There is certainly no shortage of studies analyzing social media use, and some of the latest numbers indicate that the average person spends nearly two and a half hours on social media each day.
In the U.S., the average American checks their mobile device nearly 160 times a day, and almost half of Americans say they watch user-generated social media content more than they watch movies or television through streaming services.
Like most aspects of technology, there are positives and negatives associated with social media use.
Tara Suwinyattichaiporn, assistant professor of human communication studies at Cal State Fullerton, and Ester Gonzalez, associate professor of information systems and decision sciences, have seen both sides in their research when it comes to social media and its interconnectivity with communication and relationships.
One of the effects Suwinyattichaiporn has found, specifically for Gen Z users, is a possible negative effect on mental health, or what she refers to as online social comparison. This is when users develop anxiety associated with seeing other people’s heavily filtered and highly curated lives online.
“The main negative effect is mental health issues, and that typically comes from online social comparison processes,” Suwinyattichaiporn said. “They assume that everyone else is having a great time, while they are not, so it causes a lot of anxiety, particularly in Gen Z.”
Another negative effect Suwinyattichaiporn cites is a decrease in attention span. Gen Z has grown up with information at their fingertips that is delivered in bite-size pieces within seconds. But she has seen this effect in older generations as well, and shortened attention spans can lead to other challenges.
“It affects other parts of people’s lives, including interpersonal relationships,” Suwinyattichaiporn said. “So, when it comes to communicating in real life, people … apply similar short attention spans to listening to people, and they can’t hold a conversation for that long.”
All that said, Suwinyattichaiporn is a supporter of social media and has found that if used in moderation, social media can have positive effects. The strongest positive outcome she has seen in her research is that the platforms can be effective in developing and maintaining relationships.
“I think it’s a great way for people to maintain social relationships and even strengthen those bonds … and to share experiences that they’re having that their friends perhaps don’t have access to,” Suwinyattichaiporn said.
Gonzalez has seen this effect in her research as well. She and Xuefei (Nancy) Deng, associate professor of information systems at Cal State Dominguez Hills, co-authored a 2022 paper, “Social Inclusion: The Use of Social Media and the Impact on First-Generation College Students.”
Through data gathered from first-gen students at Cal State Dominguez Hills during 2019 and 2020, Gonzalez identified four key outcomes that were experienced by the students as a result of social media use:
- interconnections — creating initial connections with peers, faculty and staff.
- inspiration — gaining new ideas from others and finding those who share those ideas in common.
- insightfulness — obtaining access to a new level of resources that was not previously accessible and leveraging that access to share, brainstorm and collaborate.
- intense comfort — a way for the students to de-stress and provide their minds a break.
As a first-generation college student herself, Gonzalez felt that using social media not as a social tool but as a place for academic resources and support is unique to this population.
“Their perspective of the tool is as a resource, versus someone else who already had resources and therefore may not necessarily look at (social media) in that way,” Gonzalez said.
As a counterargument to the mental health concerns surrounding social media use, Suwinyattichaiporn has seen the benefits of people using the platforms to take control of their own mental well-being.
“There is so much mental health and wellness information on social media, including mental health advocates, influencers and content creators that talk about different methods of self-care and taking care of your mental health,” Suwinyattichaiporn said.
Related to Gonzalez’s findings, Suwinyattichaiporn sees social media use as a benefit when it comes to self-actualization and career opportunities. Through social media, users can promote themselves and their skills and gain access to entrepreneurial paths that would have been difficult to access in prior decades.
“I think social media allows for more opportunities for Gen Zs to achieve their dreams without the gatekeepers,” Suwinyattichaiporn said.
Both Suwinyattichaiporn and Gonzalez see intentional use of social media in moderation to be the key to achieving positive outcomes.
“I do think that social media algorithms were created to keep people on apps, but I believe in free will, and I believe that we can monitor and regulate our own behaviors,” Suwinyattichaiporn said. “So as long as there’s enough education and awareness around social media addiction and social comparison, I think people can use it more moderately and to their own benefit.”
