Thinking about quitting social media? There may be another option, B.C. researcher says

In this March 13, 2019, file photo Facebook, Messenger and Instagram apps are are displayed on an iPhone in New York. (AP Photo / Jenny Kane, File)

Strategies for mitigating the negative mental health effects of social media tend to focus on reducing time spent scrolling, according to a B.C. researcher, who says there may be a way to limit the harm without logging off.

A new study, led by Dr. Amori Mikami, a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia, sought to explore an alternative to deleting apps or downloading new ones that impose time limits and force lockouts.

Those tactics, Mikami says, limit how much we use social media but don’t necessarily change how we engage with it.

"Is the only option just to quit cold turkey or quit entirely? Or is there a way that you can learn to use social media smarter, where you can maximize the positive aspects of social media and minimize the negative aspects?" she asks.

The positives include fostering connections, maintaining relationships, and giving or receiving support. The negatives – particularly for young people – include what Mikami refers to as self-presentation and social comparison.

"What do I look like on social media? How are people judging me? How do I compare to other people? Am I presenting a positive online image? Who is doing better than me? What am I missing out on? What do other people have?" she says, providing examples of some of the questions that characterize online interactions that can lower self-esteem, increase loneliness, or foster fear of missing out.

Quality over quantity?

Mikami's research, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology last week, randomly divided a cohort of 393 participants between 17 and 29 years old into three separate groups for a six-week period.

All the participants reported some mental health symptoms and some concern about how social media was impacting their well-being.

The control group was told to carry on using social media – Facebook and Instagram, in this case – as usual. The second was instructed to abstain entirely or as much as possible. The third weren't given any instructions about how much or how little time to spend on social media, instead they were coached on how to approach its use.

"We basically told them to lean in, but to do that in a very mindful and intentional way – leaning into the aspects that are good while removing yourself from the aspects that are bad," Mikami says, summarizing the coaching the third group received.

The instructions the third group received, through a series of brief online tutorials, included pausing to think about why they were on social media in the first place.

Makimi says a lot of people describe picking up their phone and checking social platforms as a reflex or a habit, or indicate they use social media to procrastinate or kill time, leading to "mindless" scrolling. That kind of passive consumption, she says, may be better off avoided altogether.

The tutorials also encouraged the study participants to check in with themselves and their emotions.

"Is this bringing you joy, or is this making you feel worse about yourself and more stressed and anxious? Pay attention to what you're noticing and change your behavior accordingly," Makami says.

Muting and blocking accounts that trigger negative emotions can be helpful, as can reminding oneself that social media posts only show a carefully curated version of reality.

Finally, the tutorials coached study participants to actively – and safely – seek out and foster connections. Congratulating friends or family members on their successes, offering positive feedback or thoughtful engagement with other people's posts, and finding common cause are some of the ways that Makami says participants were encouraged to use social media.

Changing habits, positive results

Makami says the group who abstained from social media and the group that was coached on using it differently both reported positive results compared to the control group, albeit in different ways.

The group that radically reduced social media use reported a reduction in social comparisons as well as depression and anxiety symptoms, suggesting avoiding the apps can be effective.

"At least for a six-week period, there may be some benefits to mental health from just cutting back or logging off. It could be an easy way to disengage from some of those negatives," Makami says.

"For some people, I do think just quitting at least for a specified period of time, is really good for them, and that's probably the right choice."

However, this group of study participants didn’t report any improvement when it came to loneliness.

The group that was coached on their social media use also reported fewer social comparisons as well as a reduction in loneliness and fear of missing out – which Makami says could be instructive.

"That loneliness or that missing out on the genuine connection is what drives people back to social media. That's why they can't quit forever. It's not a sustainable strategy for the long-term," Makami says.

"This study suggests that at least for some people gaining the tips and tricks to be able to use social media more intentionally mindfully and positively, might be a good option, or an option other than just quitting."