Social networks and loneliness: why even active online communication does not save from isolation

The aim of the research paper was to see how our digital habits affect our psychological well-being in the long term.

Background and essence of the study

A team of scientists led by James A. Roberts, Ph.D., professor of marketing at the Hankamer School of Business, along with Philip Young, Ph.D., and Meredith David, Ph.D., analysed nine years of observations of nearly 7,000 adults from the Netherlands. The results are published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin under the title "The Epidemic of Loneliness: A Nine-Year Longitudinal Study of the Impact of Passive and Active Social Media Use on Loneliness".

Researchers studied how passive (viewing content without taking active action) and active (posting, commenting, liking) social media use affects feelings of loneliness over time. It turned out that both forms lead to increased isolation, even when the user tries to actively engage with online communities.

Passive and active social media use

• Passive (PSMU). Simply "scrolling" through feeds and cursorily browsing other people's profiles over time leads to increased feelings of loneliness.
• Active (ASMU). Surprisingly, those who actively post or comment are also more likely to experience feelings of loneliness. The authors suggest that digital communication, even "lively" at first glance, does not always fulfil fundamental social needs that are usually filled in face-to-face interactions.

Two-way communication

The study also revealed an inverse correlation: people who already feel lonely start spending more time on social networks in the hope of finding social support. However, this only leads to a vicious cycle - the more they rely on virtual contacts, the greater their sense of detachment grows.

"This vicious cycle shows how being constantly online can further reinforce feelings of loneliness rather than compensate for it," Professor Roberts notes.

Practical implications

According to the paper's conclusions, the phenomenon of the "loneliness epidemic" requires deeper research. The scientists emphasise that offline communication remains a crucial pillar of psychological health. Further research could help develop effective recommendations and policy solutions to reduce the negative impact of social media and strengthen personal connections.

Source: James A. Roberts et al, "The Epidemic of Loneliness: A 9-Year Longitudinal Study of the Impact of Passive and Active Social Media Use on Loneliness", Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (2024). DOI: 10.1177/01461672241295870