Negative social media experiences fuels loneliness, says study

Although we already knew this could be a possibility, a recent study said that negative experiences on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter may make young adults feel lonely, proving our suspicions.
The study which was conducted by the researchers from the University of Pittsburgh in the US, indicated that more use of social media was associated with increased feelings of loneliness. Brian Primack, lead author of the study said, Social media is, seemingly, about connecting people. So it is surprising and interesting that our investigations reveal social media being linked to loneliness,"

The study also said that because social media so influential, it has become increasingly important to understand why this is happening and how we can help people navigate social media without any medical negative consequences. For the study, the team surveyed 1178 university students between the age 10 to 30 years and asked them questions about their social media use and loneliness.

The findings said that even with a 10% increase in negative experiences on social media, participants reported a 13% increase in feelings of loneliness. But a 10% increase in positive response didn’t show any significant change. Another research team member Jamie Sidani said its human tendency for people to give more importance to negative experiences and traits compared with positive ones. This is particularly relevant with social media. "So, positive experiences on social media may be associated with fleeting positive reinforcement, while negative experiences -- such as public social media arguments -- may rapidly escalate and leave a lasting, potentially traumatic impression," . "It also may be that socially isolated people lean towards social media use that involves negative interactions. It is probably a mix of both," Sidani added.