Perhaps the first question to ask regarding to the debate on mental health problems in adolescents and youths follows:
Is technology and social media to blame?
Most of us would be able to argue defiantly against this point, being users of social media itself. I, myself am depend on social media to keep me informed, up to date and connected with my peers, colleagues, family and friends. It has become my diary, and my personal secretary; linked to my calendar, it tells me which Events are on, which ones I am going to, when my Friend’s birthday are. I am always connected, ‘in-the-loop’, and assured that answers are always one click away- given Wi-Fi is available.
Certainly I am aware of the insidious potential of social media to turn ugly-taker cyber-bullying as an example. However, many people will claim that they have never experienced, seen or partaken in denigration of another online; so what is about social media that remains potentially psychologically detrimental to the developing adolescent, or young adult?
I can think of two significant factors. The first; Addiction. Social media is undoubtedly addicting. I feel disconnected, isolated and withdrawn from society and deprived of communication if I do not ‘log-in’ to Facebook for two or 3 days in a row. Like any addiction, this has the potential to manifest in dependence; which, when you consider the second point: the use for identity validation, encouragement, self-esteem inflation, and personal promotion, becomes an area of serious concern.
This brings me on to my next question:
Is social media making us more or less lonely?
To begin with, we must not forget the benefits of social media.
- It has become the most widely used form of communication in young adult, adult and adolescent demographics in Western society, and thus non-usage has the effect of isolating the individual, and preventing the establishment of relationships and connections to others.
- It provides support and encouragement to those who may be recovering from illness, or are geographically isolated.
- It enables separated family and friends to keep in touch and remain up-to-date with their loved-ones lives.
- Following from point 3, it thus has the potential to decrease loneliness and isolation.
- It provides a common platform from which events and groups can be formed, allowing for efficient communication and organization.
- Its large social demographic range provides an effective medium for promotion and advocacy.
So what is it about social media sites, like Facebook, that are causes for concern and increased loneliness?
In their 2013 paper reporting a longitudinal study on Facebook users, Kross et al2 found that “On the surface, Facebook provides an invaluable resource for fulfilling the basic human need for social connection. Rather than enhancing well-being, however, these findings suggest that Facebook may undermine it.” Past investigations have correlated Facebook usage with heightened/ more prevalent experiences of jealousy, social tension, isolation and depression1. However, as the The Economist post on the topic mentions: these past studies3,4,5 have all been “cross-sectional”—and as such, “risk confusing correlation with causation: perhaps those who spend more time on social media are more prone to negative emotions in the first place.”1 The study conducted by Dr Kross and Dr Verduyn2 is the first to follow Facebook users for an extended period, to track how their emotions change and what they found was that the more a volunteer used Facebook, the worse he/she reported feeling the next time he/she filled in a questionnaire. Volunteers were also asked to rate their satisfaction with life at the start and the end of the study. Those who used Facebook a lot were more likely to report a decline in satisfaction than those who visited the site infrequently1,2.
The analysis indicated that Facebook use predicts declines in the two components of subjective well-being: how people feel moment to moment and how satisfied they are with their lives2. Furthermore Cacioppo et al in their 2011 study found that people’s perceptions of social isolation (how lonely they feel) are a more powerful determinant of well-being than objective social isolation6. The Kross et al study results were in keeping witht his finding and overall concluded that “rather than enhancing well-being, Facebook undermines it.”2
These studies raise more questions than answers.
For example, what mechanisms exactly undermine the deleterious effects of Facebook usage on well-being?
Why are we so susceptible to succumbing in the participation of damaging social comparisons?
Why do feel it necessary to ‘out-compete’ everyone and where does this competitiveness stem from?
Or,
Does the problem reside within the upcoming generation itself? Are the new wave of adolescents and young adults more susceptible to the superficial nature of social media? Do they possess an inherently lower self-esteem: or are we encouraging them to use Facebook as a means of negating loneliness and isolation and thus propagating a negative cycle?
References
[1] Get a life! Using the social network Facebook seems to make people more miserable. 2013. The Economist Science and Technology, [blog] August 17 2013, Available at: http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21583593-using-social-network-seems-make-people-more-miserable-get-life [Accessed: 21 Mar 2014].
[2] Kross E, Verduyn P, Demiralp E, Park J, Lee DS, et al. (2013) Facebook Use Predicts Declines in Subjective Well-Being in Young Adults. PLoS ONE 8(8): e69841. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0069841
[3] Forest AL, Wood JV (2012) When Social Networking Is Not Working: Individuals With Low Self-Esteem Recognize but Do Not Reap the Benefits of Self-Disclosure on Facebook. Psychol Sci 23: 295–302. doi: 10.1177/0956797611429709
[4] Manago AM, Taylor T, Greenfield PM (2012) Me and my 400 friends: The anatomy of college students’ Facebook networks, their communication patterns, and well-being. Dev Psychol 48: 369–380. doi: 10.1037/a0026338
[5] Kim J, LaRose R, Peng W (2009) Loneliness as the cause and the effect of problematic Internet use: the relationship between Internet use and psychological well-being. Cyberpsychology & behavior : the impact of the Internet, multimedia and virtual reality on behavior and society 12: 451–455. doi: 10.1089/cpb.2008.0327
[6] Cacioppo JT, Hawkley LC, Norman GJ, Berntson GG (2011) Social isolation. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1231: 17–22. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06028.x
Generation Wired 