Real-Life Support More Effective for Human Interactions Than Social Media [Study]

A Michigan State University researcher recently said real-life support is more effective than social media for human interactions.

Specifically, a Medical Xpress report said, assistant professor, Dar Meshi, from the Department of Advertising and Public Relation and Public Relations at MSU said, social media may make it easier for an individual to engage online, although it does not provide certain benefits of the so-called "real-life human interactions."

Meshi also said, use of the problematic social media has been linked to anxiety, depression and social isolation. More having a good social support system helps in the insulation of people from mental health disorder.

The researcher said, they wanted to compare the differences real-life support and the one provided over social media to find out if the support provided online or over social media could have beneficial impacts.

The study, Problematic social media use and social support received in real-life versus on social media: Associations with depression, anxiety and social isolation, was published online in the Addictive Behaviors journal.

Social Media Support

As shown in the study, while social media support did not adversely affect mental health, it did not favorably impact it either.

Meshi explained, only real-life social support was associated with better mental health overall. The researcher also added, usual interactions over social media are limited.

In their study, they theorized that they don't allow for more significant connection, which may be required to offer the type of support that shields against adverse mental health.

Meshi, together with co-author of the paper, assistant professor Morgan Ellithorpe, from the Department of Communication at the University of Delaware, conducted a survey of more than 400 university students to determine how problematic their use of social media was, as well as their level of social support both in real-life and online, specifically on social media.

The PROMIS Scales

Through the use of the Patient-reported Outcomes Measurement Information System or PROMIS scales for measuring social isolation, anxiety and depression, the researchers could see how the social media use of students, as well as social support, linked to their mental health.

Problematic social media use, this report specified, is not an accepted addictive disorder, although there are resemblances in the symptoms of an individual who has a substance use disorder, and someone who displays excessive social media use.

Examples comprise preoccupation with social media and indications of withdrawal like irritability, when prohibited from using social media.

It appears, explained Ellithorpe, that the more excessive the use of social media of an individual is, the less social support that particular individual is getting in real life, which results in poor mental health.

Meshi and Ellithorpe are encouraging people who are very much into social media, to reach out to other people in real life to get social support.

Link Between Depression and Use of Social Media

In 2016, Psychology Today reported that according to research, people using social media most frequently tend to have higher depression rates.

The said study looked at more than 1,700 adults in the United States. The group was divided equally on gender. They were also fairly racially representative.

Study authors asked the respondents to report how frequent they use social media every day and subjects filled out standard set of questions about their depression.

As a result, the group found to have the highest rate of social media use had substantially increased chances of depression, even when all other factors were regulated for, when compared with those who had the lowest rate of use of social media.

A related report is shown on BuzzFeedVideo's YouTube video below:

Check out more news and information on Technology and Mental Health on Science Times.