Facebook causes users to compare themselves to their friends, which leads to depression, according to a study published April 6 in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY L.E. CHARLES/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

While social comparison is not a new phenomenon, it has reached a new high with popular social media platforms such as Facebook. Digital media has given individuals the ability to craft their personal brands online and compare their lives to their peers. While that doesn’t mean that Facebook is necessarily responsible for causing depression, it turns out that the human tendency to compare oneself to others finds a perfect conduit in the platform.

“I don’t think Facebook is responsible for making you depressed,” said Mai-Ly Steers, a doctoral candidate in social psychology at the University of Houston. “But it’s an extension of our natural human tendency to compare. Now we have more information on our friends than ever before, so now we have more opportunities to socially compare ourselves.”

Steers authored an April 6 study titled “Seeing Everyone Else’s Highlight Reels: How Facebook Usage is Linked to Depressive Symptoms,” published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology that explored that very link between Facebook usage and depressive symptoms, a link that becomes stronger the more people share of themselves online.

“Because of social media, including Facebook, people are more concerned with self-presentation and more and more people use Facebook to brand themselves,” said Lei Guo, assistant professor at Boston University’s College of Communication, whose research revolves around media effects. “On Facebook, you are talking with your friends and your family members, so you present a different part of yourself. You can construct a different self-presentation on different social media depending on what kind of audience you are speaking with.”

For her study, Steers conducted two different studies on the connection between Facebook use and the depressive symptoms associated with social comparison. In the studies, she asked college students at the University of Houston questions about their Facebook usage for that day, any social comparisons they may have made during their time online and the presence of any depressive symptoms. Her results supported her hypothesis that social comparisons lead to a connection between time spent on Facebook and depressive symptoms.

“The more time you spend on Facebook, the more likely you are to feel depressive symptoms, because you are socially comparing yourself to your friends,” Steers said.

Though social comparisons are an innate human tendency, she said, the choice to stymie that tendency can come with age, emotional stability and maturity.

“Freshman year, I would think, ‘Oh it looks like my friends are having more fun,’” said Rachel Markell, a sophomore in the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. “But I do my own thing now, and I am happy with what I’m doing, so I’m content enough to not be concerned with comparing myself to other peoples’ lives.”

Of course, another option is just to avoid the temptation altogether.

“Facebook to me is primarily a way to talk to friends in other countries, so not seeing my newsfeed is not such a big deal,” said Avijit Minocha, a freshman in the College of Engineering. “I usually don’t compare myself to anyone because I’m satisfied with what I have in my own life.”

With the ability to chat with others and also see and post statuses and pictures, Facebook gives users access to a breadth of information, all curated by the users. In terms of comparing one’s own information, Markell said, it’s useful to remember that others are constructing that presence, too.

“I think Facebook is the most encompassing of all social media,” Markell said. “By looking at someone’s profile, you’re seeing more information, so it’s easier to compare because it’s more accessible. But social media is not always an accurate indication of how people are doing.”

In Guo’s Communication Research class, she said her students prefer Instagram to Facebook because it allows more control over what information they post.

“On Facebook, because other people can tag you … if it’s not a picture that reflects your ideal self, you will not be happy,” Guo said. “So I feel like because of social media, including Facebook, people are more concerned with self-presentation and more and more people use Facebook to brand themselves.”

Though Facebook makes it easier than ever to connect and share with others, Steers said, it’s important to remember the consequences that can come from spending too much time liking posts.

“Because [comparing yourself] is an automatic process, there’s no way to prevent yourself from doing it, but what you can do is take stock and evaluate,” Steers said. “The purpose of Facebook is to connect with friends, and afterwards you should feel good. However, if you feel badly about yourself, at that point, it’s time to step away from the keyboard.”