A new piece of research (Towards a framework for flourishing through social media: a systematic review of 118 research studies) led by Maya Gudka at London Business School has just been published and it includes some really interesting findings as to how our use of social media can be optimised so it helps (rather than harms) our wellbeing and allows us to flourish.
Key points:
- Over 50% of the world uses social media and is using it for an average of 2 hours 24 minutes per day.
- The negatives of social media are numerous and can include grooming, cyber bullying, time wasting, poor moods, jealousy when we compare, addiction, misinformation and loss of autonomy (through behavioural nudges).
- Those who feel lonely use social media more to compensate for lack of social competence and increase wellbeing – and it can be very effective.
- When we use it for social comparison it negatively impacts our balance, self-esteem and self-perception.
- When we feel thwarted in our need to feel autonomous (having a choice and a voice) in real life we may well desire to express ourselves more widely online.
- Older groups were found to have a more intimate experience with social media and were less prone to negative comparison and anxiety arising from social media.
- Men experience greater wellbeing benefits from social media.
The positives of social media:
- Social Support can increase as a result of social media use – particularly for groups going through difficult times (such as with a disease, disability or in a minority group) as it offers an opportunity to connect with others who can help you navigate the support systems, learn relevant information and reduce loneliness. It can also be incredibly powerful as rapid emotional relief after a crisis.
- It improves our social capital so we have greater levels of bonding, have our horizons broadened and are able to network.
- Identities can be strengthened through social media, partly to connect with others with similar identities (which improves our wellbeing) but also because on social media we can become more than our overarching identity and promote the other things of interest. Social media also helps us with meaning making. The self-reflection and self-representation we do online helps us to find the meaning in the actions we take.
- Mastery can be enhanced when social media is used for peer support and growing learning environments. It can promote knowledge exchange and highlight personal development opportunities.
- Social media can enhance our digital skills. These might be content creation or communicating effectively to a wider audience.
- Finally, it offers a virtual community and accountability to help us meet our goals, celebrate success and inspiring each other.
Using it for our own good
If we want to use social media to help us flourish there are four actions we can take:
- Intentionally shift our online behaviours so we engage more proactively and don’t just passively consume. Just using it to have a nosy at other’s lives is not good for wellbeing.
- Use it with connection in mind – to help us increase our sense of belonging. This can be particularly helpful for introverts or those who struggle in a social environment. To do it well though we need persistence, intentionality and to understand how we communicate at our best.
- Pick the right channels for you. Loneliness decreases and happiness increases as a result of image-based social media use (perhaps due to the intimacy offered by image-based social media) but if you find yourself drawn to unhelpful comparisons stick to heavily word-based channels like Twitter.
- Know your comparison style. Different types of social comparison can create different wellbeing effects. Comparing our opinions against others can bring positive wellbeing effects including optimism and inspiration. Comparing our abilities much less so. The fear of missing out (FOMO) can also actually encourage us to connect with others and some elements of comparison where we are envious of other’s efforts can help us to make positive changes in our own lives.
How long to spend on social?
Less is generally better, but ‘zero’ is not necessarily the optimal solution as staying off social media completely can reduce wellbeing by reducing opportunities to connect and can increase loneliness. What is important is engaging actively rather than just passively scrolling because it gives us more of the day-to-day connection with others that supports our wellbeing. If we can use social media intentionally to ensure we connect well but limit that time very proactively so we are not mindlessly scrolling, we should get the right balance.
Using social media to boost wellbeing
A new piece of research (Towards a framework for flourishing through social media: a systematic review of 118 research studies) has just been published and it includes some really interesting findings as to how our use of social media can be optimised so it helps (rather than harms) our wellbeing and allows us to flourish.
Key points:
- Over 50% of the world uses social media and is using it for an average of 2 hours 24 minutes per day.
- The negatives of social media are numerous and can include grooming, cyber bullying, time wasting, poor moods, jealousy when we compare, addiction, misinformation and loss of autonomy (through behavioural nudges).
- Those who feel lonely use social media more to compensate for lack of social competence and increase wellbeing – and it can be very effective.
- When we use it for social comparison it negatively impacts our balance, self-esteem and self-perception.
- When we feel thwarted in our need to feel autonomous (having a choice and a voice) in real life we may well desire to express ourselves more widely online.
- Older groups were found to have a more intimate experience with social media and were less prone to negative comparison and anxiety arising from social media.
- Men experience greater wellbeing benefits from social media.
The positives of social media:
- Social Support can increase as a result of social media use – particularly for groups going through difficult times (such as with a disease, disability or in a minority group) as it offers an opportunity to connect with others who can help you navigate the support systems, learn relevant information and reduce loneliness. It can also be incredibly powerful as rapid emotional relief after a crisis.
- It improves our social capital so we have greater levels of bonding, have our horizons broadened and are able to network.
- Identities can be strengthened through social media, partly to connect with others with similar identities (which improves our wellbeing) but also because on social media we can become more than our overarching identity and promote the other things of interest. Social media also helps us with meaning making. The self-reflection and self-representation we do online helps us to find the meaning in the actions we take.
- Mastery can be enhanced when social media is used for peer support and growing learning environments. It can promote knowledge exchange and highlight personal development opportunities.
- Social media can enhance our digital skills. These might be content creation or communicating effectively to a wider audience.
- Finally, it offers a virtual community and accountability to help us meet our goals, celebrate success and inspiring each other.
Using it for our own good
If we want to use social media to help us flourish there are four actions we can take:
- Intentionally shift our online behaviours so we engage more proactively and don’t just passively consume. Just using it to have a nosy at other’s lives is not good for wellbeing.
- Use it with connection in mind – to help us increase our sense of belonging. This can be particularly helpful for introverts or those who struggle in a social environment. To do it well though we need persistence, intentionality and to understand how we communicate at our best.
- Pick the right channels for you. Loneliness decreases and happiness increases as a result of image-based social media use (perhaps due to the intimacy offered by image-based social media) but if you find yourself drawn to unhelpful comparisons stick to heavily word-based channels like Twitter.
- Know your comparison style. Different types of social comparison can create different wellbeing effects. Comparing our opinions against others can bring positive wellbeing effects including optimism and inspiration. Comparing our abilities much less so. The fear of missing out (FOMO) can also actually encourage us to connect with others and some elements of comparison where we are envious of other’s efforts can help us to make positive changes in our own lives.
How long to spend on social?
Less is generally better, but ‘zero’ is not necessarily the optimal solution as staying off social media completely can reduce wellbeing by reducing opportunities to connect and can increase loneliness. What is important is engaging actively rather than just passively scrolling because it gives us more of the day-to-day connection with others that supports our wellbeing. If we can use social media intentionally to ensure we connect well but limit that time very proactively so we are not mindlessly scrolling, we should get the right balance.
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