Briceno 1
Sophia Briceno
Professor Elizabeth Nappo
ENC 1102
November 14, 2022
Essay 3 Outline
Research Question: social media has more negative effects on mental health than it has benefits,
specifically being very triggering to disorders like depression and anxiety in American
individuals of all ages and genders.
I. Introduction
a. Hook idea: 302 million Americans reported being frequent users of social media in 2022,
according to Statista.com. This figure represents a 90% of the U.S. population, which
means that 9 out of 10 Americans have at least one profile in a social network that they
frequently use.
b. Summary of problem/need for solution: social media has many drawbacks in our mental
health, since it portrays many aspects of life that are simply not true for the average
person, creating a need for recreating what they see and getting extremely disappointed
when they don’t get the results they desire (I.E., expensive cars, clothing, and extravagant
lifestyles, perfectly toned bodies, etc.)
c. Working thesis statement: social media creates standards that most people can never
achieve because they are simply not true, creating a longing effect and triggering anxiety
and depression in more than 50% of the American population.
Briceno 2
II. Significance of problem: Anxiety and depression are very serious illnesses that can very
much cause suicide and studies show that social media is an agent that increases the risks of
having them.
Background of problem: Social media usage in America increased from only 5% in 2005 to 90%
in 2022.
Effects of problem: According to onlinetherapy.com, 6 out of every 10 American users that
spend four hours or more per day on social media experience depression, or 64%.
III. Description of solutions that have not worked or other proposed solutions: some
influencers coming out and saying that the lives they post are not the ones they actually live had
a huge impact in many people’s mental health, but the majority of other influencers keep feeding
a fake, unrealistic lifestyle.
IV. Supporting argument for proposal (defend thesis): depression increased in almost double
in America.
Research to be used: CDC, SAMHSA.
Ideas for examples/ideas/analysis: in 2005 only 5.4% of Americans reported being depressed,
compared to about 10% in 2022.
V. Supporting argument for proposal (defend thesis): Unrealistic standards create disorders
such as body dysmorphia, which according to experts is a leading cause for depression in the
U.S.
Research to be used: NationalEatingDisorders.org, Macquarie University.
Briceno 3
Ideas for examples/description/analysis: Even 30 minutes in social media can make you feel
some sort of body dysmorphia
VI. Who or what would oppose or challenge this solution? Social media is addictive both
physically and mentally, so quitting it can be very challenging.
What solution is the best option, despite these concerns: Educating children into knowing that
social media is all completely fake, and they should not think about it as a real thing.
VII. Conclusion
Restate thesis/claim: social media does in fact increase depression and anxiety in Americans, and
its addictive nature makes it very hard to quit.
Summarize supporting arguments:
Depression and anxiety are serious illnesses, and they are related to social media usage in
America within the last 10 years.
Unrealistic body standards have a massive impact on social media’s depressing nature and
anxiously depressing rates.
Raising younger generations by creating awareness in schools of warnings and lessons on social
media.
Briceno 4
