Too Much Facebook Makes Girls Depressed... Or Depressed Girls Use Facebook?
from the cause?-effect? dept
And here's another bit of a moral panic-inducing study about social networking -- with a professor at Stony Brook University suggesting that girls who do more regular communicating via Facebook, SMS, email and other tools, are more likely to be depressed. The study's authors suggest that girls get stuck in a rut communicating about their problems, reinforcing those problems and depressing the kids. The more they discussed their romantic ups and downs, the more likely they were to be depressed.Of course, aren't there questions about cause and effect here? Wouldn't a more reasonable explanation be that those who were already more depressed are more likely to make use of these tools to wallow in their depression?
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: communication, depression, social networks
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
THere's the other side
That being said, two depressed people (or 10) may have the effect of depressing each other further by pointing out problems, or perceived problems, that they hadn't thought of.
That being said, correlation proves only that things correlate.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: THere's the other side
People become what they think about all day long. Depressing thoughts, depressed people. "My clothes are not as stylish as hers", "Her hair is more shiny than mine", "my boyfriend dumped me" etc. etc.
Is it Facebook that does this? Maybe it's a fixating or magnifying tool I don't know, but it does not create the thoughts, because that is a life direction cultural function thing. Look at TV ads, teen magazines etc. and there you have it. The general message on impressionable minds is "you are not good enough, you need this thing to make you better and more attractive and lovable".
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: THere's the other side
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
That said, I think girls (and even guys) who use facebook obsessively to "facebook stalk" others put themselves at risk to be hurt more easily, as tracking the object of their affection is easier. Granted, this is risk in regular everyday life too, but facebook makes it easier. Not a problem with the technology; a problem with the use thereof.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
There are a multiplicity of factors involved in depression, onset, symptoms, behaviour adaption. Even the Prozac, the 'magic bullet', couldn't cure us (although it undoubtedly helped). About the only useful thing in this study is that the parents should be well placed to get the help for their teens that need it.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Also, something could be said for the fact that articulating one's feelings in words is probably a more concise and theraputic way of expressing one's emotions, rather than talking in loops or outbursts, as people tend to do when verbally airing negative emotions.
Xiera--I'm not convinced entirely by your "Facebook stalking" point. While obsession is a bad habit regardless of form, I think there maybe some people who may spend less time obsessing because they can glance into the object of affection's life via Facebook, as opposed to endlessly daydreaming or conjuring up suspicions and jealous fantasies.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
But again, the problem is not the technology, it's the use thereof.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Dumb studies
If a significant number of (adjective) subjects use (object), then (object) makes people (adjective).
This logic is FAULTY. If you don't see it, do a world a favor, stay away from scientific research.
Here is another example:
People who drink a glass of wine a day have longer life expectancy, therefore, a glass of wine a day increase life expectancy.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Irony
Its sad when some half educated journalist confuses correlation with causation but frightening when a supposed learned academic does the same thing.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
There are a multiplicity of factors involved in depression, onset, symptoms, behaviour adaption. Even the Prozac, the 'magic bullet', couldn't cure us (although it undoubtedly helped). About the only useful thing in this study is that the parents should be well placed to get the help for their teens that need it."
I completely and entirely disagree. as a girl who has suffered through depression, and been hospitalized, I've known exactly what facebook does to me. Yes, it can cause my ups and downs, but taking it away does NOT solve all of your problems. In some aspects, it can make it more difficult, because when you need to vent most, and seek comfort, it's harder to instantly reach out to people. I deleted my facebook for a few months, and then restored it because in terms of facebook in comparison to my depression, the positives outweighed the negatives.
People had depression long before facebook- there just wasn't very much information about it, and hardly any people were diagnosed at all.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Or perhaps?
The etiology of psychopathology is quite convoluted and complex. However, just because a single factor does not cause a single psychopathology does not imply that it does not contribute. In fact, there are very few (probably countable with a single digit) mental disorders that can be accounted for by a single factor.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Or perhaps?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Please don't blindly criticize a legitimate, peer reviewed study that you only read online through CNet, well at least until you get your Doctorate and tenure, then you can say whatever you want.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
I love commenters who insist no one except those with special qualifications can critique a study.
You know how to tell who you should ignore? Anyone who says you can't say anything.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I have suffered with the depths of depression so would never wish to add to any one's struggling to battle it. I went through undiagnosed hell. Having also gone on to study psychology and psychotherapy at graduate and post graduate level I've seen it from both sides.
I only really had two points: (1) there is no magic bullet or magic pill for this. Medications like prozac will help but they are not the be all and end all. (2) Taking away someone's ability to communicate is not a magic bullet either, regardless of what media is used (cell phone, one-to-one talking, pen and paper, forums etc).
It is unfortunate that a small probing study (yes conducted by a University) leads to summarised briefs that pop-pscyhology bloggers and reporters further simplify for the mass media. It is even worse that it then gets used as ammunition to target or demonise technology.
The study makes no mention of whether social networking may be a legimate source of expanding teens exposure to other sources of information outside of their friends with poor problem solving skills.
Sam: for the record just because I have letters after my name or I've published a book someone else (with letters after their names too) likes, doesn't make me right.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
No, no, no, NO!!!
/me runs panicked through the streets, looking for a silly law to save him.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Facebook and depression
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Facebook and depression please!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Girl's Depression Facebook
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
chating on face book
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]