Does Facebook Cause Depression?

The definition of society has undergone some change in the last two decades. Apart from email and instant messages, Facebook, Twitter and other online social networking platforms have stepped in to replace the personal face-to-face interactions that used to make up almost all of social interactions. This comes with the ability to look closely at the life and activities of other people, some of whom you might not even know on a personal level. The normal trend is to portray only the bright side of life and to leave out the conflicts and strife that day to day life is for most people. So what you get to see is a bunch of happy faces in exotic locales doing fun things. When you compare it with your own life, it makes your own struggles seem huge. This is believed to lead to low self esteem and a general resentment against what life has to offer you.

The prevalence of the term Facebook Depression is an indicator as to how widespread this phenomenon is today. Here is a closer look by guest blogger Kristie Lewis at the validity of this alarming development.

Facebook Depression? A Tale of Two Opinions

I never really paid much attention to how social media supposedly affected its users until the issue became impossible to further ignore. After hearing about a rampant wave of young-adult suicides, due in part to cyber-bullying and a new phenomenon called "Facebook Depression," I became extremely concerned for my emotional well-being. Even though I was a healthy, emotionally stable adult, I began to wonder if my social media usage could afflict me without me even being aware. So I set out to learn how Facebook affects the emotional states of its users.

Throughout my quest to uncover a definitive answer, I have encountered two varied opinions. According to some studies, Facebook has no correlation to causing a depressive state in its users. On the other hand, there are other studies that believe it can cause minor to significant depression in its users. For those interested in the debatable linkage between depression and Facebook, let's take a look into the two stances.
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