In Jeff Cain’s article “It’s Time to Confront Student Mental Health Issues Associated with

Smartphones and Social Media,” he states that the increased use of smartphones, social media,
and the internet have led to increased amounts of anxiety, depression, and stress in humans,
particularly those that are ages 18-25. He says that while smartphone use could be a coping
mechanism for mental illness rather than the cause, there still needs to be more information
and education focused on positive technology use. Jeff Cain’s main claim in his article is that the
current addiction to smartphones and social media plaguing society that is somehow leading to
increased mental illness needs to be addressed, and more education regarding positive
technology use needs to be offered. I agree with the authors claims that technology has a
negative effect on mental health. I think that the increased use of social media and smart
phones does in fact play into feeling of depression and anxiety within society. I was not familiar
with the topic of the article, but I chose to read it because I thought it would be interesting to
see how social media and phones affect the mental health of people, especially those my age. I
found it very interesting that the increased use of social media has created a new experience
known as FOMO which causes people to feel like their missing out on the good things in life
when they see others having a good time on social media. I’ve felt that before, but I’ve never
had a word for it.

Quote: “Several studies have also shown that the “fear of missing out” (FOMO) is associated
with problematic smartphone use. FOMO is the “pervasive apprehension that others might be
having rewarding experiences from which one is absent.”

Internet: “The fear of missing out refers to the feeling or perception that others are having
more fun, living better lives, or experiencing better things than you are. It involves a deep sense
of envy and affects self-esteem. It is often exacerbated by social media sites like Instagram
and Facebook.”

Scholarly: “She adds that nowadays, this kind of phenomenon is known as FoMO, and it is
heavily correlated with the process of social comparison in psychology.”

I think that while both sources are reliable, I trust the one from the online article more because
it comes from a site for mental wellness, and the online article is backed by three separate
academic sources.