The Scientific Basis for Information Surrounding Social Networking
This article refers to a research paper that reports on the health effects of social networking sites.
If we focus only on the positive aspects, social networking sites are useful, but if we misuse them, they can have unexpected effects.
This is a good opportunity to rethink the way we interact with social networking sites.
Evidence that Facebook posts increase alcohol consumption
A study of freshmen students (310 participants) at two universities, interviewed before and after enrollment, and surveyed about their alcohol-related posts.
It found that positive attitudes toward alcohol were positively related to the content of the posts and to drinking activity prior to sophomore year.
This change was considered evidence of a change in online identity and a change in friends caused by Facebook, and the results of the study showed an association between post content and increased drinking behavior.
D'Angelo J, Moreno M. Facebook-Induced Friend Shift and Identity Shift: A Longitudinal Study of Facebook Posting and Collegiate Drinking. Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2019;22(3):186-191. doi:10.1089/cyber.2018.0246
Evidence of social networking addiction and loneliness
This cross-sectional survey-based study included 456 residents of a randomly selected community from Lebanon between January and December 2018.
The findings indicated that 107 participants (23.7%) had social media use disorder, and the results of stepwise linear regression with loneliness score taken as the dependent variable showed higher social media use disorder in females compared to males and in those with secondary education level compared to illiterate The results showed a
In addition, a high rate of insomnia and a tendency toward dysphoria were also found to be associated with high levels of loneliness.
Thus, the results of the study indicate that there is a relationship between social networking addiction and loneliness, aphasia, and insomnia.
Youssef L, Hallit R, Kheir N, Obeid S, Hallit S. Social media use disorder and loneliness: any association between the two? Results of a cross-sectional Results of a cross-sectional study among Lebanese adults [published correction appears in BMC Psychiatry. 2020 Jun 23;20(1):327] [published correction appears in BMC Psychol. 2020 Jul 8;8(1):72]. BMC Psychol. 2020;8(1):56. published 2020 Jun 1. doi:10.1186/s40359-020-00421-5
Evidence for the negative effects of selfies
This study involved 113 students attending the Department of Psychology at York University, and participants maintained Facebook and Instagram accounts. As an assessment, six items were measured using the VAS assessment of body image, and some use of photo processing apps was reported if satisfaction was low.
From the results, the study showed that posting selfies on social media is detrimental to young women in terms of their mood and self-image, and processing photos does not improve their mood.
However, the long-term effects of the study have not been investigated, so it is unclear what kind of impact the study will have.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2018.08.007
Evidence of an association between social networking addiction and academic performance
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between social networking addiction and academic performance of Iranian students; 360 students were enrolled through stratified random sampling.
Study tools included a personal information form and the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, and students' overall grades obtained in the previous semester were considered as an indicator of academic performance.
The results showed that the mean SNS addiction of the participants was higher in male students (52.65 ± 11.50) than in female students (49.35 ± 13.96) and this difference was statistically significant. (P <0.01)
And there is a negative and significant relationship between SNS dependency and academic performance. (r = - 0.210, p < 0.01)
Azizi SM, Soroush A, Khatony A. Relationship between social networking addiction and academic performance in Iranian medical students: a cross-sectional study. BMC Psychol. 2019; 7(1): 28. Published May 3, 2019. doi: 10.1186 / s40359 -019-0305-0
Evidence on misuse of Facebook.
The study included adult Facebook users (n = 717) to measure problematic Facebook usage.
Social comparison
Self-disclosure
Impression management
Intrusive Facebook use, etc.
The data obtained were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression analysis and mediation analysis.
Results showed that all aspects of attachment insecurity problems and Facebook use were predicted, and that attachment avoidance has a social impact on impression management and intrusive Facebook use.
Further analyses confirmed the psychological distress and self-esteem implications of these relationships.
Thus, the problematic use of Facebook was found to be
The following are some examples of problematic Facebook usage:
・Disclosing private information to attract attention.
・Falsifying oneself in order to create a buzz.
Disguising oneself to create a buzz.
Flynn S, Noone C, Sarma KM. An exploration of the link between adult attachment and problematic Facebook use. BMC Psychol. 2018;6(1):34. Published 2018 Aug 10. doi:10.1186/s40359-018-0245-0
