As part of my ongoing interest in understanding the impact of technology on mental health, I came across an intriguing study by the George Marsh Applied Cognition Lab. This study looked into how people manage their commitment to social media and what factors can predict continuous technology use, especially social media. The age range of the participants in the study was broad, spanning from those born between 1946 to 1999. Participants were asked if they had social media accounts on eight platforms, including Facebook, Twitter X, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Instagram.

I came across an intriguing study by the George Marsh Applied Cognition Lab. This study looked into how people manage their commitment to social media and what factors can predict continuous technology use, especially social media.

When it comes to people they know online but haven’t met in person, there’s no generational difference. Everyone on Facebook mostly knows their “friends” and has a few friends they regularly interact with online but haven’t met in the real world.

Participants were also asked a series of questions about their level of anxiety if they were not allowed to access social media. Nearly half of the participants born between 1980 and 1999 said they would feel very anxious. While the anxiety from missing out on social media is not as high as not checking electronic messages, one in four participants born in the 1990s and one in five born in the 1980s reported they would feel very anxious if they were not allowed to log into Facebook as often as they liked.

Participants were also asked a series of questions about their level of anxiety if they were not allowed to access social media.

The bottom line is we find ourselves using technology for various reasons ranging from curiosity, fear of missing out, to pleasure. What does all this mean? From this study, it appears people use technology for enjoyment and to avoid anxiety from not knowing what’s happening at every moment on each electronic communication platform, including social media. If I were to speculate contributions to our behavior, what feels like obsession or compulsion, both can contribute to anxiety.

rom this study, it appears people use technology for enjoyment and to avoid anxiety from not knowing what’s happening at every moment on each electronic communication platform, including social media.

My question to all of you is how much do you feel the need to “check in” on social media to either feel happy about what you’ll find there or to make sure you’re not missing out on something important? Say, if you’re under 40, you might be driven more by anxiety than pleasure, especially when it comes to social media. That makes sense to me because in recent years we’ve transitioned from the real world with just a few electronic communication tools (email, phone calls, text messages) to so many social media sites. Moreover, Facebook and Twitter also have reminders to check in.

My question to all of you is how much do you feel the need to “check in” on social media to either feel happy about what you’ll find there or to make sure you’re not missing out on something important?

Currently, my Twitter feed tells me I have 128 tweets among the dozens of researchers I follow… and now 130. If I keep following, I could really start to get anxious. How can I keep up? Can you keep up? Have you become anxious because of your social media accounts?