Towards the end of last year, two of Facebook’s social scientists acknowledged in a blog post that passive consumption of content on the platform can affect a user’s mood and mental health. The authors, director of research David Ginsberg and Moira Burke, a research scientist, say that recent research blaming social media for an increase in alienation, depression and anxiety is “compelling.” They go on to cite a number of findings including one that found a direct relationship between clicking “likes” and links and a reduced sense of mental health.
Research has long proven that spending time on social media can make you feel better or worse. However, new research suggests that the effects of unregulated social media use can also be seen in how we spend our money. A recent study done by two business school researchers says that social media really can influence the amount of money you spend to the point that you can’t control yourself.
It’s all about emotions.
The researchers, Keith Wilcox of Columbia University and Andrew T. Stephen of the University of Pittsburgh, sought to find out if there were any negative effects of social media amid reports that social media made users feel more connected and also helped improve their self-esteem, boosting their overall happiness. They already knew that when people are happy, and they feel good about themselves, they’re likely to “license themselves…to let their guard down,” says Stephen. In other words, the emotions contribute to lower self-control. “We wondered if that would play out in this instance.” It did.
The study involving about 1000 Facebook users in the US found that those who spent relatively more time on Facebook and had a strong network on social media were more likely to have lower credit scores and more credit card debt compared to those who used it less and had a comparatively weaker network. The heavy users were also found to have less persistence for tasks following their social media time.
Stephen points out an experiment where after using Facebook briefly, users were taken directly to an eBay-type auction and told to bid on an iPad. Surprisingly, those with stronger networks on social media ended up bidding up to 30 perfect more than they’d have spent on the same device if they had just walked into a store.
The study also highlighted the relationship between social media usage and overeating. Users with stronger social networks were found to have a…
