CAN SOCIAL MEDIA MAKE YOU SAD?

It sounds quite silly at first, doesn't it?

Why would using social media be a cause for sadness, or worse, depression? Isn't it supposed to be an enjoyable activity scrolling through your Facebook feed, checking out your friends' latest pictures on Instagram, or learning about the latest, popular Tweets?

Well...it turns out that's not always the case.

There's this one recent study which has identified 5 major social media habits that are linked with problems regarding people's mental health (Rettner 2018). It was presented last 25th of May in San Francisco by the Association for Psychological Science. Subjects were about 500 undergraduate students who had been active on the big three social media platforms – Instagram, Facebook and Twitter – as well as Snapchat. They were tasked to fill out an online survey as a way of highlighting distinct social media behaviours or any signs of depressive disorder.

What were the findings? Basically, social media users suffering from sadness or depression were more susceptible to:

• Comparing themselves with others whom they considered to have a "better life." • Saying they get bothered when tagged in "unflattering" pictures on social media.

• Being victims of social media addiction (answering "yes" to questions on whether they've tried to cut down on their use of social media without success, or if their involvement in social media has had a negative impact on their career/academics).

The study also revealed that those experiencing depression were less likely to:

• Publish/share photos of themselves with others.

• Have Twitter followers of a greater number than 300.

Also, another study in the journal Depression and Anxiety has linked the "negative" experiences while on social media, in particular, to depression. It was conducted by the Universities of West Virginia and Pittsburgh, gathering a sample size of 1200 students aged between 18 and 30. Participants were told to identify their positive and negative experiences while using social media accounts, as well as answer questions about depression symptoms resulting from such experiences.

Researchers determined this: for every 10% rise in negative social media interactions a person experienced, their risk of depression rose significantly—by 20% (Walton 2018).

So, should all this information concern us? Or are these discoveries blown out of proportion? At the end of the day, science is science. Facts are facts.

References:

• Rettner, R 2018 ‘These 5 Social Media Habits Are Linked with Depression’, Live Science, blog post, 1 June, viewed 4 September 2018, <https://www.livescience.com/62718-social-media-habits-depression.html>.

• Walton, A 2018 'Depression May Be Linked To Negative Social Media Experiences', Forbes, blog post, 7 June, viewed 4 September 2018, <https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2018/06/07/depression-may-be-linked-to-negative-experiences-on-social-media/#2f9f16304a60>.

• Mars, B, Photo of Man in White Dress Shirt Holding Phone Near Window, photograph, viewed 4 September 2018, <https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-man-in-white-dress-shirt-holding-phone-near-window-859265/>.