driving us to consume as much content as possible. Unfortunately, social media addiction can lead to an unhealthy cycle of becoming reliant on apps for the next dopamine release.?

Discouragement: Seeing posts about others’ lofty accomplishments, like an influencer’s rigorous workout regimen or a classmate’s acceptance into multiple Ivy League schools, can cause us to set unrealistic expectations for ourselves, leading to hopelessness and disappointment.?

Fear of Missing Out (FOMO): Social media apps trigger FOMO by showing you a slew of updates about events that other people are attending. This can make you feel like you are missing out on a fun time.?

What We Can Learn

Now that you understand the emotional influence apps have, it is crucial to be aware of when your emotions are being affected by social media content.?

Start by being mindful of the content you consume daily. Prioritize content that inspires you and makes you feel connected, while setting healthy and realistic boundaries to mitigate the anxiety and discouragement. Implementing a growth mindset in a balanced approach will help you continue to use these apps for your benefit without sacrificing your emotional well-being.?

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