The Psychological Needs Of A Social Network Service

In the last ten to fifteen years accompanying the dawn of social media, means of communication among friends and strangers have been easier than ever. Since its creation in 2004, Facebook has grown into the largest social media site on the Internet with 30 million users and counting. The ability to catch up with former high school friends who are now across the country or see how an aunt in Pittsburgh has been doing since the birth of her son are now as simple as the click of a mouse. However, the amount of “friends” acquired on social media may not be an accurate reflection of how many close relationships one truly shares. In an article from Bigthink.com titled “Do You Have Too Many Facebook Friends?”, Steven Mazie gathers research from Pew Research Center about statistics surrounding Facebook

In the article “The Relationship between Unwillingness-to-Communicate and Students’ Facebook Use”, a study was conducted to examine how Facebook use and unwillingness to communicate in interpersonal communication are related, motives for using Facebook, and the effect that Facebook has on behavior, attitude, and unwillingness to communicate. The study found that there were multiple motives for why people use Facebook including maintaining relations, entertainment, boredom, and to meet new people. The study also discovered that

According to Dr. Douglas Kenrick, University of Arizona’s Social Psychology lecturer, Facebook is not bad but the usage of it is what paints an ugly picture. In the article above, emotional aspects seem to be most affected when one uses Facebook in comparing oneself with their peers, friends or relatives. Posts by the defined group outline the seven ways mentioned which are termed bad since it leads to mental health dysfunctions. The use of Facebook to follow others updates leads to a number of psychological hazards such as; gives one a feeling that their life is not neat as of others, one develops envy towards friends achievements, Facebook keeps touch with people who hurt before, it can disenfranchise marriage in the event of stalking. The emotional friction developed through the wrong use often leads to depression. If one can avoid using Facebook in a manner that they will not follow other people’s posts then they are less likely to get stressed up about others and to a great extent avoid mental complications such as depression. According to the study about 80% percent who use Facebook in following others updates with a lot of

In Stephen Marche’s article, Facebook is a reason people are becoming move lonely and standard. The relationship between technology and loneliness is strong. According to the article people who spend their time on devices and social network sights are finding themselves lacking in the ability to communicate in person. One effect that is brought up throughout the article is loneliness, in which is made the more often one drowns themselves in social media. Facebook in particular, is the

Social media is the term that is used to refer to applications and websites that allow people to interact and stay connected (Nations, 2016). Although, the creation of social networking sites is relatively recent, it has rapidly become a prominent part of billions of people’s lives worldwide. For example, between 2012 and 2016 the number of monthly active Facebook users increased by 83% (Statista, 2016). As a result, investigating the effects of social media on people’s psychological wellbeing has become a popular area of research. However, the combination of findings from these studies are inconclusive as to whether social media has a negative or a positive impact on our psychological wellbeing and because social media is so widely used this is an important question to address. Huppert (2009) stated that “Psychological wellbeing is about lives going well. It is the combination of feeling good and functioning effectively” (p. 137). This essay will focus on Facebook, in particular, as it’s the most widely used social network and has over 1.5 billion monthly active users (Smith, 2016). It will discuss research that has investigated the effects of Facebook on life satisfaction, academic performance and psychiatric disorders which are all related to psychological wellbeing. It will conclude that research mostly suggests that social media, in particular Facebook, is harmful to our psychological wellbeing.

Social media is in it 's prime. It is how everyone connects with their friends, family and anyone around the world. Facebook has become hugely popular especially with adolescents. In the article, Loneliness and Facebook Motives in Adolescence: A Longitudinal Inquiry into Directionality of Effect, research has investigated the relationship between Facebook use and adolescent loneliness. They researched 256 adolescents with the median age of 15 were examined to see how Facebook motives and two relationship-specific forms of adolescent loneliness were associated longitudinally. (Luyckx, Teppers, Goossens, Klimstra, 2014). Results reveal that peer-related loneliness relates over time to using Facebook, compensating their social skills, reduces isolation feeling, and engaging in interpersonal contact. While Facebook allows them to make new friends online, it is diminishing their actual social skills when it comes to real life contact.

With 50% of users logging on to Facebook everyday and more than 35 million users updating their status’s everyday (Facebook a, 2010), it posses the question what effect are social networking sites, mainly Facebook, having on our friendships? Are we extending our social networking and enriching them? Or are the effects of the ease and accessibility of a ‘friend’ demeaning our relationships?

Social media has connected us in unimaginable ways, and introduced us to a world much larger than our humble backyards. Nowadays, nearly everyone has a Facebook, an Instagram, or a Twitter account. Grandparents, teenagers, children, and even some pets are a part of one social network or another. While websites like Facebook are great for sharing pictures, stories, and interests, but they are also capable of raising awareness about important issues that may have been overlooked. Recently, the overuse of Facebook was thought to promote negative psychology well-being, including depression and loneliness. It 's safe to say that the world has become hopelessly addicted to social media. Plenty of people can 't make it through the day or in extreme cases a few hours without popping on their computers or scrolling through their smart phones to check the newsfeed on Facebook. As Stephen Marche says in his article, "Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?”, Facebook makes us miserable and lonely. In fact, even though there is evidence showing that we 're more detached or lonely than ever because given Facebook is about social relationships; however, the site also offers an extraordinary number of ways to connect with others. This is just a taste of what Facebook can do, and with a huge number of people utilizing them, its possibilities are only growing. Facebook does not replace real human relationship or create loneliness, but it does not exterminate it either. It all depends on ones usage.

