Is Social Audio Bad for My Mental Health?

It's no secret that social media faces mental health issues. The unique nature of social audio solves some of these while presenting other challenges.

Of the valid issues people have with social media (addicting, fake, privacy, and misinformation to name a few), mental health stands out as the hardest to grapple. By that, I mean so many facets of social media affect one’s mental health. It can be difficult to detect if social media has affected your mental health, and even if you are aware of the causes and effects, doing something about it takes a high level of restraint and patience.

The Effects of Social Media on Mental Health

Social media attacks your mental health in a variety of ways. To name a few:

Comparing yourself to others, especially when people tend to present themselves only in their highest moments.

FOMO (fear of missing out), such that seeing people get together without you invokes feelings of loneliness or inferiority.

Cyberbullying, a direct attack on your self-esteem.

Addiction to dopamine hits, which makes living life off your phone more difficult.

Disturbing your sleep, which increases your stress and irritability while worsening your concentration.

These are general concerns related to social media, but the way each platform is susceptible to them can differ. This then begs the question: does social audio harm our mental health, and if so, in what ways?

The Unique Ways Social Audio Impacts Mental Health

Some of these ill effects take different forms on social audio. For example, with cyberbullying, the live nature of real-time conversations makes it more difficult to monitor someone who could say anything in a given moment. FOMO concerns include not receiving an invitation to a private conversation.

Other effects are more pronounced on social audio, or novel altogether. For example, the pressures of live conversation can make those who fear public speaking uncomfortable. Social audio provides a layer of protection in the sense that you don’t have a crowd in front of you. If desired, you could remain completely anonymous. And yet, speaking to others in a live setting can still induce anxiety for those not used to the experience.

How Social Audio Solves Some Mental Health Concerns

Some effects of social media on mental health are muted, or in some ways, outright solved through social audio. For example, visual-based media lends itself to people crafting idealized personas. Audio-based media instead lends itself to people speaking from a genuine place. This isn’t to say every piece of audio is honest or heartfelt (some might be outright trolling), but there isn’t as strong an inclination to be fake. The lesser reliance on looking at your screen also helps alleviate the effects of digital eye strain.

Social media does have some redeeming qualities related to mental health. Chief among them are providing a platform for social support, allowing people to form meaningful connections, and letting people share their experiences. Social audio, given its propensity for conversation and intimate connection, aligns strongly with these possibilities.

These redeeming qualities allow us to conclude that it isn’t necessarily the apps that are bad for our mental health. Part of the problem is how we use them. So whether you use social audio or another form of media, always make sure to take care of yourself first and use these apps responsibly.

Social Audio Corner is a series where we discuss all things related to the audio segment of social media, from latest developments to use cases and more.