The Paradox of Lonely: Active users of social media are as isolated as passive scrollers

A groundbreaking nine-year study reveals the disturbing facts about social media: whether you are proactively posting or scrolling, increased use leads to greater loneliness. The study, published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, challenges the general belief that active participation on social platforms can help create meaningful connections.

The study, which tracked nearly 7,000 Dutch adults over nine years, found two types of passive social media use (PSMU) (such as browsing without interaction) and active social media use (ASMU) (including posting with others and with Others interact with each other) are related to increased feelings of isolation over time.

“It seems there is a continuous feedback loop between the two,” said Dr. James A. Roberts, Ph.D., Professor of Ben H. Williams Marketing at Baylor University. “Lonely people turn to social media to address their Feel, but this kind of social media may only make fans lonely.”

This discovery produces a particularly cruel irony: tools designed to connect us may make us more disconnected. The team found that active participation on social media platforms not only did not prevent loneliness, but was also more interconnected with isolation than passive browsing.

The scope and duration of the study make its findings particularly compelling. In the annual wave of data collection, 6,965 participants tracked 6,965 participants, representing one of the largest and most comprehensive surveys that have had an impact on social media psychology. The research team used complex statistical analysis to illustrate various factors and ensure the robustness of their findings.

One of the most striking findings is the two-way relationship between social media use and loneliness. Research shows that while increased use of social media leads to greater loneliness, people who report lonely are also more likely to increase their use of social media—creating what researchers call a continuous negative feedback loop.

The implications of these findings are particularly important given the current public health issues. According to the latest data cited in the study, the feeling of being disconnected from others is equivalent to the health risk of smoking 15 cigarettes a day. The study also notes that current sense of loneliness in the United States (affecting 58% of adults) is consistent with pre-epidemic levels.

The study shows that no matter how users actively engage these platforms, the quality of digital interactions may not meet the social needs of face-to-face communication. This raises important questions about how we can build social connections in an increasingly digital world.

Phil D. Young, Director of Graduate Programs for the Masters Business Analytics Program at Baylor University, and Dr. Meredith E. David, associate professor of marketing at Baylor, worked with Roberts. Their findings emphasize the need for a more nuanced understanding of how digital interactions affect our social well-being.

As social media continues to evolve and further integrates into daily life, this study highlights the importance of maintaining meaningful face-to-face connections. While social platforms can provide unprecedented access to online communities, the study suggests that relying on them as a primary source of social interaction can have unintended consequences for our emotional well-being.

The research team stressed that future research should explore potential interventions that break the cycle of loneliness and social media use and investigate whether these findings hold between different cultural backgrounds and ages.