Social Media May Cause or Contribute to Depression

Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace continue to increase everyday as more and more people sign up for new accounts. Social networking sites can be a great place to meet other people, find business partners and stay connected with friends and family. Therefore, it's no wonder this type of technology is so popular. However, there is a downside to being part of an online community. Some studies have shown that social networking sites can create the perfect environment for depression in some people.

For starters, when you're sitting at home on your computer, you're isolated. You may be talking to lots of people and have a long list of friends but you're still alone. Add this to the drama that can take place on these sites and you can easily see why some people begin to feel depressed. People gossip, complain, breakup and start new relationships online every day. Seeing all of this drama day after day can take its toll on your mind and attitude towards the people you interact with on the web and this can spill over into your everyday life.

When interacting on social media sites, individuals tend to tell the good parts of their lives and leave out the bad. This can leave those reading the information feeling lonely and wondering why they're not having as much fun or good luck in their life as everyone else. Low self-esteem, loneliness and negative feelings towards people on your friend's list are easily transformed into depression.

Over time, users can begin to feel as though every comment they make is under attack. They feel like everything from the pictures they post to the number of friends they have is being compared to others and this can cause feelings of inadequacy.

Depression can set in when someone on your friends' list has more friends than you do because you begin to believe that people don't like you for some reason. It's a lot of pressure for someone who wants to fit in and be popular when you know that everyone is watching and waiting to see what you'll post next.

Just like in real life, when things don't go well in the online community, depression can take over. In fact, the need to fit in and be popular can be even stronger when you know so many people can see your profile. Many people don't even realize that being online and interacting with these social media sites is the reason for their depression. They begin to look for things in their everyday life to blame for all the negative feelings they're going through and this can cause even more problems.

To avoid becoming a victim of social media depression, take a step back and log off once in awhile. Get out and enjoy some real life activity such as participating in sports or go see a movie with friends. There's nothing wrong with being a part of an online community. In fact, it can be lots of fun and very entertaining as long as you find a healthy balance between your online activity and real life encounters.

Sources:

Social Networking can contribute to depression

Social media may cause teen depression