The psychological effects of social media: A double-edged sword

A new study published in the journal Heliyon sheds light on the complex relationship between social media use, perceived social support, self-esteem, and subjective well-being. Interestingly, the frequency and intensity of social media use appear to be unrelated to psychological well-being. Instead, the findings indicate that while social media can enhance well-being by providing social support, it can also negatively impact mental health through its effects on self-esteem.

The rapid rise of social media over the past decade has significantly transformed how people interact, communicate, and perceive themselves and others. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and WeChat have integrated into the daily lives of billions of users worldwide, raising important questions about their impact on mental health.

Previous studies had produced mixed results, with some indicating beneficial effects such as increased social support, while others pointed to detrimental impacts like reduced self-esteem and heightened social comparison. This inconsistency called for a comprehensive analysis to clarify the overall effects of social media use on subjective well-being.

“Currently, social media has permeated every aspect of people’s daily lives. In various settings such as workplaces, schools, trains, and airplanes, we can observe people using social media,” said study author Qiuhong Yang of Nantong University.

“However, the impact of social media usage on people’s mental health remains unclear. Social media enhances communication, enables people to receive social support, and can improve their happiness. Nevertheless, social media use also consumes a significant amount of our time, contributing to increased social comparison and anxiety. I try to verify whether the happiness brought about by social media outweighs its negative effects.”

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To investigate the relationship between social media use, perceived social support, self-esteem, and subjective well-being, the researchers conducted a meta-analysis, a statistical technique that systematically combines results from multiple studies to derive a more comprehensive understanding of a particular field. By aggregating data from various sources, a meta-analysis increases the statistical power and reliability of the findings, helping to resolve inconsistencies in the literature.

The researchers conducted an extensive literature search in August 2022, reviewing studies that explored the correlation between social media use and subjective well-being, as well as perceived social support and self-esteem. The articles had to report on subjective well-being or its positive indicators, social media use indicators, and provide sufficient statistical data such as sample size and correlation coefficients.

The search yielded a significant number of studies, which were then screened for relevance and quality. Ultimately, 73 studies comprising 74 independent samples with 108 effect sizes were included in the meta-analysis. Sample sizes ranged from 78 to over 10,000 participants, with ages spanning from 10 to 69 years.

The researchers found that time spent on social media, frequency of use, and use intensity, did not have a consistent association with users’ subjective well-being.

For both time spent on social media and frequency of use, the analysis found no significant relationship with subjective well-being. This implies that merely the amount of time or how often individuals engage with social media platforms does not reliably predict their overall well-being.

The intensity of social media use, which reflects the emotional involvement and personal investment users have in these platforms, showed a small but significant positive effect on subjective well-being. However, the effect size did not reach a level that is generally considered meaningful in social science research.

“It was generally believed that the duration of social networking site use may affect subjective well being,” Yang said. “However, research results have found that the impacts of social media usage duration, frequency or intensity on subjective well being are negligible. Therefore, it should be other factors related to social media usage that affect mental health. In our research, we found that psychological consequences of social networking site use have a more significant impact on mental health.”

The researchers found a significant association between perceived social support and enhanced subjective well-being. Users who reported feeling supported by their social networks tended to have higher life satisfaction and more positive emotions, suggesting that social media can serve as a valuable tool for maintaining and enhancing social ties.

On the other hand, the study found that social media use is negatively associated with subjective well-being through its impact on self-esteem. Constant exposure to curated and often idealized representations of others’ lives can lead to unfavorable social comparisons. When individuals compare themselves to these seemingly perfect images and narratives, it can result in feelings of inadequacy and lower self-esteem. This negative impact on self-esteem is linked to decreased overall well-being, leading to increased negative emotions and decreased life satisfaction.

“Social media usage may positively affect their subjective well-being through the mediation of perceived social support, while negatively affect their subjective well-being through the mediation of self-esteem,” Yang told PsyPost. “So using social media to obtain social support has a positive impact on mental health, while using social media for social comparison may damage mental health.”

Cultural context was also identified as a significant moderator in the relationship between social media use and well-being. The study found that the positive associations of emotionally intense social media use with well-being were stronger in Eastern cultures compared to Western cultures. This difference may be attributed to the stronger emphasis on social relationships and community in Eastern cultures, where social media might be more effectively utilized to maintain close social networks and receive emotional support.

The study, while comprehensive, has some limitations. Firstly, it relied heavily on self-reported data for social media use, which can introduce recall bias and affect the accuracy of the findings. Secondly, the sample predominantly consisted of young adults, limiting the generalizability of the results to older populations. Additionally, the cross-sectional nature of the included studies precludes any causal inferences.

Future research could address these limitations by incorporating more diverse age groups, objective measures of social media use, and longitudinal designs to better understand causal relationships. Yang plans to perform a segmentation study on the demographics and behaviors of social media users to better understand how their backgrounds and habits affect their experiences.

The study, “Relationships between social networking sites use and subjective well-being — a meta-analysis and meta-analytic structural equation model,” was authored by Qiuhong Yang and Ying Feng.