Unhappy Facebook browsing creates a self-reinforcing cycle that deepens depression

Evidence

A three-phase investigation in 2014 found that spending a lot of time browsing profiles on Facebook produced a negative mood immediately afterward. Then, upon reflection, those users felt worse, reckoning that they had wasted their time. Instead of walking away, they typically chose to spend even more time browsing the network in the hope of feeling better, chasing the dream of a sudden and magical reversal of fortune that would justify past suffering. This cycle not only leads to more social comparison and more envy, but it can also predict depressive symptoms. — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 1477

Categorization

• XREF: The doomed ‘browse more to feel better’ loop parallels the engagement-optimizing design logic that surveillance capitalism built into the platform. — connects to: More social media connections can worsen users’ emotional states through comparison loops — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 1473; Active Facebook interaction correlates measurably with diminished mental health — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 1480; Viewing others’ highlight reels on Facebook measurably degraded users’ mood and sense of meaning — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 1012 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Viewing others’ highlight reels on Facebook measurably degraded users’ mood and sense of meaning #corroborates (0.90) — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 1012
• Facebook exposure drives social comparison and envy on an unprecedented scale #corroborates (0.85) — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 1476
• Social media’s engineered feedback loops convert normal social comparison into compulsive anxiety #expands (0.82) — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 1485
• Social comparison is the dominant psychological process in the Facebook experience. #corroborates (0.80) — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 1470
• Active Facebook interaction correlates measurably with diminished mental health #corroborates (0.75) — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 1480