Does Facebook Make You Sad?

I recently read a fascinating article titled Facebook: Issocial media envy making you sad? The writer of this article discusses how researchers from Utah Valley University “found that the way we view our lives and ourselves could very much be dependent on how much time we spend online.” One of the most interesting results the researchers discovered was that people who spend more time on Facebook thought others had a much better life than they do.

As a public relations professional, I spend hours on social networking sites, however, this is part of my job. Myself and other PR experts often define a lot of strengthens based on use of social media. For example, a Masters student in my class was recently asked to describe himself. He talked about his job and why he was getting a Masters degree, but then also concluded his introduction with his Klout score. He valued his “worth” based on how influential he was on Klout.  Perhaps those who are not using social media sites for work are experiencing social media envy.

Glancing through my personal Facebook news feed I currently see posts about babies, how lucky people are to be in love, wedding/engagement announcements, etc. My news feed is filled with people basically bragging about their lives ha-ha. One of the most common status updates I see if “I am so lucky to be in love with a wonderful man who treats me like a queen!” or “I am so blessed to have such a beautiful baby who is perfect in every way.” People seem like they are pumping themselves up or bragging about their amazing life. Are they really this happy all the time? I would say no. I think that most use social media sites to push positive messages because they don’t want to appear sad or unhappy. They want others to think everything is going perfectly in their lives when instead they most likely live a normal, chaotic, emotional life like everyone else. So if the majority is posting positive happenings in their lives, do others feel their lives aren’t good enough? According to the research yes.  

I do not live my life based on what others post or what I read on Facebook. I am not sad when I read that someone is engaged or bought a new house or something. Instead I just click the “like” button and move on to more interesting posts. Perhaps what Facebook users should realize is that the people you know on social media sites aren’t the real deal. You know their lives through a social media realm, not through personal face-to face interactions. Body language is removed, leaving only the word of the person posting to trust. So don’t be sad when you read others status updates that are happy, just be happy for that person and know that they face similar day to day problems just as you do. No one is perfect no matter how hard they try to make their Facebook profile reflect so.