Social media such as Facebook,
Twitter and Foursquare has become so ubiquitous that life online and offline
are becoming increasingly intertwined. Individuals have easy and immediate
access to abundant forms of social information.
This includes activities, pictures and conversations, all of which are
unfolding in real time. While most users
celebrate the speed at which they can access this information and stay socially
connected, a growing body of research suggests that social media may be doing
more harm than good. One predominant
factor associated with these findings is the phenomenon of FOMO.
Defined as a pervasive
apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one
is absent, FOMO (fear of missing out) is characterized by the desire to stay
continually connected with what others are doing. While this phenomenon is not new, the
explosion of digital media modalities make it nearly impossible to avoid the
relentless barrage of a thousand awesome things friends, acquaintances and
complete strangers are doing, buying and talking about. It is only natural that
users would reflect on their current situation and consider what they are
missing out on and how much better other people’s lives appear to be.
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| Social media use is associated with a fear of missing out |
In fact a recent study evaluating how people feel moment-to-moment and how satisfied they are with their lives (two components that measure subjective well-being) demonstrated that Facebook use predicts negative shifts on both of these variables over time. Consistent with these findings, a survey of 19-26 year-olds conducted in China, Singapore and the US found that a significant portion of individuals polled feel jealous of other people on social media sites (57%), feel bad after taking a glimpse of other people’s lives via social media (55%), feel pressure to appear witty on social media (62%) and feel social media obligations are a source of stress (58%).
Children, teens and individuals
with preexisting self-image and mental-health issues are at the greatest risk
of the negative consequences of social media overuse. However, the feelings of loneliness, regret
and self-criticism associated with FOMO have been found to facilitate and augment
the development of depression, anxiety and other mental health issues in otherwise
mentally stable adults. Given the pervasive nature of social media, it is
important for individuals and healthcare professionals to be aware of how
potentially negative effects of its use can be mitigated and avoided.
Larry Rosen, professor of psychology
at California State University, suggested that open communication about the
benefits and dangers of social media is an important place to start. He also proposed that parents monitor their children’s
use of social media and limit the amount of time they spend engaged to
communication devices. It is important
to remind users that practically every image on any screen is likely
misleading. Most posts are carefully
edited to portray the best moments and the most attractive photos and generally
do not capture the tedious everyday activities that everyone experiences. The virtual world is essentially just a
highly edited, carefully crafted version of reality.
While social media still offers a
range of positive experiences through sharing and communicating with friends
and family, these findings suggest that it would be wise for all users to apply
the rule of moderation here too.
This is a great topic to address, especially with the vulnerable populations we encounter. Children and teens, as you mentioned, are vulnerable consumers of social media. One way this is being combatted is in school. The K-8 school my children attend no longer has "library," but instead they go to the "media center." Along with checking out books and learning computer literacy, they are also being taught media awareness. They recently watched behind the scenes footage of how a scene from a movie was made, screen by screen, and then watched the final seamless footage of the scene, fully edited and flawless. After the viewing, they had a class discussion about how much of what we see on T.V, in the movies, hear on the radio, and read in print, is drafted, edited and revised until it sends its intended message. This may seem obvious to us as adults, but sixth graders were captivated by this. Media awareness is a shared responsibility, and one could argue it begins at home through the role modeling parents and caregivers provide. It is important to demonstrate moderate consumption of social media to children, and provide a balance of in-person socialization too. Is it possible to see your parent or sibling or care-giver texting, tweeting, or facebook-ing and not have an actual, live conversation with someone? As you stated in your post, moderation is key. Understanding the intended message can help children and teens be critically-thinking consumers.
ReplyDeleteGood work, Sarah. One statistic in particular stunned me: 58% of people feel social media obligations are a source of stress. We are taught to reduce stress as much as possible in our lives, but people allow something so controllable as social networking to be stressful; it's intriguing. In such a short amount of time since online networking became popular, it now dominates some individual's lives. It is similar to a new-age technological drug.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Sarah! I think you touched on so many truths in this post and agree with Luke, those statistics are pretty grim. It's so apparent in our culture how much social media affects people's behaviors, attitudes, and actions. However, I think health care professionals have a lack of concern for the severity of social media's impact on people. Your statement, "The virtual world is essentially just a highly edited, carefully crafted version of reality" demonstrates perfectly how distorted reality has become due to social media. I think it's important for health care professionals to examine their own lives and how social media plays a role in their perceptions of themselves and others. Even in the hospital setting, nurses often spend their down time perusing social media sites and discussing it with their co-workers. I've noticed that much of these conversations are negative and create additional distractions for nurses in the workplace. As nurses, we should be aware of the affect social media has on our patients but also should be mindful of how it affects our own lives and our work.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Megan!
