Does social media influence the mental health of young adults? To answer this question, I examined the relationship between young adults (ages 17-27) and social media. To make this tangible, I collected letters: love letters and break-up letters, written by young people to social media.

 

I created a mobile mailbox where I collected love letters and break-up letters. The participatory research reveals that out of the 70 written letters, an astonishing two-thirds are break-up letters. Young people are ending their relationships with social media due to its negative impact on their mental health. These break-up letters are addressed to social media; it’s only fair that they are delivered properly. And that’s exactly what I did.

 

In three videos, I take you on my journey, from writing and posting the letters to delivering them. I delivered the letters to the House of Representatives in The Hague and major tech companies such as Meta, Snapchat, and Google in Amsterdam. Watch the videos to see how this was received. Alternatively, you can read the accompanying text on the following pages.

 

And you, would you love or leave social media?