Social Media Use and Depression
Renae Merrill: Thank you for having me on the research podcast. I really do appreciate being here.
HY: First, can you tell us a little bit about the focus of your research and the findings?
RM: I would be happy to. We currently know that previous studies have linked the development of depression with numerous factors but no study to our knowledge has really looked at how personality traits may interact with social media use and depression. This new study addressed these important research questions and we found that young adults who used more social media were significantly more likely to develop depression within six months, regardless of their personality type.
HY: Were some personality types more susceptible to depression than others?
RM: Yes, in fact, we found that people with high neuroticism were twice as likely to develop depression than those with low neuroticism when using more than 300 minutes of social media per day. Neuroticism has been best defined as people who have a higher sensitivity to negative outcomes and feelings – and this could help explain the increased risk of depression. Another personality trait we found was actually protective against the risk of depression. We found that people with high agreeableness were 49% less likely to become depressed than those with low agreeableness. We know that agreeable individuals tend to be more prosocial and have increased empathy and concern for others. It may be that agreeable people sustain more positive relationships over time and this contributes to them having a lower risk for depression.
HY: Were you able to make any determinations about the reason it causes depression?
RM: We described three possible reasons social media may contribute to depression. First, problematic social comparison may enhance negative feelings and not only of ourselves but of others. Social comparison is more likely to occur among people who share common group characteristics and life experiences. I described social media group matching behavior further in my publication that looks specifically at adolescence. Another reason is being primarily engaged in negative content. Engaging in negative content can enhance the feelings that a person is currently experiencing. And lastly, engaging in more social media reduces opportunities for in person interactions and activities outside of the home. We were created to be social by nature and we really do need each other. As I tell my students, every person wants and needs to be loved, supported and cared for in order to thrive in life. We also know that online interaction limits our ability to see facial expressions, tone and voice, and various aspects of emotion that is established when we meet in person. And this could explain why miscommunication and misperception occurs.
HY: Your paper noted that young adults who use social media more than 300 minutes a day are twice as likely to experience depression. This seems like a lot to me – obviously as a middle-aged person – but do you have any sense of what’s the average is? Is there a recommended amount?
RM: Actually, the literature does show that the average social media use in the U.S. is around two to four hours a day. And researchers have also suggested that one or two hours a day really hasn’t been linked to depression. But when using within four to six hours a day or beyond it becomes a risk factor.
HY: While we’re at it, can you define social media? I think there’s some obvious candidates like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. Were other less obvious ones considered as part of the study?
RM: That is a great question. I would define social media as any online platform that includes features to communicate in various ways with others that replaces face to face interactions. To answer your question about the platforms considered, we used the top ten social media platforms specifically in 2018 in addition to the ones you described, YouTube, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Pinterest, Reddit, LinkedIn and Tumblr were included.
HY: Okay, so pretty much anything that’s online and interactive could be considered social media. Message boards, anything of that nature?
RM: I would say anything that I kind of mentioned that with that definition of social media would fall under that category, yes.
HY: So, as a doctoral candidate, how does this paper fit in with your PhD thesis?
RM: My research interest involves social media use and mental health policy, focused on social media is an area that is rather limited. By focusing efforts on the negative impact social media has on young people, this will not only increase awareness about the issues that have occurred since the creation of these platforms, but it can lay a foundation for creating policies that help vulnerable users. These efforts can lead to improving mental health and communication in various contexts of society.
HY: OK, so let’s say you’re the parent of a teenager. Knowing what you know, what kind of rules would you suggest on social media use?
RM: We could all agree that social media is here to stay and that there are both positive and negative aspects to using these platforms. And I just want to clarify that our study looked at young adults ages 18 to 30. Therefore, these findings cannot be extended to other age groups, but it would be interesting for future studies to explore these associations among different important life-span stages. Furthermore, I would be happy to offer some insights… recommendations that I believe would be valuable instead of specific rules. My suggestion would be to promote media literacy that focuses on empathy. As I stated in the news article, people have innate emotional needs for social connection and understanding. We can improve our social media experiences by becoming more aware of our emotions and our connection with others in various life circumstances. This awareness can improve relationship quality, but action is necessary, and this can be established by reaching shared meanings and understanding through more effective communication and concern for others and ourselves. Additionally, miscommunication and misperception are very real and are likely to occur on social media because current emotions can impact how users engage with various content, how messages are sent and received, and enhance whatever emotion is currently being felt. In closing, I truly believe that despite our differences we do have the ability to create a culture of empathy and kindness by changing our social media behavior and habits.
HY: Renae Merrill, thank you for coming in today.
RM: Thank you so much for your interest in our study. I appreciate being here.
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