Research explores the connection between social media use and feelings of loneliness, revealing that some platforms are linked to increased loneliness while others show no association or even a reduction in loneliness.
Dr. Ben Ragen, Senior Scientific Editor with Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, said a study found that platforms like YouTube, Reddit, and certain dating apps were associated with higher levels of loneliness. “The greater use of those passive interactions on social media apps was associated with greater levels of loneliness,” Dr. Ragen explained.
The study, led by Dr. Timothy Matthews of the University of Greenwich, found no such association with platforms like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram, where users tend to interact with people they may not know personally. “You don’t really know the people you’re interacting with on these platforms, so there was no association,” Dr. Ragen said.
Interestingly, WhatsApp emerged as the one platform that appeared to help alleviate loneliness.
The study emphasizes that different social media platforms have varying effects on loneliness, with some contributing to increased isolation while others, like WhatsApp, may help reduce it.
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