Social media websites have existed for years now, and
continue to be used by people around the world. Facebook is one of many websites
where one can share videos, pictures, messages, among other things, to friends,
and all conveniently from their computers or cellphones. The issue comes when
some individuals post only the positive highlights of their day, and others
compare their own lives to these highlights. We may not take into account the
ups and downs other people possibly face when we can only view the positive
moments of their lives on social media.
Feelings of envy can sprout when people view others as
better than themselves in some aspect. For example, seeing your friend wear a
more expensive or popular brand of shoes than you can lead you to compare
yourself to them, and view them as superior to you based on your footwear. The
term “Facebook envy” refers to when individuals browse through social media
websites and feel upset viewing their online friends’ positive portrayals of
their lives on their profiles. An individual can compare their profile to
another’s based on the number of photos they post at different parties, and may feel inferior because they do not attend as many parties. A relationship has been found between depression and envy, so therefore
there is an idea that Facebook envy may affect people with depression more than those without depression.
In 2015, Helmet Appel, Jan Crusius, and Alexander
Gerlach wrote an article about their efforts to find out if attractive Facebook
profiles can lead to feelings of envy in depressed individuals. They clarify
that depression can lead people to compare themselves to others more frequently,
and be more strongly impacted by negative social comparisons. We all have the
opportunity to select specific posts and pictures (which may even be photo-shopped)
onto our Facebook profiles. Anyone using this website has the ability to
portray their lives more positively or negatively than they really are. This
type of online environment means that depressed individuals are at high-risk of
making social comparisons to their online friends.
The study by Appel, Crusius, and Gerlach was conducted
in Germany using 89 people (with an average age of 27 years old). Around half
of them had depression and half did not. The participants all looked at two attractive
and two unattractive Facebook profiles, and then answered questions to see if
they thought the profile owners were happy, and if they felt envious of the
profile owners. The authors of the article wrote that the participants with
depression felt more envious after viewing an attractive profile. People with
depression, therefore, may be at a higher risk of feeling envious when
comparing themselves to attractive Facebook profiles. The problem is that
feelings of envy are not desirable to most people, and not many want to admit
that they are jealous of others. Facebook is an environment that offers endless
opportunities for social comparisons, which means depressed individuals can be even
more affected when making negative social comparisons.
In order to potentially help people who are vulnerable
to feeling of envy when using Facebook, people must be made more aware of how
everyone, including themselves tend to post highlights of their lives, rather
than negative things. Always keep in mind that most people desire to portray
themselves in a positive way to other people, and this means posting attractive
pictures, positive posts, and happy videos. Remember that Facebook profiles are
not always an accurate representation of somebody’s life or level of happiness.
Happy pictures do not mean that the profile owner never feels sad. Hundreds of
Facebook friends do not mean that the profile owner never feels lonely.
Everyone has good and bad days, and hopefully more people (including those with
depression) will scroll down their Facebook feeds acknowledging that everyone
has positive and negative moments in their lives. The next time you or a friend
compare yourselves to another person based on their Facebook profiles, keep in
mind that Facebook does not represent the person’s real life struggles and
successes. With these thoughts in mind, people may not assume that their lives
are inferior to others’ based on their Facebook posts. And more specifically,
those with depression may not feel as envious when looking at others' Facebook
profiles.
- Shang Rashid
References
Appel, H., Crusius, J., & Gerlach A. L. (2015).
Social comparison, envy, and depression on Facebook: A study looking at the
effects of high comparison standards on depressed individuals. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology,
34(4), 277-289. doi:http://dx.doi.org.proxy1.lib.uwo.ca/101521jscp2015344277
No comments:
Post a Comment