Social Media On, Happiness Off

After a rather dull day at work, you decide to log into Facebook or check Whatsapp. What do you see? Perhaps a cousin put up a status about their trip to the Himalayas. Or maybe a friend put up an album of their pre-wedding photo shoot. Did an old classmate from school get free tickets for a much talked about concert?

Social media provides a platform for you to share your personal thoughts and feelings, often in the hopes of getting ‘likes’ or ‘shares’ from others. Right from updates about your trip to your personal accomplishments, new relationships, and jobs - you might often find most people around you - and maybe even yourself - broadcasting personal information online.

While you may feel the need to post an update about any part of your life - and may never get enough of social media - research suggests that being active on social media can make you unhappy in the long run. For instance, those who are addicted to Facebook feel more lonely than others. 

So why can’t you stop?

There are two processes that can help explain why social media is so addictive - social validation and social comparison.

You are likely to be highly conscious of the information you post online because of your need for social validation. Do you feel happy when you see that your post has been liked or shared (or even commented on) by many of your virtual friends? This ‘kick’ is essentially what encourages you to continue posting on various social media platforms.

Social media also provides a platform that encourages social comparison. You might often find that you compare yourself to others in order to evaluate, or judge, how well you are doing in life. You might have just gotten a raise, but your friend got promoted to one of the highest positions in their company. Are you happy for yourself, or jealous of your friend? After all, you might think they are doing better than you. 

On any social media platform, most people are motivated to portray themselves in a positive light. Do you often feel that all your friends have perfect lives? It sure seems like they do. When so many people around you provide so much tailored and tweaked information, it’s hard to not let it get to you and to not feel like you are missing out, or lagging behind. So what do you do? You try and project yourself in a positive light, putting up information that will show that you are, in fact, living your life and not missing out..

The need for approval from others (in the form of likes, comments, or shares) and the need to project yourself as living a great life, with everything going on for you, can compel you to post tempting photographs of the dish you ordered, instead of actually enjoying the food. This means that social media takes you ‘away’ from the present moment, stopping you from enjoying what’s happening - instead making you feel absent. In fact, being too active on social media can actually make you more self-centered and less sociable, putting you at risk for mental health concerns and increasing your chances of being unhappy.

Here's what you can do

This doesn’t mean that you have to cut off from social media and not use it at all. What this does mean, however, is that it’s good to take a break once in a while - or better still, to regulate your use of the same. Try designating certain areas as ‘media-free zones’, where you don’t use social media at all. For instance, you may not use social media when you are in your living room, sitting with your family. Or try scheduling your social media usage - for instance, don’t allow yourself to use social media when at work - or use it most when commuting to and from work. This will help you protect yourself from the perils of social media and feel happier.