Semiotic Analysis of Social Media’s Impact on Mental Health

Introduction

In modern society, people must recognize the excellent influence of social media since it determines how they communicate, receive information, and define themselves and others. This paper examines the effect of social media on the world; it concentrates on the positive and negative effects, especially the ones related to mental health issues and the young generation. Two scholarly articles are our primary texts for the semiotic analysis – Steinsbekk et al. and Harness et al. The articles explain the different effects of social media on adolescents’ self-esteem throughout their childhood and the intervention measures that nurses can use to control the impacts of social media on mental health. Through the integration of semiotics and rhetorical analysis, this essay will examine how messages are encoded within social media and estimate the effect of such social media.

Semiotic Analysis

The study by Steinsbekk et al. mainly carefully reflects the complex interconnection between media usage and appearance estimation in the youth. A longitudinal focus enables the authors to expose the semiotic richness that lies behind the prism of the social media ecosystem, contributing to the understanding of the impact on how people see themselves and what they value most. The study points out how platforms like Instagram and Snapchat function as symbolic repositories, where edited images become the discourse representing society’s beauty norms. At some level, these photos, usually serving the purpose of unreachable perfection, are responsible for the signification of self-esteem in the impressionable generation. Mapping the semiotic codes reveals how social media amplifies fake beauty ideals and spreads the negative self-image mythology. This critical overview thereby highlights the significance of deciphering the symbolic talk of social media in the navigation of its effect on teenage mental health and well-being.

On the other hand, the article by Harness et al. exemplifies the complex effects of social media on mental health. The text is the medium for revealing the intricate intertextual connections of symbols within the digital milieu on the users’ psychological well-being. The authors of the work make an argument that is very strong through the employment of rhetorical strategies such as ethos, pathos, and logos, which are used to highlight some of the detrimental effects of excessive media use on mental health, especially among young people. By doing the due empirical evidence and the experts, the authors show their ethos to have credibility and authority in their discourse. Furthermore, the technique exploits human sympathy by moving the audience emotionally, thus creating an impression on the audience about the psychological problems like anxiety, depression, and body image issues that are social media-induced (Zsila and Reyes). Additionally, logos provide a rational basis for the causal processes leading to these mental health issues, highlighting the issue’s importance and prompting action and a clinical response.

Rhetorical Analysis

The text targets social media users, scholars, clinicians, digital media practitioners, and the younger generation about the social effects of using social media to address the rhetorical situation. The audience varies in expertise and interest, so the authors employ different rhetorical strategies to keep them engaged and persuaded. The purpose of the texts is twofold: to promote the diffusion of empirical knowledge as well as theoretical ideas concerning the influence of social media on mental health and to develop proactive measures to tackle the problem. Bringing to the fore these goals, the authors insist on the dichotomy of the pursuit of academic rigor and real-world applicability, thus supporting the information needs of scientists and clinicians and addressing broader societal concerns on the impact of social media.

The authors use strategic techniques such as ethos, pathos, and logos to bring out their appeals. Ethos is sustained by mentioning the authors’ credentials, research abilities, and the research institutions with which they are affiliated, thus enhancing the credibility of their argument and imparting legitimacy to their claims. Pathos is created by using emotional language, personal anecdotes, and descriptions of the human burden behind social media-driven mental health problems, getting empathy and compassion from the target audience. They elaborate on how the pursuit of good expression and appearances can negatively impact people’s social lives. The text uses pathos to express the power of self-esteem on the younger generation’s mental health. Logos is portrayed in logic, empirical evidence, and theoretical models explaining the causes of mental health issues due to social media and providing the basis for the urgency of intervention.

Conclusion

The semiotic and rhetorical analysis of scholarly articles by Steinsbekk et al. and Harness et al. indicates, on another level, the massive role of social media in modern life. Social media platforms enable never-before-seen connectivity and sharing of self-expression but also sustain harmful beauty standards, exacerbate mental health issues, and pose risks to the mental and emotional development of younger generations. Through symbolic decryption of the texts embedded in them and through critical assessment of their rhetorical strategies, we learn about social media’s interaction with society in a more intricate and nuanced way. Ultimately, the analysis challenges the norms beyond the academic environment, pushing for reflection and action toward creating a healthier digital ecosystem.

Works Cited

Harness, Jane, et al. “How Social Media Impacts Mental Health, and What Clinicians Should Do About It.” Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, vol. 62, no. 10, Elsevier BV, Oct. 2023, p. S415. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2023.07.952.

Steinsbekk, Silje, et al. “The Impact of Social Media Use on Appearance Self-esteem From Childhood to Adolescence – a 3-wave Community Study.” Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 114, Elsevier BV, Jan. 2021, p. 106528. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106528.

Zsila, Ágnes, and Marc Eric S. Reyes. “Pros and Cons: Impacts of Social Media on Mental Health.” BMC Psychology, vol. 11, no. 1, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, July 2023. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-023-01243-x.