Scientists explained the impossibility of replacing live communication with social networks

Social media may not compensate for the emotional support that a person receives in a real relationship. This conclusion was reached by scientists at the University of Oregon, who studied the relationship between online communication, support for loved ones, loneliness and the use of social networks after waking up. About how social networks are associated with loneliness and depressive symptoms in adults, see the "Izvestia" article.

Why social media is not a substitute for live communication

The researchers published the first study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine (JGIM). They studied how emotional support in real life and support through social media are associated with feelings of loneliness in adults.

The analysis used data from 1,512 Americans aged 30 to 70 years. Participants filled out questionnaires in July and August, including information about their social connections and level of emotional support.

The researchers found a noticeable difference between the two types of support. People with the lowest levels of emotional support in real life were more than eight times more likely to experience loneliness than those with the highest levels of such support.

Emotional support through social media was also associated with loneliness, but this connection turned out to be much weaker. When both types of support were simultaneously included in the statistical model, only the link between real-life support and loneliness remained significant.

Scientists have found a link between long-term use of social networks and depression

How does the support of loved ones relate to loneliness

The authors consider emotional support as an opportunity to receive understanding, empathy and help from other people in situations where a person is facing difficulties. Such support can come from relatives and friends with whom a person meets regularly, as well as through digital channels.

However, the results of the study show that these forms of communication are not completely interchangeable. Even with emotional support through social media, her association with loneliness did not persist after taking into account the support that a person receives in real life.

According to the researcher, when comparing the two options directly, emotional support from real life is significantly more strongly associated with the absence of loneliness than support through social networks.

At the same time, scientists do not claim that digital communication is useless. The findings only show that his influence should not automatically be equated with emotional support in a direct relationship.

Scientists have explained the phenomenon of mood deterioration due to social media algorithms

What happens when you log in to social media after waking up

In the second study, the researchers focused not on the nature of communication, but on the time of using social networks. They tested whether the habit of logging on to social media shortly after waking up was associated with depressive symptoms. The work was published in the Journal of Prevention. Researchers have found a strong association between social media use during the first 30 minutes after waking up and depression.

At the same time, the dependence persisted after taking into account the total time that the participants spent on social networks, as well as demographic characteristics. That is, the discovered connection was not explained solely by the fact that some people in general use social networks more often.

The result concerns the time of the first use after sleep. The study does not show that any morning browsing of social networks necessarily leads to a deterioration of the emotional state.

Why morning use of social media can not yet be called a cause of depression

The authors separately emphasize that the discovered relationship does not allow us to determine the direction of dependence. It is not yet known whether using social media contributes to the development of depressive symptoms immediately after waking up, or whether people with such symptoms are more likely to turn to social media immediately after sleep.

A third option is also possible — both processes can influence each other. For example, it may be easier for a person with depressive symptoms to start the day by looking at their phone, and the nature of such use, in turn, may further affect their condition.

Therefore, scientists describe the result as a statistical link, rather than evidence that morning social media browsing causes depression.

Scientists have found a link between smartphone use and human behavior

What do the results say about the use of social media

Both studies focus on adults, a group that, according to the researchers, has been studied less frequently in this context than adolescents and young adults. At the same time, social networks are widely used by middle-aged and older people, and loneliness and depressive symptoms remain significant problems throughout adulthood.

The researchers believe that further work should take into account not only the duration of the use of social networks, but also how and at what point a person uses them. In one case, the source of emotional support is important, in the other — the time of the first access to digital platforms after sleep.

However, both jobs have an important limitation: They are based on survey data, so they do not allow us to establish cause-and-effect relationships by themselves. The authors emphasize that the results do not mean that social media itself is harmful.