Depression and Social Media

Introduction
Loneliness is defined as “a subjective, unwelcome feeling of lack or loss of companionship. It happens when we have a mismatch between the quantity and quality of social relationships that we have, and those that we want” (Office for National Satistics).  As Horne notes, loneliness and depression play off one another. Loneliness is not necessarily isolation from people as it is the feeling of being alone (Horne). Van Winkel et al. show that loneliness often is both a predictor and symptom of depression. Depression in other words is typically an underlying current in loneliness.
In recent years there has been a significant increase in the rate of depression among young adults (National Institute of Mental Health). Twenge, Cooper, Joiner, Duffy and Binau show that over the past decade, the number of adolescents who are depressed has more than doubled. This coincides with the rise of social media and the social media usage among adolescents, according to the Pew Research Center, which finds that 95% of teens have access to a smart phone and 45% of teens say they are online “all the time” (Anderson & Jiang). The correlation between the rise of social media use among young people and the rise of depression and loneliness among the same demographic raises serious questions, such as: Is there a relationship between social media use and loneliness among young adults, ages 15-25?
Statement of Research Question and Significance
The research question for this proposal is: Does social media make people lonely—particularly those who are between the ages of 15-25?
The significance of this question can be seen in the fact that depression and loneliness can lead to very negative outcomes for young adults if it is not addressed. They can try to self-medicate and turn to drugs or alcohol, become addicts and end up destroying their lives.
The economic cost of depression in the U.S. is $210 billion per year (Greenberg). This results from trips to the hospital, lost work and production hours, and the toll placed on others who must provide care. The social cost of depression is that teens suffer from bullying, unrealistic views, and peer pressure. Adolescents can become withdrawn and isolated and fear being part of groups that are not online. They can fail to learn basic interaction techniques or how to talk to people face to face. This makes it harder for them to get a job as they are unable to engage in direct conversation with people. It thus limits their chances of employment as well as their future development.
The social effects of depression can be seen in many ways: tiredness, loss of energy, inability to sleep or getting too much sleep, changes in one’s appetite (weight gain or weight loss), abusing drugs or alcohol, constant state of agitation or nervousness, slowness in movements, constant complaints of headaches, isolation, poor academic performance, self-harm, fits of anger, risky behavior, suicidal ideation, feelings of sadness that do not go away and come on for seemingly no reason, frustration over small matters, hopelessness, feeling of emptiness, irritability, loss of interest in past pleasures and in family or friends, no self-esteem, sense of worthlessness or guilt, fixation on self-criticism, inability to focus thoughts or concentrate for long, bleak view of one’s life or future (Mayo Clinic).
If there is evidence of a strong correlation between social media usage and loneliness in young adults, it could be grounds for a public service announcement regarding using social media in moderation.
Literature Review
Social Media and Loneliness
One of the big reasons for the escalation in this issue is that more and more adolescents are turning to the virtual world for support instead of to the real-world where they might have friends and families. On the virtual world, they are spending all their time on social media, comparing themselves to others and wondering why other people have more friends and followers than they do. They become depressed as a result because their self-esteem suffers and they feel lonely and isolated (Lohman). Their entire sense of self-worth is determined by the strength or popularity of their social media page (Lohmann). Many teens today want to be YouTubers and have a career being Influencers. They spend more and more time online focusing on building their own brand. Teens can become addicted to the Internet as a result and can develop self-esteem issues if they are not getting the following they want for themselves on their social media page. The pressure to outperform other YouTube sensations can be overwhelming, and teens can suffer from stress and anxiety, become depressed, and become so attached to their social media profile that they lose touch with the real world.
But, on the other hand, as Chester and Montgomery show along with Lim, Radzol, Cheah and Wong, when it comes to social media, teens cannot get enough of it. Social media is so powerful because teens can see themselves in it, it is interactive, and it allows them to dream and use their imaginations to think about how they could achieve fame and status via social media. They turn to other social media users and Influencers for information because they trust their opinions and feel their peers are giving an honest review. They want to be like the Influencers they see, too. They want to have an income stream from being their own boss by having a YouTube channel. They no longer want to be Rock Hudson and Brad Pitt. Today they want to be PewDiePie or some other famous YouTuber. And if they cannot achieve that level of success, they can feel depressed or humiliated. And in the meantime they will buy the brands peddled to them by other Influencers. They will even get online and try to peddle the brands of companies they like, doing the work of advertising for companies for free, hoping that in the future they get something out of it while they work on developing their own following and becoming a social media star. It can thus be surmised that social media is thus playing a major role in the rising depression rate of adolescents.
One factor that has made it worse is the increased access to digital technology—mobile phones, computers, laptops, and so on—all of it has made disappearing into the virtual world so much easier for teens. They are becoming addicted to the Internet and to social media and this is further exacerbating their depression. They are spending too much time on social media and are negatively comparing themselves to paid Influencers who do social media for a living, or to friends who have more followers; or they are exposing themselves to online bullying and teasing, which is hurting their self-esteem.
