Article 1 - Social Media / Facebook and Depression

Article 1: Facebook and Depression

Social Media can be seen as a form of communication which takes place online, via the internet. It encompasses various platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube etc.., all of which allow users to communicate and share information with others online while also helping them to learn, create web content and be entertained. The functions range from blogging, instant messaging and podcasting to just sharing and networking. Today, billions of people around the world use various types of social media, the most popular being Facebook, has around 1.7 billion users, about 23% of the global population. (Internet World Stats, 2016)

Facebook also referred to as the "social network" is known to cause antisocial behavior among its users, recent scientific studies have concluded. This behavior is comprised of various mental health issues such as depression, jealousy and low self-esteem. A 2014 study published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology concluded that the social media platform causes depressive symptoms which are the result of a phenomenon called "Social comparison". This is when users compare themselves to the content they see. (Steers, Wickham and Acitelli, 2014) The research carried revealed that upward social comparisons are responsible for people feeling sad and down whereas downward comparisons had an opposite effect, but both and neutral comparisons were directly related to depression. "It doesn't mean Facebook causes depression, but that depressed feelings and lots of time on Facebook and comparing oneself to others tend to go hand in hand", said Mai-Ly Steers, the author. (Walton, 2015) Nicole Amesbury, head of clinical development at Talkspace stated that people contrasted "themselves to the posts they see, and then feel inadequate". (Steussy, 2016)
Another study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh in 2016 established that the usage of multiple social-media platforms increased the risks of depression and anxiety. Finding that people using anywhere from seven to ten platforms were thrice as likely to be depressed and/or anxious as those using one or two. (Primack, Shensa, Escobar-Viera, Barrett, Sidani, Colditz and James, 2016) But then why do people still use it? According to research, it is ‘affective forecasting’, when people predict incorrectly that using the platform for twenty minutes will boost their mood and provide a needed break while checking up on friends. (Morin, 2016)

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References:

1. Internet World Stats (2016) ‘Facebook Users in the World’ |Available Online: http://www.internetworldstats.com/facebook.htm | Date Accessed: 18^th April, 2017
2. Morin, A. (2016) ‘Science Explains How Facebook Makes You Sad’ |Psychology Today | Available Online: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/what-mentally-strong-people-dont-do/201603/science-explains-how-facebook-makes-you-sad | Date Accessed: 18^th April, 2017
3. Primack, Brian A., Shensa, A., Escobar-Viera, Cesar G., Barrett, Erica L., Sidani, Jaime E., Colditz, Jason B., and James, A.E, (2016) ‘Use of multiple social media platforms and symptoms of depression and anxiety: A nationally-representative study among U.S. young adults’ | Computers in Human Behavior, 69  1-9 | Availabe Online: http://ac.els-cdn.com/S0747563216307543/1-s2.0-S0747563216307543-main.pdf?_tid=dbf61ccc-23e7-11e7-86ba-00000aab0f6c&acdnat=1492486619_0e09c7dbc9887d6290abbe2b5ab611e2  | Date Accessed: 18^th April, 2017
4. Steers, Mai-Ly N., Wickham, Robert E., and Acitelli, Linda K. (2014) ‘SEEING EVERYONE ELSE’S HIGHLIGHT REELS: HOW FACEBOOK USAGE IS LINKED TO DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS’ | Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, [Vol. 33, No. 8, pp. 701-731] | Available Online: http://guilfordjournals.com/doi/pdf/10.1521/jscp.2014.33.8.701 | Date Accessed: 18^th April, 2017
5. Steussey, L. (2016) ‘Your social media addiction is giving you depression’ |NYPost.com | Availabe Online: http://nypost.com/2016/12/22/your-social-media-addiction-is-giving-you-depression/ | Date Accessed: 18^th April, 2017
6. Walton, Alice G. (2015) ‘New Study Links Facebook To Depression: But Now We Actually Understand Why.’ | Forbes. Com |Available Online: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2015/04/08/new-study-links-facebook-to-depression-but-now-we-actually-understand-why/#7fd037ce1e6d | Date Accessed: 18^th April, 2017