Notes on: Social Media and Social Comparison

'Social Media and Social Comparison' is taken from the course 'Managing Happiness,' by Arthur Brooks on edX.org.

iGen

The iGen is anyone born between 1995 and 2012, and according to Dr. Jean Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University who focuses on the effects of social media on young people, this generation spends significantly more time on digital media, with less face-to-face interactions, and this has also resulted in higher reports of loneliness and less of the kind of risk taking that leads to better jobs and relationships.

Adolescents who spend more time on social media, suffer more mental health symptoms and are at higher risk of suicide.

Social media and how it affects our mental health.

In 2006, when social media became more mainstream, the thought was that people would be more connected and less lonely than ever. It was going to be great, we were going to be able to reconnect with old friends, keep in touch with people who live long distance and get to know what your kids are up to.

Unfortunately, we tend to abuse social media, rely on it too much, and as a result, it has had the opposite effect, and people who binge social media, depend on it and avoid deeper interactions, which leads to increased feelings of loneliness.

Some people who binge social media are not only sacrificing real human interactions, but they are also exercising less and sleeping less as well, and this leads to bigger health issues.

Even if you wanted to argue that healthy use of social media is not harmful to our mental health or happiness, it generally does not help.

"Social media is a pale shadow of actually interacting with somebody face to face." - Dr. Jean Twenge

Even a video call that allows you to see the other person's face, experience their emotions, is very different from passively scrolling through social media, stressing over pointless likes and feeling envious over other people's online lives.

Social media can have its benefits, and using it sparingly throughout the day will not necessarily produce any long lasting negative effects, but it is when we binge or over rely on it that it becomes a problem.

Strategies for Curbing Social Media Use

Perhaps the most important piece of advice is to keep your phones out of your room at bedtime. Having your phone near you, but off is not the same. Studies have shown that the phone merely being nearby is enough to disturb sleep. This single habit can significantly improve your sleep, mood and happiness levels throughout the day.

For daytime use, it's hard to give a general number for people to follow, because some people can manage more hours of social media use and not feel harmful effects than others, but, for the average person, 2 hours of online time is probably the maximum you should do in a day.

Studies show females are more negatively impacted than males with social media use, but everyone is different, so you have to reflect on your own habits and tendencies, and find ways to ensure your social media habits are not replacing genuine connections and robbing you of happiness.