The Hidden Danger of Social Networks

Antonio Guillem/Shutterstock
Media outlets have been aflurry with news of a new study that found that Facebook use is
associated with lower levels of well-being over time. [1]
This is not the first study to show that Facebook use can have a negative impact on ones mood and
sense of self, though. While much early research highlighted the use of Facebook for expanding
ones social networks and growing social capital, considerable research has also identified
downsides, particularly from examining the content of our friends Facebook presentations.
Perhaps the primary reason we feel sad, jealous, or dissatisfied after using Facebook is that we are
constantly making social comparisons based on incompleteor inaccurateinformation. One study
found that the more time users spend on Facebook each week, the more likely they are to think that
others were happier and having better lives than they themselves [2]. Another study found that
looking at social networking profiles of attractive people (as compared to unattractive people) led to
greater body dissatisfaction and a more negative body image. Men who viewed profiles of
successful men were less satisfied with their current career status than men who viewed profiles of
less successful men [3]. Facebook can also evoke relational jealousy as users compare themselves
to their perceived romantic competition on the site [4, 5].
I want to look like a loser on Facebook! said no one ever.
I use the term presentations to describe Facebook content because they are just that. Profile
sounds too official, too real, too FBI. What active Facebook users really do on the site is make
conscious decisions about what they will post and share in order to achieve certain socialgoals.
Researchers call this selective self-presentation. For many, those goals are to make themselves
look as good as possibleattractive, popular, successful, enviable. Thus, the content of Facebook
profiles is more a compilation of our greatest hits than an honest track listing.
The problem is that humans have a natural tendency to compare ourselves to others to make
judgments about ourselves. We makeupward social comparisons, in which we compare ourselves to
people we consider better off than we are, and downward social comparisons, in which we compare
ourselves to those who appear worse off.
We also have a terrible habit of believing that we apply the right filters to our Facebook use when we
really dont. If you ask a Facebook user directly, Do you believe that everything you see on
someones page is accurate? he or she will inevitably say no. Most users are aware that peoples
presentations on Facebook are selectively censored and even inflated. When users actually view
and process that content, though, they forget that part of the equation, and tend to react more
viscerally and emotionally to content. In that way, we are almost always making upward social
comparisons that make us feel badly about ourselves.
Lets say a friend posts a picture of her meal from a work lunch at a fancy restaurant with the
comment, Pat for lunch at Caf Glamorous. Work is sooo hard :) #roughlife. You may know she
hates everything about her joband even that she hates patbut that doesnt mean you dont
experience a flash of jealousy. You compare the fact that she gets to have lunch at a fancy
restaurant while you consume Lean Cuisine in your cubicle, rather than comparing the reality that
she is miserable in her job while you actually kind of enjoy yours. Thats because she is selectively
self-presenting only the Caf Glamorous moments in her life on Facebook rather than bemoaning
her 14-hour work days, her miserable boss, her petty co-workers, and her pittance of a salary.
Rather than weighing all that you know about her work situation and feeling sorry for her, you can't
resist drooling over the pat and feeling envious.
What to Do
How can you combat this tendency to self-compare? First, it never hurts to spend less time on Facebook
in general.
Second, if you know that specific people tend to make you feel down, hide their updates from your
newsfeed or avoid visiting their pages. If you dont have a reason to stay connected, consider the
liberating experience of unfriending them entirely.
Third, dont go on Facebook when youre in a bad mood. In those moments, reach out to friends
through other channels rather than setting yourself up for social-network comparison time. Among all
of your varied online connections, you are guaranteed to find something that will make you feel
worse, whether its a picture of your ex with a hot date, or updates on your siblings perfect
relationship, or your high-school friends inability to ever take a picture that isnt flawless.
Finally, give yourself a reality check whenever you feel yourself getting jealous looking at a friends
page. Dont forget that you have plenty of good things in your life as well. And if you cant think of
one, get offline and go find one.

References
[1] Kross, E., Verduyn, P., Demiralp, E., Park, J., Lee, D. S., et al. (2013)Facebook use predicts
declines in subjective well-being in young adults.PLoS ONE, 8(8):e69841.
[2] Chou, H.-T. G., & Edge, N. (2012). They are happier and having better lives than I am: The
impact of using Facebook on perceptions of others lives. CyberPsychology, Behavior, & Social
Networking, 15, 117-121.
[3] Haferkamp, N., & Krmer, N. C. (2011). Social comparison 2.0: Examining the effects of online
profiles on social-networking sites.CyberPsychology, Behavior, & Social Networking, 14, 309-314.
[4] Muise, A., Christofides, E., & Desmarais, S. (in press). Creeping or just information seeking?
Gender differences in partner monitoring in response to jealousy on Facebook. Personal
Relationships.
[5] Utz, S., & Beukeboom, C. J. (2011). The role of social network sites in romantic relationships:
Effects on jealousy and relationship happiness.Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication,
16, 511-527.