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All tweeted out? The psychology of the social media generation

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By Katie McQuater, Magazine Editor

September 28, 2011 | 4 min read

Herman Melville wrote in Moby Dick that ‘we cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibres connect us with our fellow men.’ We are now at a time when that statement is perhaps more true than ever before. Constantly connected to others via the channels of social media, we’re always striving to use these connections in a positive way – engaging with others to learn, network and share advice or simply to talk. Social media is changing the way companies operate, how brands are communicated, how consumers spend money, and increasingly it’s changing the way humans interact with each other. Is it possible that whilst we strive to use social media for good, there are elements of social media which can, if not cause anxiety or depression, perhaps worsen them?

The recent tragic death of social media marketing personality Trey Pennington was met with messages of support from his many Twitter followers. His suicide serves to highlight the fact that social network friendships cannot replace real world connections; that despite 100,000 followers, Trey had struggled to talk about the issues leading to his death. Indeed, the difference between somewhat empty online connections and real-world friendships was highlighted in Trey’s last tweet: ‘Sure am thankful for online friends who are real friends offline, too. Love you.’

Could it be, that in reaching out to others, in the quest for information and sharing, we’re forgetting ourselves? There is increasing evidence to back the view that the incorrect use of social networks can be damaging to young people in particular. Children may struggle to form a strong sense of identity if they spend a lot of time engaging with others online. Baroness Susan Greenfield, professor of Pharmacology at the University of Oxford has faced some controversy over her views on the matter. She explains that it’s more likely to affect teenagers who haven’t had the chance to develop a sense of how to engage with others correctly. She says ‘young people who have spent a disproportionate amount of time connecting with others online may struggle with normal interpersonal interactions such as making eye contact, empathy or recognising that when someone’s blushing they’re embarrassed.’

Aside from developmental risks to teenagers, there’s also the well-documented risk of individuals being unable to ‘switch off’ from social media. Greenfield, whilst making it clear she is not criticising the technology of social networks themselves, states that ‘spending too much time on social networks could displace activities that would otherwise alleviate stress and anxiety.’ This is particularly relevant to marketing professionals and social media experts using Twitter on a constant basis. If someone is constantly switched on, they may not be able to fully engage in activities that would traditionally alleviate stress, such as reading or spending time with family. James Jefferson, creative director at Equator explains ‘There is a very real danger that people find it difficult to switch off from social media. From what I can see, this mainly comes from the fact that its use is fundamentally very rewarding – we crave others to validate our ideas by commenting, liking or retweeting them. These affirmative actions deliver a heavy hit for very little emotional outlay.’

‘Social networking is always on, and as people move to mobile and social networking becomes more globally connected we are likely to experience stresses that come from responding to more people more of the time.’

The opportunities social media can bring are endless. As James Jefferson puts it, ‘Social media is not just changing our relationship with our friends or with our favourite brands; it’s changing the fabric of society, of politics and governance. And that, I think, is pretty amazing.’ But it may be that as the world continues to go social, people will have to make the distinction between online and offline more and more, remembering to make time for themselves and maintain a sense of self in the social networking equation.

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