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The effect of deactivating Facebook and Instagram on users' emotional state

nber.org

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Re: The effect of deactivating Facebook and Instagram on users' emotional state

#411

Post by jjulius »

systemz wrote: post #218
PaulRobinson wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are people out there - probably many people - in your country under the age of 30 who feels the same way about Instagram as you do. These are the people you want to meet, not the people on Instagram. If you hate Instagram and the anxiety it gives you, the people you meet on there will never be really on your level, or you on theirs. You will waste your time and effort on shallower relationships that can't get d…

Those are good tips but what to do when you are new in location and your family/friends doesn't have contacts with people that like your hobby? Joining new social circles isn't that easy for less social ones.

This is hobby-dependent and YMMV of course, but...

... go and do your hobby. Whatever it is. You're likely to meet people along the way who are also into whatever it is that you're doing. Even in the less sociable hobbies, you're bound to encounter like-minded folk at some point (take it from me, the not-so-social backpacker who likes going to remote places). You might not know where the groups are yet, but you'll figure it out, just like you figured out everything else about being in a new location - where the grocery stores are, where the good restaurants are, where whatever it is that you need might be located.

Re: The effect of deactivating Facebook and Instagram on users' emotional state

#412

Post by mmooss »

perching_aix wrote: post #59
mmooss wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I understand you, just read the paper for its analysis and interpretation of those numbers. Alternatively, you'll want to grasp the meaning of "standard deviation" (you're right that you can't multiply all standard deviations by a number and get a percentage - and a percentage of what ?), and then find the "index of happiness, depression, and anxiety" they use and grasp its meaning.

I'm not sure you understood me. I want to specifically avoid doing all that, to save time and effort.

Alas, I don't know a faster way. The question asked, iiuc, demonstrates a lack of understanding of standard deviation. That's fine; none of us know everything. But without that we can't intepret the results, and also necessary is understanding what the scale represents. Thus the fastest solution seems to be reading the author's interpretation rather than trying to do it yourself.

Re: The effect of deactivating Facebook and Instagram on users' emotional state

#413

Post by kjkjadksj »

lc9er wrote: post #276
madaxe_again wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t know how much of a difference it would make, as then we just become the algorithm. I quit Facebook over a decade ago, because others used it to go “look at my shiny car/wife/house”, and I would use it to lose friends and alienate people. These online environments do not foster any kind of human connection.

I lasted a little bit longer, but it grew shocking to see how eager friends and family were to display how cruel and bigoted they can be. I sometimes wonder if it’s the addictive, attention seeking nature of social media that encouraged such behavior, or if they simply lacked the courage to be so inhumane in person.

These people are just as inhumane in person actually. In fact they want to test their opinions on you and see if you signal that you are also in their in group. Stuff like an old creepy guy gawking at a woman and asking you “how about that” is a someone common example of this. Or telling some story about some human condition where the punch line is well they were black and this isn’t surprising behavior given the racist stereotypes they believe in. These guys come out of the woodwork too. Like a total stranger on the bus would be like this, turn over at you unsolicited.

Re: The effect of deactivating Facebook and Instagram on users' emotional state

#414

Post by johnisgood »

projectazorian wrote: post #405
ljm wrote: post #299

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Friend circles can be just as bad at excluding or ostracising others in the group for the pettiest of reasons. There’s always going to be a shot caller or instigator behind it and everyone else who is weak willed will get on board with it.

I've gotten in the habit of straight out calling out these people, including throwing them out of my house when they start down this road. They tend to have some form of serious mental illness and/or a major substance problem they're not interested in addressing, which leads to emotional dysregulation. So not exactly great people to have around anyway. Have I lost friends over it? Yes. But that's fine, having no frie…

I would not punish them for having a mental illness, I am understanding of it as I have, too, but it is completely fine if you, yourself, do not want to handle or deal with it.

I tend to call people out, too. I keep the ones that take it gracefully.

Quality > quantity. :)

Re: The effect of deactivating Facebook and Instagram on users' emotional state

#415

Post by kjkjadksj »

barnabee wrote: post #234
madaxe_again wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t know how much of a difference it would make, as then we just become the algorithm. I quit Facebook over a decade ago, because others used it to go “look at my shiny car/wife/house”, and I would use it to lose friends and alienate people. These online environments do not foster any kind of human connection.

My Instagram account is private and I only follow real life friends and family. I mute (posts or stories or both from) any that post in ways that I don’t find positive. I haven’t had to mute many, but it’s some. If it wasn’t for the algorithmic feed showing “recommended” posts from accounts I don’t follow and the constant ads, I would have a perfectly healthy and pleasant experience with Instagram. I really wish they…

Click on the instagram logo at the top of the app and click “following” to get a chronological feed.