Other Possible Factors for Loneliness
Loneliness can be caused by negative experiences or thoughts when around others. People can feel insecure in gatherings and seek solitude; they may prefer to live inside their own minds, finding it difficult to empathize or sympathize with others. It can stem from narcissism and a culture of individualism (Klinenberg). Loneliness is often linked with depression, as well, and as the Mayo Clinic points out, there is no known etiology of depression. A range of factors may play a part in why some teens become depressed and others do not. Brain chemistry, hormones, inherited traits, early childhood trauma, learned patterns of negative thinking—all of these can be causes of depression for teens (Mayo Clinic). If one’s neurotransmitters are not functioning normally, nerve receptors and systems change, which can trigger depression. This is usually a situation where pharmacological intervention is required. A change in hormones is something every teen goes through, as the body is changing and developing at a rapid pace and in a new way for teens. Depression can also be an inherited trait that people acquire from a blood relative, such as a mother or father, a grandparent and so on. Trauma suffered at an early age can lead to later onset of depression in life: sexual or emotional abuse, the loss of a pillar in one’s support system—such as a mother or father; abandonment—all of these are experiences that might cause trauma that leads to depression. People can also learn to be depressed by being around others who demonstrate helplessness and an inability to overcome challenges. This can lead to loneliness.
Hypotheses
Hypothesis 1: Social media usage can lead to loneliness if the social media user lacks an intimate connection with at least one or more individuals in the real world (i.e., face to face relations).
Hypothesis 2: Social media usage can lead to loneliness if one seeks more of a return from social media platforms than one is receiving.
Hypothesis 3: Social media usage can lead to loneliness if one is already depressed.
Variables of Interest
The variables of interest in this study are:
· The extent to which technology is involved in the person’s life
· The number of hours spent on social media
· The number of hours per day spent interacting with real paper in a face to face setting
· The extent to which one is already depressed
· The number of intimate level connections one has in the real world
· Demographics: age, gender, ethnicity, education, work, family, religion
· Geographic segmentation: type of community/neighborhood, part of the country
· Psychographic segmentation: personality type—i.e., extroverted or introverted, sanguine or phlegmatic
· Behavioral segmentation: user status, user attitudes and user habits regarding social media usage
Methods
This research design will use a mixed-methods approach. Data will be collected using a questionnaire instrument. The questionnaire will be used to collect information on the variables of interest described above. The questions will be open-ended and a section for short answer responses will be at the end for obtaining qualitative data on personal reflections the participant shares. These questions will include: What do you expect or hope to obtain from social media use? Have you ever thought of using or do you use social media for financial gain? Do you compare your social media popularity to other social media users’ popularity based on likes, friends, and posts?
A survey using the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale (R-UCLA) will also be used for obtaining a measure of the participant’s actual loneliness.
Participants will be obtained using social media. Snowball and convenience sampling will be used to obtain participants and to encourage others to pass the survey and questionnaire around.
The sample size sought will be 100 participants. This is not a large sample and would impact generalizeability; however, a greater sample would likely be too large for this researcher to handle alone.
Results
It is expected that the findings will show that when social media users have at least one intimate friendship in the real world that they take part in on a regular or consistent basis they are less likely to feel lonely as a result of using social media. However, if the user lacks that level of intimacy in real life it is likely that a life spent on social media can cause loneliness or lead to a great sense of loneliness because one is constantly comparing one’s life to what others are sharing about their lives online and there is no real life intimacy developing.
However, it is also likely that there are myriad causes of loneliness and this study may help to show that social media may be one of many factors. Today, people live in a highly pressure-filled environment, where they are impacted by peers, groups and media to think, act, and feel a certain way (Bandura). It sets them up for conflict, both internal and external, and young adults who are unable to cope with such conflict can succumb to negative impulses, such as depressed thoughts, self-doubt, and feelings of loneliness and separation.
According to Erikson’s model of human development, the adolescent stage of development is the fifth stage of development, as is typified by the Identity vs. Role Confusion conflict, which commonly lasts from ages 12-18—i.e., the teenage years (Shriner & Shriner). The next stage is Intimacy vs. Isolation, which can last from 18-40 years of age. It is during these stages of development that people struggle to understand who they are and what they should do with their lives, their talents, their desires, passions and so on. Purpose in life can give a person confidence and that can help them to succeed, but the following conflict—whether one will love and have intimacy with another, or whether the person will be comfortable being alone and not experience negativity about it—these are the next stages that people need to work through. The extent to which social media usage impacts that development process will hopefully be discerned from this study.
Conclusion
This study aims to investigate whether social media can make one lonely. It is an important issue to explore because of the correlation between the rise in depression among young people and the rise in social media use among young people. If there is a connection, it may be important to advise young people on moderation with respect to social media. The study will use mixed-methods to obtain data, including a questionnaire and survey. A measure of loneliness will be conducted using the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale (R-UCLA). The outcome of this study will help to show whether social media is a factor in loneliness.
Works Cited
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