Does giving up social media make us happier people? Probably not

Does giving up social media make us happier people? Probably not

A new study challenges the idea that quitting social media increases happiness, finding no significant link between abstinence and improved well-being. Could the “social media detox” be overrated?

In a recent publication inScientific reportsPresentResearchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the associations between social media abstinence and general well-being.

They collected, screened and analyzed ten publications from six online academic repositories with a total of 4,674 participants.

Contrary to the increasingly popular belief that abstinence from social media has a positive impact on happiness and life satisfaction, the study found no statistically significant evidence of this interaction, suggesting that abstinence from social media may not be a way to improve individual well-being.

background

Social media is an umbrella term for online (digital) platforms that allow users to connect and share content in a semi-public space. It has seen unprecedented growth in today's increasingly online world, with an estimated 5.2 billion users, around 64% of the human population.

While social media has several notable advantages, including data sharing and relationship building, it also offers an equal number of disadvantages. Several reports demonstrate the potential of platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and

In addition, several research papers have examined the “mobile connectivity paradox”—simultaneous sense of enhanced and violated autonomy.

These attacks have prompted several news articles and public campaigns calling for “social media detoxification” (voluntary abstinence) in the areas of social media detoxification to regain one's life satisfaction, productivity, and holistic well-being.

Previous research efforts have attempted to validate the benefits of these temporary social media breaks, but have come to confusing conclusions—while some studies have found varying levels of satisfaction improvements following the social media breakup, most others have found no such association.

About the study

The present study aims to settle the debate about social media abstinence and its perceived benefits by reviewing the relevant scientific literature on the topic and reanalyzing previous findings through meta-analytic methods.

To account for differences in previous research hypotheses and focus questions, the present review focuses on two specific indicators of social media impact (abstinence)-affective well-being and life satisfaction, the two most commonly used measures of subjective well-being.

The review complies with the preferred reporting positions for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Study data (publications of interest) were acquired from six online scientific repositories: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar and Communication Source using a custom search strategy.

Identified publications were subjected to a title, abstract, and full-text screening process with those: 1. conducted by adult participants, 2. reporting affective well-being and life satisfaction metrics, and 3. that were not conducted in conjunction with other forms of abstinence (e.g., abstinence).

The Downs and Black Checklist were administered to reduce the risk of bias between included studies. Additionally, publication bias was minimized using contour-enhanced funnel plots, Egger's test, and Duval and Tweedie's trim-and-fill method.

Statistical (META) analyzes were performed using a random effects model based on the principles of the Hartung-Knapp-Sidik-Jonkman method. Between-study heterogeneity was measured using τ2 andI2 statistics.

Study results

The initial literature search identified 5,014 potential publications, of which 762 were duplicates in the included online repositories. The screening procedures further narrowed this number to only 10 publications that included all criteria for review/meta-analysis. Together, the publications included a total sample size of 4,674 participants (~65% female).

Notably, in the included studies, social media abstinence ranged from 1 to 28 days, which was relatively short and may not adequately represent the effects of months or years of abstinence.

However, the meta-analysis results showed no statistically significant effects (positive or negative) for social media abstinence, regardless of the measured duration (up to 28 days). These results were consistent across both effective well-being and life satisfaction measures. Adjusting for gender (male versus female) or age group did not change these results.

"...The definition of social media was not entirely clear in some studies. For example, certain authors did not determine whether instant messaging applications were also considered social media in their studies. Three of the studies also did not specify the devices participants were asked to use."

The risk of bias and heterogeneity assessments validated the robustness of these results. While the present study addresses and begins the ongoing social media detox debate, it is not without limitations.

In particular, the limited sample durations of included publications leave a longer duration of social media abstinence inconclusive. Furthermore, the limited number of studies meeting the inclusion criteria highlights the lack of data and research on this topic.

Conclusions

The present review suggests that short-term abstinence from social media may not contribute to social media engagements seeking alternative ways to improve individual well-being.

It shows the need for further research and focuses primarily on the longer-term effects of social media abstinence.

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