The study was aimed at identifying specific social media behaviours that are related to depression. A total of 504 undergraduate students from the Texas State University in the USA, who actively use popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, completed an online survey which assessed their use of social media.

The findings revealed five key social media factors that can be linked to the major depressive disorder (MDD)

1. Social media users are more likely to compare themselves to those who are better off than they are

2. Some participants indicated that they would be bothered by being tagged in unflattering pictures

3. Those who are less likely to post pictures of themselves with other people were more likely to meet the criteria for MDD

4. Participants who follow 300 or more Twitter accounts were less likely to have MDD

5. Those who were higher up on the Social Media Addiction scale were more likely to have MDD

Psychology department research assistant and first author of the study’s article, Anthony Robinson, said that people who post on social media platforms tend to go to great lengths to portray themselves in a flattering light. Robinson also said that people who make comparisons based on the “inflated image” that they present on social media can develop feelings of inferiority.

Robinson added that social media has a “no-holds-barred, say-anything-without-consequences” nature which could contribute to people feeling bad about themselves.

OFM News