Investigating the Modern Social Media Influenced World and its Consequences on Mental Health : How to reduce the negative effects on young women in the social media app Instagram by modifying or adding design parameters and functionality

Social media is valuable when searching for information or to ease communication but what about the health risks, loss of productivity and physical activity, imaginary ideals and addiction? One third of women 16-29 years old suffer from a lower mental health and according to a large number of studies, social media has a big part in it. This study investigates how Instagram can be modified in order to reduce the nega- tive effects on young women caused by the app. Through interviews and a workshop, five concepts were produced and tested. The preferred solution for the users was to add a symbol if the image has been retouched, this was made to be able to separate the fake from the authentic uploads in Instagram. Totally removing the phone from the process was not an option since it is used in more situations like communication. Another concept that was instantly popular was the option to keep follow or unfollow recently added accounts. This makes the user aware of the content and is given the possibility to evaluate the accounts. Along with these concepts, it could be suggested that people need to be more aware of the problems caused by social media. It could also be suggested for users to work on their self-compassion, to not critique oneself too much, since fitspo-accounts affect users substantially. It is not the time spent on social media that matters but what people are actually engaging with