“Cyberbullying,
depression won't happen to me”
Dartmouth College, Science
Daily
Facebook users with so-called optimistic bias think they're less
likely than other users to experience cyberbullying, depression and other
negative social and psychological effects from using the site, a
Dartmouth-Cornell study finds.
The study suggests that optimistic bias, or an intrinsic
tendency to imagine future events in a favorable light that enhances positive
self-regard -- in other words, wishful thinking -- leaves those Facebook users
vulnerable to the negative realities of social media.
"Our findings demonstrate important and novel discrepancies
in how people perceive themselves and others concerning the positive and
negative outcomes of Facebook use," says lead author Sunny Jung Kim, a
postdoctoral research associate in the Psychiatric Research Center and the
Center for Technology and Behavioral Health at the Geisel School of Medicine at
Dartmouth.
"A growing number of studies report possible benefits and risks
of using Facebook and other social media, ranging from effects on self-esteem
to cyberbullying. But little is known about how people perceive themselves to
be likely to experience these mixed outcomes and what the implications of having
these perceptions are."
In the new study, the researchers surveyed 237 active Facebook
users between ages 18 and 37. The participants were asked to assess their own
and other people's likelihood of experiencing positive and negative outcomes on
Facebook.
They also were asked to rate their likelihood of supporting Internet
regulations, their personal Facebook involvement and their attitudes toward
Facebook use.
The results show that Facebook users with optimistic bias tend to
show strong support for Internet regulations to protect other users from social
ostracizing, although not from psychologically negative effects, including
depression and loneliness.
The lack of support regarding psychological harms
may be because mental health effects are perceived as less amenable to
regulation or because their importance is underestimated, the researchers say.
The results also show that Facebook users who view the site
negatively or who use it infrequently think other people are more likely than
themselves to have positive experiences on the site, a reversed optimistic bias
that is new and intriguing.
"When ostensibly positive outcomes, such as
receiving social support from Facebook friends, are perceived to be unusual and
irrelevant for themselves, the direction of the optimistic bias for these
objectively positive outcomes can be dampened or even reversed," Kim says.
Co-author Cornell Professor Jeffrey Hancock adds: "It's fascinating that
well-established, third-person effects are also seen on Facebook, but the
reversal shows how social media is not identical to mass media."
"Although some might argue that it is still premature to
claim that Facebook use is a direct predictor of extreme events such as
clinical depression and suicidal attempts, a growing line of research indicates
that negative events such as Facebook cyberbullying can result in detrimental
consequences, including depression and substance use problems," Kim says.
"Without adequate protections, the damage of these critical events can be
severe. This is especially the case for those in a vulnerable health condition,
in which this optimistic bias for risk events can leave them unprepared without
adequate health protective behaviors.
"We argue that Facebook may serve as a
source of emotional support between users and as a platform to disseminate
protective health messages to prevent negative psychological consequences of
Facebook use.
"Given that negative personal and health news such as stressful
events and depressive symptoms are frequently shared on Facebook, it may be an
important site for observing negative psychological states of users."
Story
Source:
The above story is based on materials provided by Dartmouth College. Note: Materials may be edited for
content and length.
Journal
Reference:
Sunny Jung Kim, Jeffrey T. Hancock. Optimistic Bias and Facebook
Use: Self–Other Discrepancies About Potential Risks and Benefits of Facebook
Use.Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 2015;
18 (4): 214 DOI:10.1089/cyber.2014.0656
Cite
This Page:
Dartmouth College. "Facebook users' wishful thinking:
Cyberbullying, depression won't happen to me." Science Daily,
16 April 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150416192743.htm>.