Some people have claimed for a long time that using Facebook can have negative effects for a user. Some even go as far as to claim that Facebook use can lead to cancer. But do such claims have any scientific basis, or are flawed studies used to justify sensationalist newspaper headlines?
One such study which claims to link the service to a lowered self-esteem is that of Chou & Edge, published last year. They studied the impact of how the site shaped perceptions of their lives compared to others. They gave 425 undergraduates at a Utah state university a questionnaire to fill out, from which they got their data. The questionnaire asked the participants how much they agreed with defining statements (for example 'others have better lives than me'), how many hours they spent on Facebook and how many friends they had on the site. The researchers noticed that the participants who spent the most time on Facebook appeared to agree more with the negative defining statements and more positive perceptions of others. This appears to show that Facebook use could lead to distorted views of one's self and others, and a lowered self-esteem. They also found that those that had been using Facebook longer than other participants had a lower agreement score for 'life is fair' statements, further highlighting the apparent effect Facebook has on it's users.
However, whilst the research is interesting and thought provoking, it is indeed flawed. Whilst the research appears to show Facebook use and a distorted opinion of yourself and others, it is impossible to imply cause and effect from a correlation (which is what this study found). Perhaps lowered self-esteem causes higher Facebook use through a fear of socialising face-to-face? This is not explored by the research. Furthermore, other variables do not seem to have been taken into account which could affect the results of the study. For example, current living conditions could affect the results of the study. A high-stress job may cause distortions in perception, for example where others get promoted. The participant could assume that their life is worse due to not getting promoted, or other life factors that could cause lowered self-esteem and distortions in perception. Also, those using the service the longest would be those who were in Universities when Facebook went online in 2004. As the current economic downturn could be affecting the ability to get a graduate level, stable career, this could affect both perceptions of others (who have been lucky enough to succeed) and the amount of time spent on Facebook (due to boredom and lack of a job). These factors simply haven't been explored by the study, causing it to be flawed. It could be argued that the research also lacks content validity, as the effect of Facebook has not been clearly measured due to the lack of control or consideration of other factors affecting the results.
In conclusion, whilst the research presents an interesting point of debate (the impacts of social networking websites on the mental health of people), I believe that a lot of the headlines made due to studies like these are unjustified, due to flaws in the current research. Perhaps with better designed studies, we may be able to assess the impact of Facebook without newspaper sensationalism and flawed information.
References:
Daily Mail. (2009). How using Facebook could raise your risk of cancer. In Daily Mail. Febuary 2, 2012, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1149207/How-using-Facebook-raise-risk-cancer.html.
Hui-Tzu Grace Chou, Nicholas Edge,. (2011). “They Are Happier and Having Better Lives than I Am”: The Impact of Using Facebook on Perceptions of Others' Lives. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. -Not available-, ahead of print. doi:10.1089/cyber.2011.0324.