Re: The effect of deactivating Facebook and Instagram on users' emotional state

#416

Post by flkiwi »

daveslash wrote: post #396
flkiwi wrote: post #371

I'm distinctly happier since I ditched Facebook and Twitter. It's not a radical change, because the world kinda sucks in general. And I'm a little sad that a few of my older family members are effectively invisible since they only communicate on Facebook, but, honestly, I didn't talk to my mother's first cousins pre-Facebook anyway so, net, I haven't actually lost very much. I was never on Instagram or TikTok, but ne…

Just speaking for myself. Facebook was fun when it was the underdog to MySpace. But I closed me account just a few years later and haven't looked back. Was never engaged on twitter, but have an account just so I can verify "yes, they actually posted that" Aside from Reddit, my only social media is Instagram. On my Instagram, I only follow people I personally know or national-park/state-park/non-profit conservation ac…

Can I just tell you? I rejoined Reddit a couple of years ago, and (I cannot believe I'm about to type this) it is, generally speaking, a positive experience filled with people who are generally not terribly toxic, and the toxic people are pretty easy to avoid. There are some hotbeds of awful, mainly fandoms, and many of the tech subs are just tech-grumpy, but overall it's been an amazingly nice experience.

Re: The effect of deactivating Facebook and Instagram on users' emotional state

#417

Post by kjkjadksj »

kleiba wrote: post #166

I'm certainly an anomaly but since to me the downsides of social media have always been quite prominent and seemed to outweigh the benefits by a margin, I never jumped on the social media train. But I've got to say, it's getting harder and harder to keep that up. As our kids get older especially, almost all of their social activities are somehow tied to social media one way or the other: no matter what they're joinin…

Are you in the US? No one uses whatsapp in the US. This would have been done as an sms groupchat in all likelihood. Everything friends plan is on sms these days. Maybe its my generation, we don’t like signing up for accounts anymore when everyone can trivially text.

Re: The effect of deactivating Facebook and Instagram on users' emotional state

#418

Post by PaulRobinson »

systemz wrote: post #218
PaulRobinson wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are people out there - probably many people - in your country under the age of 30 who feels the same way about Instagram as you do. These are the people you want to meet, not the people on Instagram. If you hate Instagram and the anxiety it gives you, the people you meet on there will never be really on your level, or you on theirs. You will waste your time and effort on shallower relationships that can't get d…

Those are good tips but what to do when you are new in location and your family/friends doesn't have contacts with people that like your hobby? Joining new social circles isn't that easy for less social ones.

Not sure there is a shortcut. You're just going to have to go do your hobby and look out for opportunities to meet other people who are into it too.

The thing about moving to a new location is you're consciously choosing to start over: that has positives and negatives, but either way it's a ton of work to get re-established. Be brave, you'll find people the more you look for them.

Re: The effect of deactivating Facebook and Instagram on users' emotional state

#419

Post by noisy_boy »

nomilk wrote: post #56

The surprise here is how little of an effect it has. Deactivating facebook makes you only 1/16th of one standard deviation happier. And instagram even less. And this was measured during elections, when the effect is likely to be greatest. Kinda crazy that the magnitude is so small! (my next [admittedly rather cynical] thought is "who funded this?")

I think social media has some sort of amplifier effect. If you are someone easily influenced, you'll be a lot more affected compared to someone who is more of a sceptic. If you are already depressed, it'll probably make it worse when you see holiday pictures of everyone in your network (no one shares pictures where they look like shit). If you are in a good place in life, you'll probably be smashing the like button without care.

In any case I didn't like the amplification - unamplified life is hard enough - so I got rid of it a long time ago and don't regret it at all.

Re: The effect of deactivating Facebook and Instagram on users' emotional state

#420

Post by s1artibartfast »

svnt wrote: post #329
erkt wrote: post #322

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>solved by eliminating the "feed" and instead displaying posts, updates, and pictures from friends, family, and those we know in real life. This is what Facebook was when we all signed up almost two decades ago. No one ever wanted a feed of people they didn't know. Free social media is inherently corrupt as they chase profits abusing the user base.

Maybe just phrasing but free social media isn’t the problem. VC-backed corporations masquerading as public services to gain user networks they can later monetize is the problem.

VC is just a lazy boogieman. Facebook IPO'ed 13 years ago. I dont think it would be different if was owned by the other boogie man private equity, owned entirely by Zuckerberg, or publicly traded.
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