Does Social Media Make You Lonely?
It is like asking if eating food causes obesity?
The need to connect with others is a primal human instinct. The warm feeling of social connection is essential in maintaining our overall emotional and physical health. There is unequivocal evidence that people who have satisfying relationships are happier, have fewer health problems, and live longer. As virtual social platforms permeate our lives, they can potentially take over ‘human’ from connection. With over 2.6 billion monthly active users of Facebook as of the first quarter of 2020, the world's largest online social network, and over half of them log in daily, one in three people on this planet interacts with Facebook. It is staggering. Over 1 billion people use Instagram every month, making it the second most popular social network platform in the world. As of the first quarter of 2020, photo and video sharing app Snapchat had 229 million daily active users worldwide, up from 190 million in the corresponding quarter of 2019. Approximately 77 percent of all Americans have a social media profile of some kind.
Despite the ubiquity of social media platforms, there’s a remarkable lack of precise data about how they affect us personally: our behaviors, our social relationships, and our mental health. Some emerging data is questioning it.
Does eating make you fat? The answer is yes, and no.
Just like that, one may ask if social media makes you lonely and depressed? The answer is yes, certainly, but not all the time, not in everyone, and not forever.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that there is, in fact, a causal link between the use of social media and adverse effects on well-being, primarily depression and loneliness. Their study was published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. One hundred forty-three undergraduate students, who used iPhones, from the University of Pennsylvania participated. They were randomly assigned to two groups. The control group continued to use social media as usual. The study group limited their social media to 30 minutes per day — 10 minutes on three different platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat). iPhone usage data monitored the time spent using each app per day. Each participant filled out questionnaires in several areas of well-being: social support, fear of missing out, loneliness, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, autonomy, and self-acceptance at the beginning and end of the study.
The outcome was unequivocal. The group that used less social media had better mental health outcomes. Both loneliness and depressive symptoms declined, with the most benefit in those who reported higher levels of depression. At the end of the trial, it was clear that no matter where they started, those in the study group experienced less depression and loneliness as social media exposure was limited. Meanwhile, both groups saw a decline in levels of anxiety and fear of missing out, which the researchers postulate as potentially coming from users merely becoming more aware of their social media use by taking part in the trial. Overall, if you use less social media, you are less depressed and less lonely. However, this study is almost entirely observational or correlational nature, meaning they don’t establish whether or not one is causing the other. A common argument against the theory that social media makes individuals more depressed and lonely is simply that perhaps those who are more depressed and isolated are more inclined to use social media as a way of reaching out.
The bigger question is why so. What can we learn from this? Well, it’s complicated. When you log on, you’re generally dealing with very curated content on the other side. Some researchers have found that this may generate social compassion, although you may not be fully aware of it. However, even if individuals are aware of the curated nature of many online platforms, it is not uncommon to feel compelled to compare your life with others, as presented. There are various published articles on the relationship between Facebook and specific mental health outcomes. The more you use the platforms, the more social comparisons you tend to induce, and that potentially causes a decrease in happiness and an increase in loneliness. It is not uncommon to have these constant upward social comparisons hundreds of times each day, depending on how frequently you check your social media feeds.
FOMO, or fear of missing out, is strongly linked with the use of social media usage also. Although FOMO seems a bit frivolous, psychologists consider it to be real. FOMO may be an extension of broader issues of inclusion and social standing. Once our basic needs are met, like food, shelter, and water, the need for inclusion and social interaction ranks next to them. FOMO is this feeling that I could have been there, and I wasn’t. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory can explain this well. Social media interaction may provide a powerful cue that maybe one is not being included by people who are important in one’s life.
Social media affects different demographics differently. Some populations, such as college students, are more vulnerable to loneliness. The stress of college can weigh heavily on students who lack a social network to help them battle negative thoughts. In a 2017 survey of nearly 48,000 college students, 64% said they had felt “very lonely” in the previous 12 months, while only 19% reported they never felt lonely, according to the American College Health Association. Students also reported feeling “overwhelming anxiety (62%) or “very sad” (69%), and that “things were hopeless” (53%). Nearly 12% seriously considered suicide. Let’s ask ourselves honestly why we are checking in on Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat so often. Is this a substitute for something else you could be doing IRL (in real life)? Healthier alternatives might include visiting with friends, reading a book, taking a contemplative walk in nature, or participating in arts such as photography, writing, or music. Be aware of what’s driving you to snack on social media. There are wholesome options to satisfy those cravings. Not all social media are created equal. Choose a social media platform carefully. Stick to a social media outlet that helps develop authentic social connections and pulls you into a welcoming community. That is what social media was meant to do in the first place.
As a wise person once said, “Do everything in moderation, even moderation,” social media use is great in moderation. So, should we all just be using less social media? Maybe. We don’t have enough evidence to say that one should not use social media at all. However, there is enough evidence that controlling and limiting could be helpful for people who are already seeming to struggle with negative emotions and a sense of belonging. Social media is not going away, and I am not suggesting that it should. Social media has permanently woven itself into the fabric of our daily lives. They are just going to be part of how we interact with our world and people in it.
TAKEAWAYS
It is ironic, but perhaps not surprising that reducing social media, which promised to help us connect with others, actually helps people feel less lonely and depressed. Setting limits and sticking to them can help minimize these effects. Limiting social media use to 30 minutes a day may lead to significant improvement in well-being. Just being mindful of screen time is beneficial. Increased self-monitoring leads to significant decreases in anxiety and fear of missing out. It may potentially allow you to focus more on the task at hand than worry about what everyone else is up to.
When it comes to social media, less is more.
References:
No More FOMO: Limiting Social Media Decreases Loneliness and Depression https://bit.ly/2ULFWVc
FOMO: Fear of missing out https://bit.ly/3e4DHUF
Dr. Amar Singh, MD, and Dr. Poonam Singh, MD, are board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and American Board of Obesity Medicine. They specialize in preventing, treating, and reversing chronic diseases using an evidence-based holistic approach. They are specifically interested in weight management, hormone rebalancing, and longevity. The American College of Physicians has recognized them as Fellows, FACP, for their excellence and contributions made to both medicine and the broader community. They enjoy teaching, volunteering, and advocating for their patients
