This story is from January 10, 2016

Few likes on FB could lead to low self-esteem, says study

In an age where ‘likes’ on Facebook are determining happiness, popularity and self-esteem, young teens are sliding into a state of depression, finds a study on the impact of using social networking site Facebook.
Few likes on FB could lead to low self-esteem, says study
BENGALURU: In an age where ‘likes’ on Facebook are determining happiness, popularity and self-esteem, young teens are sliding into a state of depression, finds a study on the impact of using social networking site Facebook.
A Class 8 student stopped interacting with her family and almost went into depression because she didn’t get many ‘likes’ on a photo she had posted on Facebook.
The girl took her virtual life so seriously her parents had to finally seek medical help for her.
Comparison can steal one’s happiness --- this well-known understanding of human psychology has been proved right by the study. The study, by Dr Mai-Ly Nguyen Steers, researcher, University of Houston, shows how use of Facebook not only triggers symptoms of depression but also leads to a psychological phenomenon of ‘social comparison’. According to researchers, “the studies provide evidence that people feel depressed after spending a great deal of time on Facebook because they feel bad when comparing themselves to others”.
Recently, IT City saw a case where a 19-year-old college student was brought to Nimhans-run Service for healthy use of technology (Shut) clinic, after he began exhibiting symptoms of depression due to excessive use of Facebook.
“He was the kind who wouldn’t mingle much with others or step out and make friends. For an introvert like him, Facebook brought many friends. But, over a period of time, his online friends started getting critical about his posts, something he couldn’t bear. Soon he got upset and his self-esteem took a beating. He deleted his Facebook account but remained disturbed,” said Dr Manoj Sharma, associate professor of psychology, who heads the Shut clinic. The boy is presently undergoing counselling and treatment.

The clinic sees over 12-16 cases of internet and social media addictions every month.
PRAISING X, WHILE TEXTING Y
The most vulnerable are those in the age group 12-16 years, said Dr Sulata Shenoy, a child psychologist. “In one of the cases I saw, a 12-year-old boy would send messages like, ‘she has terrific figure, she is hotty’, to a female classmate, referring to another girl from their class. The boy’s parents discovered the text exchanges happening between the two and got extremely worried about his language and growing addiction to the virtual world. Sadly, the worst affected was the girl who received these messages which were full of praise for another girl. Often, such instances lead to low self-esteem; youngsters continue using social networking sites due to peer pressure. They have no benchmark for themselves and get affected by what others say,” said Dr Shenoy.
Also, children hesitate to share such details with parents, said Dr Shenoy, adding, “Restrictions at home, lack of neighbourhood parks and playgrounds push them towards gadgets and social networking sites.”
THERE’S A PATTERN
Facebook users are exposed to a continuous stream of information in terms of status updates, viewing newly uploaded pictures, friends posting on walls, liking status updates, etc. All of these largely serve as stimuli for individuals to automatically engage in frequent non-directional, upward, and/or lateral social comparisons, especially those who spend longer hours on the forum. Because the platform promotes self-disclosure, users may reveal highly personal information, which they otherwise wouldn’t. In fact, users are often privy to information about their Facebook friends which they may not have known otherwise. And this is what leads to comparison, feel researchers.
According to the study, spending more time on Facebook allows people to spontaneously engage in social comparisons, which, in turn, is associated with greater depressive symptoms. This may be especially true of college students who are still struggling to establish their identities and are likely to be more susceptible to peer influences, say researchers.
VARIED REACTIONS
In one of their studies, the researchers conducted a 14-day interval-contingent diary, focusing solely on Facebook users in order to accurately assess how much time participants spend on Facebook and what type of social comparisons they make.
“The negative health outcomes associated with the use of Facebook may not be inherent to the platform, but are rather unintended consequences related to how people choose to use this medium. Certain individuals may be more susceptible to comparing themselves to others’ Facebook updates on dimensions they feel are personally relevant, whereas others viewing the same information may not respond in the same way,” said Dr Mai-Ly Nguyen Steers, who spearheaded the study.
WORRYING TREND
While children are busy trying to build their presence in the virtual world, their relationships in the actual world are going for a toss. Social networking sites are leading to relationship issues among young adults and this is a worrying trend
Dr Mahesh R Gowda | director, Spandana rehabilitation research and training centre
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