Social media has exploded over the past decade and has become an essential way of staying informed and connected to others on a global level. Many of your friends, family members, and business contacts thrive within this platform due to its accessibility and range to reach others.  Facebook’s statistics alone show 12% of our global population are users.

As it grows, the dangers of social media are becoming more apparent.

Maybe it’s obvious that social media is so popular because it can give a person the opportunity to be at the center of their own (digital) universe. It creates a safe place to be self-centered, self-expressive, and self-absorbed in any aspect of your life.

In addition, there’s a “wall” to hide behind as you post or share your true thoughts and opinions without the anxiety of being face to face. You can say whatever you want without a need to consider someone else’s feelings.

But social media is also meeting our need for connection in new ways.

Could social media possibly provide psychological benefits and improved social functioning?

A recent study by Deters and Mehl studied the status updates of just over 200 students at Arizona University over a short period of 7 days. Although the researchers admit there is a need for future long term studies to determine affects in personality traits, the findings were intriguing.

It appears that simply sharing experiences via status updates helped to reduce the sensation of loneliness and improved social functioning. Direct feedback (i.e. likes and comments) was not a necessary condition. The simple act of posting status updates provided the person with a sense of being connected to others, assuming they would read about their lives.

So what does this mean for us?

We live among a force of over 70 million Generation Y-ers (ages 16-27) who view interacting through social media as a “normal” way of staying connected with others. And the reality is, this norm may not have as many negative effects as we might assume. It could be that it’s nothing more than a different way of connecting.

It makes me wonder: is physical connection a thing of the past?

Porsha Williams, LAMFT

Pwilliams@ GROWcounseling.com