A systematic review of research into the dark side of social media use has identified 46 harmful effects.
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A systematic review of research into the dark side of social media use has identified 46 harmful effects, ranging from physical and mental health problems to negative impacts on job and academic performance, as well as security and privacy issues.
Social media networks such as are used by more than 3.6 billion people worldwide. Greater awareness of the potential dangers can encourage user moderation, and help software engineers, educators and policymakers develop ways to minimise negative effects.
“Social media harms have mostly been studied from a psychopathological perspective. They have received less attention from information systems researchers,” says Dr Eila Erfani, Deputy Head of the School of Information, Systems and Modelling.
“Information systems looks at the impact of technology on people and organisations in order to better meet their needs. Identifying and understanding how to reduce adverse outcomes from social media use is part of that challenge.
“The has recognised the need for further research on information technology addiction and the need to develop strategies for preventing and treating this problem,” she says.
Social media harms have mostly been studied from a psychopathological perspective. They have received less attention from information systems researchers.
Their study, _The Dark Side of Using Online Social Networks: A Review of Individuals’ Negative Experiences_, was recently published in the .
“Much of the research on social network use has focused on its benefits and potential, but we were interested in comprehensively identifying the negative impacts that have been associated with social media use,” says Ms Boroon.
“We reviewed more than 50 research articles published between 2003 and 2018. Some of the most common negative impacts included psychological harms such as jealousy, loneliness, anxiety and reduced self-esteem, as well as things like exposure to malicious software and phishing risks.”
The researchers grouped the negative effects into six themes:
Cost of social exchange: includes both psychological harms, such as depression, anxiety or jealousy, and other costs such as wasted time, energy and money Annoying content: includes a wide range of content that annoys, upsets or irritates, such as disturbing or violent content or sexual or obscene content Privacy concerns: includes any threats to personal privacy related to storing, repurposing or sharing personal information with third parties Security threats: refers to harms from fraud or deception such as phishing or social engineering Cyberbullying: includes any abuse or harassment by groups or individuals such as abusive messages, lying, stalking or spreading rumours Low performance: refers to negative impact on job or academic performance.
Ms Boroon is currently investigating factors that influence social media addiction and the strategies people use to regulate their behaviour. The next step will be to develop and test applications, design features and other solutions that can reduce these negative effect
FAQ
What negative effects does social media cause?
Research groups harms into six themes: psychological costs (depression, anxiety, jealousy), annoying content, privacy concerns, security threats (phishing, fraud), cyberbullying, and reduced job or academic performance.
How many harmful effects were identified in the review?
The systematic review identified 46 distinct harmful effects associated with social media use across physical, mental, security, privacy, and performance domains.
How can users reduce social media harms?
Users can moderate use, enable privacy settings, be wary of suspicious links, limit exposure to triggering content, and adopt self-regulation strategies and apps designed to reduce addictive behaviors.
Who should develop solutions to these harms?
Software engineers, information systems researchers, educators, and policymakers all play roles in designing features, interventions, and policies to mitigate social media harms.
