Study finds real-life support is better than going on Twitter

When we’re feeling down, it’s often easier to find some happiness online than in the real world. Meeting with friends in person has never been harder, and sometimes life puts our loved ones hundreds of miles away. On the other hand, Facebook friends, Instagram likes, and Twitter followers are just a few clicks away.

According to a new study just released by Michigan State University, however, online interactions and social media support just don’t cut it in comparison to the genuine article. 

“Problematic social media use has been associated with depression, anxiety, and social isolation, and having a good social support system helps insulate people from negative mental health,” says Dar Meshi, an assistant professor in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations at MSU. “We wanted to compare the differences between real-life support and support provided over social media to see if the support provided over social media could have beneficial effects.”

Based on this work, social media support doesn’t appear to have a major impact on mental health either way – positively or negatively.

“Only real-life social support was linked to better overall mental health,” Meshi explains. “Typical interactions over social media are limited. We theorize that they don’t allow for more substantial connection, which may be needed to provide the type of support that protects against negative mental health.”

An apt population sample was used for this work; college students. A total of 403 undergraduates were surveyed by study authors on their social media habits. This was done to assess whether each student’s social media tendencies were “problematic,” and determine the level of real-life and online support they typically encounter.

Additionally, a specialized scale called PROMIS (Patient-reported Outcomes Measurement Information System) was used to measure factors like depression, anxiety, and social isolation and assess how social media may or may not have played a role in those conditions.

“Problematic social media use” isn’t an officially recognized ailment as of now, but many people dealing with the issue display similar characteristics to those with a substance use disorder. Researchers suggest that once social media use reaches such an excessive level, it’s rarely healthy on any front.

“It appears that the more excessive one’s social media use is, the less social support that person gets in real life, which leads to poor mental health,” study co-author Morgan Ellithorpe, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Delaware, comments. 

If the past year has taught us anything, it’s that being around other people is an important aspect of living a healthy life – especially from a mental health perspective. Social media is a great source of supplementary interaction and support, but don’t fall into the trap of making it your only social outlet.

The full study can be found here, published in Addictive Behaviors.