Feelings of isolation are often associated with negative health effects
A new research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine reveals: For young people, social media might not even be that social at all.
The study- put together by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh-reveals that increased social media use is linked to higher levels of perceived social isolation.
The researchers asked 1,787 participants ages 19 to 32 about their social media habits and how they feel about their places in the world. They gauged their agreement with statements like “I feel that people barely know me” or “I feel that people are around me but not with me.” There were some limitations, too: Participants self-reported their social media use, so responses were subject to memory and other biases. The results can’t be generalised to other age ranges, either.
Still, it turns out, participants with high usage of platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Reddit also perceived themselves to be more socially isolated.
Now, the research presents us with a big, thorny question: Do people feel more isolated BECAUSE of social media, or do people who feel isolated just tend to engage in social media more, perhaps, as the study suggests, as a form of connection?
The study posits that this question could be tackled by examining the kinds of social media people engage in: Do they actively post and chat with friends, or do they passively scroll and observe activity without engaging?
Though these questions have yet to be answered, the researchers point out that feelings of isolation are often associated with negative health effects such as weight, sleep patterns and immune function. So looking into social media usage and its effects or motivations could help combat more than just loneliness.
the main point is simple that too much of anything is bad. balance in everything is the key. if you scroll through Facebook all day. it will not only disturb you mentally as you keep throwing information passively at your brain without engaging with it actively, it will have a negative effect on you. sitting in front of computer all day destroys your health.
This is a burning issue and the research on the matter is growing. I do agree with the findings of the paper. Even though the inverse causal relationship (i.e. depressed people turn to social medial) has yet to be examined, I believe social media is leading to isolation and depression. The problem is that people have hundreds of social media friends that don’t even know them. People even get depressed when their friends do not comment on their posts or like them. In other words, your social media friends are not your real friends. In order to use social media to your benefit, there could be two uses of individual media accounts;
1)Promote yourself and your Ideas: In this case you have a message to convey to the public and you believe in what you are saying. Then you don’t care about how people respond. You should be open to accepting criticism. If not, people’s negative comments will make you depressed.
2)Use it purely as a Social Media: In this case, limit yourself to the friends that you know in real life. Comment on their posts as if you would do face to face. They will also reciprocate. Also arrange face to face meetings. This will strengthen your social networking.
Careless use of social media can lead to depression for another reason too. Your social media friends post only the good things happening in their lives, even exaggerating them or even faking them. This will make you depressed when there is not much happening in your life. It can even destroy your self-esteem if your days are not good.
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