DeleteI didn't have Facebook until I had been graduated from college for a couple years. I wonder if the impact of social media is similar for all generations? Also, many of my friends have young children who are on phones and tablets for hours at a time. It seems impossible to know what the impact of that will be on their later lives. I just cannot believe what a different world it is now from 20 years ago!
ReplyDeleteNice post! Another interesting social media stimulated issue is the false premise of feeling more connected to people (your facebook "friends") than you actually are. However, I suppose this is better for your mental health than feelings associated with the phenomenon of the FOMO.
ReplyDeleteI have seen the decline in Facebook use in Japan getting some play in the news lately. The reason ex-users give for leaving the site seem to echo many American users' feelings. "[A] lot of Japanese users seem to get overwhelmed and upset when seeing all of the glamorous news from their so-called 'friends' with whom they are connected" (http://tinyurl.com/464JapanFB).
ReplyDeleteWhat I find interesting is that, when confronted with these unpleasant feelings, our Japanese peers had the notion to remove themselves from the situation that was causing those feelings. When you look at our obesity rates, our debt, our abuse of substances - it's pretty clear that we have issues with moderation and self-regulation in the United States. But, I think it is interesting to see how that plays into social media as well, especially when compared to another country that is so well known for advanced technology.
I've tried twice in the past two years to be on Facebook. The tries were very brief since I found "social media obligations to be a significant source of stress" for me. The stress was due to feeling that the interactions were superficial and meaningless. Did I care that my cousin was eating Doritos while lying on her couch and thought they were "Yu-um-y!"? I didn't care at all and in fact felt ill at ease that most of the interactions were so disconnected emotionally. I'm concerned that our society in general is trending this way. A recent news article explains that a professional cuddler in Oregon will cuddle up to strangers in exchange for pay. Her website states "When you have what you need, life is amazing!". I would argue that paying for cuddling is NOT what we need. Instead, we need meaningful personal interactions in order to be healthy. Why not try actually talking to a human being using your mouth the next time you are standing at the bus stop instead of tuning out the real world and madly typing away on your hand held device?
ReplyDeleteSarah, this is a great topic! I was just thinking the other day how the use of social media creates feelings about situations that would otherwise be unknown as the "friends" on Facebook aren't necessarily the friends talk to in person on a regular basis. Ashleigh comment really sticks out to me as well. The American culture has created the need for instant gratification and over indulgence.
ReplyDeleteThis is just one example of a recent advertisement looking at the use of social media in our society now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUGmcb3mhLM
Technology has made for a lot of advancements but is there an expense? People have developed a need to sit in front of a computer to connect with friends rather than going out into the world and enjoying time face to face. It is hard to think about what impact this could have in years to come. Could fewer and fewer people disregard that we find "social media obligations to be a significant source of stress" and spend more time in front of a screen? Or will the stress result in the decrease in social media use in Japan?
This was very relevant and important to this day and age - thanks for sharing this post Sarah. One additional thought I had was just trying to think through the overall boost in technology usage in our generation today. I wonder if the mix of increase outlets for social media along with technology advancements such as the smartphones have magnified this problem of FOMO. Have you noticed that people (of almost all ages and now expanded younger and younger) have become more and more attached to their smartphones/tablets/laptops/kindles/devices? I think it is very ironic that with the increasing growth in social media concurrently with technological advancements, that people are no longer as engaged when it comes to face-to-face interactions. Sometimes when I go to restaurants, I still get shocked by how many people are sitting face-to-face across from someone else but both individuals are typing away at their smart-devices and not actually interacting. The irony is that in the fear of mission out on each others lives, people are no longer part of one another lives. Perhaps taking a day "off" from all these social media and smart devices would actually do the soul (and mind) some good.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to follow up by sharing a video that I came across recently that talks a bit about this topic as well. It shows a very visual depiction of this social isolation you refer to in your post. (http://vimeo.com/70534716)
DeleteGreat post, Sarah! I have many concerns about social media. In addition to FOMO, it seems that social interaction in general is being affected. Already many people seem unwilling - or unable - to make eye contact, engage in discussion and give someone their undivided attention. As more time is spent on social media I can't help but wonder how our ability to interact with others in a meaningful way will be impacted.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I know a lot of people who have had issues with FOMO, and ultimately had to close down their social media accounts in order to feel better. It might be interesting to test interventions that provide education to people about how to use social media to promote a true sense of connectedness, and how to recognize and avoid the ways that it can negatively impact people.
ReplyDelete