In the News
How does the use of social media or lack of use impact happiness levels? In Facebook users who quit the social network for a month feel happier, Taylor Hatmaker at TechCrunch discusses a study finding that individuals who took a month off from using Facebook reported higher levels of happiness and used other social media platforms less as a result. Hatmakers notes that these individuals were still allowed to use Facebook’s messaging app, but that these same individuals felt less informed of current events with the break from utilizing Facebook.
Our Take
The results indicating that taking a break from social media may improve happiness levels do not imply that social media use makes one unhappy, but they may be able to provide insight into the apparent need for constantly sharing information and constant social media use. Our current society revolves around a constant pool of personal information being shared with the public. Many individuals feel pressure to conform to these norms and share more personal information on social media than they are comfortable with. These results may imply that reducing the need to share personal information on social media sites can do the opposite of harm your happiness and social contribution. This does not necessarily mean that any social media use is harming your level of happiness. It may just be good not to do not need to overshare on social media to feel a certain level of happiness, and that is a good sign for the privacy of your personal information.
Recommendations
How can you protect your personal information while using social media?
- Understand the risks of putting your personal information into the world, and only share what you have to
- Be aware of default settings on social media platforms that automatically back up photos, files, and other potentially sensitive information to the Cloud. Use privacy settings when they are available
- Refrain from sharing highly sensitive information over public networking sites or messaging apps
- Use safe password practices, and take advantage of Multi-factor Authentication where possible