First, social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace have become high in popularity, one would wonder how these websites would affect our mental health.The internet has provided a medium for communication; however, with social media people are able to communicate as frequently as they want. Social media researchers Boyd and Ellison have created a three-part definition for social networks: they provide a forum where they can create a profile; they can create a list if friends or connections; and they observe their connections and the connections made by others. Author David Resalvo writes how social networking affects identity and the importance of an investigation on how social networking affects the addiction, narcissism, self-esteem, and loneliness.

In “Me and My 400 Friends: The Anatomy of College Students’ Facebook Networks, Their Communication Patterns, and Well-Being,” Manago, Taylor, and Greenfield seek to understand if there is a trade-off between large networks of social connections on social networking sites (such as Facebook), and the development of intimacy and support among today’s generation of young adults. Published January 30, 2012 and consisting of 12 pages of research, the study was conducted by online survey distributed to students at a large urban university. Participants answered questions about their relationships by sampling their Facebook contacts while viewing their online profiles. The findings of this study indicate the transformation of the nature of intimacy in the environment of a social network site, while also emphasizing the psychological importance of audience in the Facebook environment. It is suggested that social networking helps young adults satisfy psychosocial needs for permanent social relationships in a geographically mobile world.

I cannot emphasize enough, that this is a choice people make. You are the company you keep and if surrounding oneself with shallow, empty people is more desirable than that of the solid friendships one has nurtured for years, loneliness is one’s own fault. If Stephen is looking for something to blame, he should try the egotistical nature of ourselves rather than a social media platform. Facebook encourages a form of digital communication that plays nicely with people’s desire for instant gratification while satisfying human curiosity with constant news feed and status updates. Be warned, Facebook does not come with a user guide. Marche cautions us that improper use will result in loneliness and compromised health (Marche). Unfortunately, resisting this sultry temptress will not protect you from her. The worldwide Facebook obsession makes anyone without an account feel left out and alone. However, when used properly The New Yorker reports a new study that proves “active users get positive brain stimuli when engaging with the Facebook platform, while lurkers tend to feel increases in loneliness and dissatisfaction” (Hu).

It is becoming more frequent in today’s society to utilize social media to connect and stay in touch with others. In fact, one could say that social media has become an everyday part of our lives. More than 800 million individuals use Facebook daily (Fox & Anderegg, 2014). It is therefore of great significance, that one gives awareness to how the frequency of social media usage can affect our romantic relationships. This study consists of analyzing the amount of time one spends on Facebook and if the amount of time has an effect on the relationship satisfaction. Previous studies have gone over the aspects of the activities and concepts among individuals that can cause negative relationship outcomes but these studies have not extended beyond the concept of frequency. Moreover, previous research has suggested that individuals’ attachment status, individuals who have Facebook–related conflict, individuals who were in shorter term relationships, and individuals who have certain ideas of what normal behavior is when getting to know someone on the website can end up predicting negative relationship outcomes (Clayton, Nagurney, & Smith, 2013).

Facebook is currently largest social networking site in the world based on monthly unique visitors – attracting 130 million unique visitors every day (Alexa Inc. 2012). The site’s popularity exploded in 2007 and it bypassed its social networking rival, MySpace, in April 2008 (Phillips 2007). Over the last few years Facebook has impacted people’s social lives in various ways. With its availability on modern smart phones, Facebook enables users to continuously stay in touch with friends, relatives and peers wherever they are in the world as long as they have internet access. It can also group people together who share beliefs and interests and has been known to even reunite lost family members and friends through its enormous social reach

As technology progress, humans evolve to the advanced technology and enhance our lives via technology. We connect to our families, friends and others through social media such as Facebook. Social media takes up a huge part in our lives. Social media infest us with information that are relevant and irrelevant to us. Marry Marrow wrote, “It was Facebook that changed the face of e-communication; in fact, it was the first electronic social media” (para 1). She assumes that Facebook is playing a huge role in electronic communication. In the journalist Maria Konnikova, “How Facebook makes us unhappy?”, Konnikova divulges many aspects of people on social media through researching and experience, and finds how social makes us unhappy. I agree with Konnikova findings after reading her article. In addition, she concludes that if you are engaged, active, and creative you will not sorrowful on Social media, however if you are passively browsing and defuse to engage, you will be depressed.

As people use social networking sites more and more, psychological symptoms, such as social anxiety and depression, can begin to develop overtime. Feinstein’s research found that “depressed individuals also tend to engage in specific interpersonal behaviors, such as excessive reassurance seeking, that account for their greater likelihood of being rejected.”  Other social anxiety symptoms that can be triggered from excessive amounts of social networking include becoming less assertive, avoiding conflict, and expressing less emotion.  Results from Feinstein’s research also found that users directly felt a “depressed effect following interactions with romantic partners” and an “anxious effect following interactions with romantic partners” depending on how much time they spent on social media outside of their relationship.  Not only can the amount of time we spend on social networking affect us now, but it can also cause and make an individual more vulnerable to possible psychological problems in the future (Nauert).