Social media presence has come to be a critical part of our modern-day lives. A new research reveals that people who are ignored on Facebook tend to suffer from low-esteem and a sense of exclusion.
These are damning findings which show how critically important Facebook has become for our lives. The social network is no longer a tool to connect with other people, it is an entire virtual world where you need to get spotlight once in a while or you start to feel lone and left out.
A research was recently carried out at the University of Queensland’s School of Psychology in Australia. The researchers sought to see the impact of Facebook feedback on a number of participants.
During the first phase of the experiment, the researchers asked one half of the group of participants to post on Facebook and interact with other users. The other half was asked to simply observe these posts, see the feedback they get and not make any posts themselves. When the researchers later interviewed the participants, they found out that those in second-half scored lower on personal well-being.
In the second phase of the study, participants were again divided into two groups. All the participants were asked to use assigned Facebook accounts to post on others’ statuses. But one of the two groups was set up so that they couldn’t receive any feedback on their Facebook activity.
Later, when both groups were interviewed, those who were set up to receive no feedback revealed that they felt ‘invisible’ and suffered from low self-esteem. In other words, something as seemingly benign as being ignored on a few Facebook posts significantly traumatized their good opinions of themselves. This is an interesting observation and at the same time, a hint at the alarming trends that online social networks are ingraining in our actual lives.
Source: Science Daily
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