Instagram use could help adolescents combat depression, says study!

New Delhi: In an era when technology is heavily dominating our lives and lifestyles, it is easy to say that social media is a blessing.

It will suffice to say that we easily get caught up in the social world, feeling instantly connected to people across the globe, whether the medium is Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Although we usually believe that social media relationships have a positive effect on us emotionally, numerous studies have been conducted linking social networking to depression and social isolation while also eliciting feelings of envy, insecurity and poor self-esteem.

Other studies indicate that social media sites can be positive for people struggling with social anxiety and depression.

April 7, 2017 is World Health Day with 'Depression' as its theme. As if on cue, a new study has emphasized on the social media-depression related subject, suggesting that Instagram – the highly used photo-sharing app – can actually strengthen the closeness of their friendships which in turn may help the mental disorder.

With millions of active users from around the globe, Instagram has a larger-than-life membership, which also includes the world's biggest celebrities.

That said, the study says that all the likes and reposts can act give a boost to relationships, which thereby helps in keeping depression at bay.

"This age group may be particularly at risk for the impact of Instagram, given the increasing popularity of Instagram in adolescence and given the increase of depressive symptoms during this stage of life," said researcher Eline Frison from University of Leuven in Belgium.

"This study offers practitioners greater insight into the outcomes of adolescents' Instagram use," Frison said.

The findings are scheduled to be presented at the 67th annual International Communication Association conference to be held at San Diego, California from May 25-29, 2017.

From 2013-2014, Frison set up a large-scale study to investigate the relationships between adolescents' social networking site use and their well-being.

Students filled out paper-and-pencil surveys between six-month periods.

The surveys asked students about their use of social networking sites like Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram, and their well-being (depressive symptoms, life satisfaction, loneliness).

The data analysed revealed that using Instagram at one point was related to increased closeness to friends (perception that they are appreciated and loved by their friends) six months later, which in turn was related to lower levels of depression.

However, the researchers cautioned that if the use of the photo sharing app fails to stimulate the feeling closeness to friends, it could be harmful in the long run.

(With IANS inputs)