Mostly everyone, from glamorous influencers to your grumpy neighbor, use at least one social media platform. So it’s time to ask the question: How does being on social media make you feel?
Enter Derrick Wirtz, PhD, an associate professor of teaching in psychology at the University of British Columbia in Okanagan, Canada. In the study, Dr. Wirtz examined how people use three of the largest platforms: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The study found that the more people used any of these platforms, the worse they felt afterward. Dr. Wirtz said in a news release. He believes that the reason is the passive contact. People look longingly at other people’s lives and feel dissatisfied with their own– a version of the classic “the grass is always greener” situation for the digital era.
The solution could be restoring the “social” to social media. Being active could be the key to healthy social media use. By posting and engaging directly with other people, rather than treating social sites as static feeds to browse, you can experience some of the benefits of in-person interaction.
I – Word Understanding
Grumpy – moody / easily annoyed or angered
Longingly – having strong desire for something you don’t have
The grass is always greener – others’ circumstances seem desirable than one’s own
II – Have Your Say
1, Which social media platforms are popular in your country? How do these platforms change the society around you?
2, What type of social media user are you? Let’s take a look at the four key components of social media use:
a, Feed watching
b, Messaging
c, Posting updates
d, Reading world news
3, How do you get in touch with your friends and family? Do you think social media has improved our daily communication?
