New Harvard study suggests routine social media usage can actually be beneficial to your digital well-being and mental health, here’s how.
Filipino/Canadian entrepreneur (Global Top 35 Under 35 Game Changing CEO’s in esports nominee) Luke Thorssen is revolutionizing the world of social media by creating Vlogmi: a platform pushing genuine, authentic content, Vlogmi is a refreshing take on social media. While platforms such as Instagram focus on disingenuous content and obsessing over “picture perfect” posts, Vlogmi will effectively make social media a healthier place by promoting and regulating genuine, authentic and original content.
Social media currently has a stained reputation due to its effects on mental health. As stated by a graduate of the Harvard School of Public Health, there are three (3) health-related outcomes from social media use and emotional connectivity: social well-being, positive mental health, and self-rated health (Bekalu, 2020). Social media can in fact be a benefit to one’s mental health when used with a healthy routine and mindfulness. When using social media in the context of daily routine and keeping up with others it positively affects the three outcomes. However, using social media in the context of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and excessively checking the platforms, it negatively affects all three outcomes. This can negatively impact people’s mental health, especially in developing adolescents (Moreno, 2016).
This outcome is particularly evident in the use of the popular social media platform, Instagram. When looking at the very architecture of the app, it’s built to post the perfect picture or video to show your followers. Most people feel the need to make every post on Instagram perfect in order to match the rest of their feed and look their absolute best; whether that is a posed photo of themselves on a beach or the beautiful view from their window on vacation in Greece. This is all great and yet it does not showcase the user’s genuine selves. This form of posting focuses on inauthentic ideals that can be harmful to one’s mental health. One of the better features on Instagram is their use of the Story feature. As of December 2019, 500 million Instagram users use Instagram Stories daily (99firms, 2019). This feature proves to be a widely popular form of posting; however, it does not solve Instagram’s problem of disingenuous content spread across the platform. Users can still upload edited or photoshopped posts to their story without their followers even knowing.
Content on Vlogmi will primarily consist of Story-like posts that will be called Vlogs. Vlogmi combats the issue of fake/unrealistic content by really pushing the idea of original and unfiltered content. To regulate this, users will only be able to post pictures and videos taken within the app, rather than uploading from their camera roll or other sources. This feature alone removes all reposts, and edited posts from the platform. As Vlogmi focuses more on the everyday lives of the userbase and keeping up to date with loved ones, it will likely positively affect the three outcomes of health-related social media use.
As social media continues to grow every day, more people are starting to worry about the impact of it on people’s mental health. Allowing users to see the real and original lives of its userbase will likely encourage a more positive environment online.
Statistics
• 500 million users now use Instagram stories everyday
• With healthy routines and mindfulness, social media can be beneficial to one’s mental health
• The Health Center of Instagram has a specific page dedicated to eating disorders due to the unrealistic and overwhelming expectations perpetuated by Instagram’s architecture
About Vlogmi
Founder and President Luke Thorssen is a 21-year old entrepreneur with over 9 years of experience in content development and marketing.
Vlogmi is a social media app that allows you to record, save and share photo and video memories simply and seamlessly in 24-hour segments. Every post on Vlogmi is unique and original. The vignettes give you the ability to share your life, activities and interests with whomever you choose. Vlogmi’s big idea is to provide a platform for capturing and sharing authentic and original photo and video content, with the purpose of capturing the feeling of genuine life experiences.
Rafaella Thorssen
Vlogmi Inc.
(+63) 0917-656-7234
Rafaella@Vlogmi.com
http://vlogmi.com