Both current and past research have revealed a close correlation between the exponential increase in mental health challenges, such as depression and anxiety, among adolescents, and the increased use of social media. Despite the growing body of research dedicated to studying the effects of social media on adolescent mental health, a lot of research is still underway to exemplify how social media use can be perceived from different perspectives. Studies have constantly shown that an increased number of hours spent on social media has a direct negative impact on adolescents’ social lives, making them a more vulnerable group. Although other risk factors should also be taken into consideration when evaluating an adolescent’s mental health, nowadays social media is among the first ones that shouldn’t be left out of discussion. With the help of existing research, alongside increasing awareness, this paper aims to investigate the intricate connection between social media use and adolescents’ mental health and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media have become primary forms of social communication and means to maintain social connections among young adult women. Although social connectedness generally has a positive impact on psychological well-being, frequent social media use has been associated with poorer psychological well-being. Individual differences may be due to whether women derive their self-worth from feedback on social media. The associations between reasons for social media use, whether self-worth was dependent on social media feedback, and four aspects of psychological well-being (including stress, depressive symptoms, resilience, and self-kindness) were assessed among 164 U.S. undergraduate women who completed an online questionnaire. Results indicated that having one's self-worth dependent on social media feedback was associated with using social media for status-seeking. Women whose self-worth was dependent on social media feedback reported lower levels of resilience and self-kindness and higher levels of stress and depressive symptoms. Additionally, women whose self-worth was highly dependent on social media feedback and who were seeking social status in their online interactions reported higher levels of stress. The present findings suggest that women whose self-worth is dependent on social media feedback are at higher risk for poorer psychological well-being, which has implications for practice and policy regarding women's mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Influencer advertising has enjoyed a meteoric rise. The industry is projected to reach $ 10-20 billion in 2020, 9Link to the text of the notewith close to 80% of brands participating. 10Link to the text of the noteConsumers follow influencers on social media, engage with the content they post, 11Link to the text of the noteand buy what they endorse, 12Link to the text of the notetrusting the influencers they follow as [*84] much--or more than--their actual friends. 13Link to the text of the noteAuthenticity lies at the core of the advertising model 14Link to the text of the note: influencers strive to be authentic, consumers cite authenticity as driving their engagement with influencer content, and companies partner with influencers to link their products with trusted sources. And brands employ influencer marketing because it works. Influencer ads generate greater emotional intensity and higher memory encoding. 15Link to the text of the noteOne agency found companies earned an impressive 520% return on every dollar they spent on influencer marketing. 16Link to the text of the note

Influencer marketing can be benign. But it creates an exceptionally fertile breeding ground for deception and consumer harm. Individuals, rather than brands, push out advertising messages, making it easy to mislead consumers without repercussions."