Technology is everywhere and by this point, I think I have made it clear that mental health can be related to everything.
Mental health is such a broad topic and technology covers a broad area as well.
In this post, I will outline the relationship between two huge parts of our society today and how they influence each other.
Lots Of Innovation
That describes the fields of technology and mental health perfectly to me. Technology has evolved so much I don’t need to describe it. Just think about it. In the 1920’s we didn’t have color in television. Now we have TVs that have curves! In the 1920’s mental health, was mental health even a thing? Now we see the phrase mental health being used all over the place. Now, this is all well and good, but with all of this innovation, knowledge, and information, technology and mental health brought together are not all good things.
Negative Effects
Technology can sometimes make people think that everyone is doing everything right but themselves. Take a look at social media. There are so many instances where you see people living their best lives on there and while it does not take anything away from you, it is easy to think “oh what am I doing?” The effects of technology on the masses can sometimes make people feel like a lesser version of someone else or themselves. The comparison game has no winners. People also seem to find it much easier to be hurtful on social media because you do not have to look into someone’s eyes. Technology has made it easier to do everything, good or bad.
Positive Effects
Do not get me wrong, technology, if used for constructive purposes, is hugely beneficial for our mental health. Everything I talked about is destructive for our mental health. For all of the internet “hate” that is out there, there is another support group or person that defends another person being attacked online. In this world of technology and all of the glory and convenience it brings we must acknowledge that technology can inadvertently make it harder to achieve optimal mental health. Technology is evolving and we have to evolve to keep pace. However, human interaction and human togetherness are something that technology can foster, but it is also something that technology can stymie. That is why I am providing a link to the book: “Logged In and Stressed Out: How Social Media Is Affecting Your Mental Health and What You Can Do About It” as this book dives deep into a critical aspect of technology many of us use every single day and how it affects us. Technology and mental health are connected as two very timely and important parts of the human experience, and fostering both is necessary for optimizing the sharpness of our minds.
Technology has both advantages and disadvantages. Everything is faster than it was years ago. You can make or break someone in minutes by just sending one message on social media. The negative information/Gossip travels faster than the positive information/news, I guess people are more fascinated by the gossip. One just has to be strong in today’s world.
Hi Diana!
Technology does indeed make everything faster. Words are so powerful and it is indeed so easy to be either really kind or really unkind on social media. Fascination is a really interesting point as sometimes people might enjoy drama or tension. Being strong and having thick skin in this world of information is very important as you cannot control anyone other than yourself. It is just as important to be considerate to people who might not be feeling strong.