Can Facebook Cause Depression?

“My name is Pooja (name changed) and I work in the finance department of my company. I lead a comfortable life, enjoy my job, and live in a nice flat. I am single and have a few good friends. I sat down with a cup of coffee last weekend and was browsing through some of my old friends’ profiles when I started wondering how exciting their life was compared to mine. They all seemed to be doing well, were in good relationships and seemed to be travelling all the time. I was quite low and upset for half an hour, wishing that I too had a boyfriend with whom I could holiday more. I am generally a happy person but this was not the first time I felt upset this way. I am wondering if there is something wrong with me…”

Pooja’s story is not uncommon, and nowadays we often see or hear of experiences where usage of social media seems to have triggered emotional distress in some way.

Facebook Use

As of December 2016, there are over 1.32 billion active daily users of Facebook, and about 1.15 billion people use Facebook on their smartphones daily. Most people access the social networking site every day, and at times, more than once a day. However, it is important to keep in mind that while social networking has its benefits, overuse of or prolonged exposure to it can be harmful. The effects of Facebook use on your well-being have also caught the attention of researchers recently.

One of the most widely researched areas is ‘Facebook depression’. This term was coined by researchers who found that the use of Facebook, just as any other social interaction, can sometimes trigger underlying, dormant concerns. At other times, the content you see can worsen some of the difficult emotions that you might already be experiencing. When the underlying concerns are activated because of the nature of content you see, and when these concerns are left unaddressed, it could then result in depression.

How Can Facebook Contribute to Depression?

Some of you might be passive Facebook users – simply scrolling through the news feed and reading blogs, while others actively post updates, share their views, and ‘like’ or comment on their friends’ updates. Research has shown that the former type of activity on social media (called ‘surveillance use’) - the passive reading of news feed, and following friends’ photos and status updates - is more likely to trigger difficult emotions. This suggests that the way in which you use Facebook, as well as the thoughts and feelings elicited by your use can sometimes point you to the probable cause of depression.

Many of you might be inclined to compare your life with those of others, especially your peers. Depending on how fortunate or unfortunate you might perceive others to be in comparison to you, you can end up feeling worse or better respectively about your own life.

Much of what you see on Facebook contains posts or images that show you the positive or the desirable aspect of your friends’ lives. These could include photos in exotic locations, engagement announcements, job promotions and purchase of a car or home. In addition, people choose their Facebook profile photos very carefully, in order to conform to societal ideals of attractiveness. Then, for instance, when women view attractive images of other ‘real’ women as opposed to ‘models’, they perceive these to be more accurate and unaltered, thus giving themselves another unwelcome comparison standard. When you are dissatisfied with your life situation, seeing such updates can sometimes make you weigh your life against what you see of others and this can lead to the following:

• Low self-worth or seeing yourself as inadequate or ‘not good enough’.
• Feelings of envy or wanting what someone else has.
• Body dissatisfaction or the negative evaluation of one’s body shape and weight.

Research also suggests that heavy users of Facebook who mainly engage in ‘surveillance use’ are more likely to engage in social comparison. Such repeated comparison is likely to lead to negative outcomes for your emotional well-being. If you find that you are unable to control your Facebook use or if using Facebook is generating difficult or unpleasant emotions, you might want to start by monitoring and adapting your Facebook usage.

If things are still challenging emotionally, speaking to an expert might be able to help you. You can learn to identify and change your unhelpful thoughts, understand their effects on your emotions, and learn strategies to manage your social media use.