Title: Social Media Exacerbates Perceived Social Isolation | Psychology Today
Headings: Social Media Exacerbates Perceived Social Isolation
Christopher Bergland
Social Media Exacerbates Perceived Social Isolation
Social media use can increase feelings of social isolation, research finds.
Three Ways Social Media Can Exacerbate Perceived Social Isolation by Primack et al.
Perceived Social Isolation Increases Stress Hormones and Inflammation
THE BASICS

Content: While it may seem that social media presents opportunities to fill that social void, I think this study suggests that it may not be the solution people were hoping for." It’s noteworthy to point out that in a classic chicken-or-the-egg scenario that reminds us that correlation does not mean causation, it was impossible for the researchers to identify if excessive social media use or perceived social isolation came first. According to senior author Elizabeth Miller, professor of pediatrics at Pitt and chief of the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC: article continues after advertisement
"It's possible that young adults who initially felt socially isolated turned to social media. Or it could be that their increased use of social media somehow led to feeling isolated from the real world. It also could be a combination of both. But even if the social isolation came first, it did not seem to be alleviated by spending time online, even in purportedly social situations.” Three Ways Social Media Can Exacerbate Perceived Social Isolation by Primack et al. Social media use displaces more authentic social experiences because the more time a person spends online, the less time there is for real-world interactions. Certain characteristics of social media facilitate feelings of being excluded, such as when one sees photos of friends having fun at an event to which they were not invited.