Social Media Double-Edged Sword: Research links both active and passive use to rising loneliness

In an age where social media promises to connect us, Baylor University research reveals a calm paradox.

Researchers Dr. James A. Roberts, Professor Ben H. Williams Marketing at the Handkers School of Business, co-authors Dr. Philip Young and Dr. Meredith David analysed the research. It followed nearly 7,000 Dutch adults for nine years to understand how digital habits shape happiness.

A study published in the Journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin – “The Prevalence of Loneliness: A 9-Year Longitudinal Study on the Effects of Passive and Active Social Media Use on Loneliness” shows that social media becomes lonely over time Which We investigated whether this would affect the situation. This eye-opening research suggests that the very platform designed to bring people together contributes to the “population of solitude.”

Findings showed that both passive (PSMU) and active (ASMU) social media were associated with an increased sense of loneliness over time. Like no interaction browsing, passive social media use leads to predictively increasing loneliness, and active use with active use, posting and involvement to others, as well as feeling lonely. was associated with an increase. These results suggest that the quality of digital interactions may not meet the social needs that are met with face-to-face communication.

“This study highlights the complexity of the impact of social media on mental health,” Robert said. “Social media offers unprecedented access to online communities, but it doesn’t reduce the sense of loneliness and could actually enhance them.”

This study also found a two-way relationship between loneliness and social media use. “It appears there is a continuous feedback loop between the two,” says Dr. Roberts, “Lonely people turn to social media to deal with their emotions, but such social media is simply lonely It could only be a fan of the flames.”

The findings highlight the urgent need to further study the effects of digital interactions, and highlight the essential role of face-to-face connections in supporting well-being. This study adds valuable perspectives to conversations about how digital habits affect mental health, providing insights that shape future mental health initiatives, policies and guidelines for healthy social media use. I will.