The sociocultural approach looks at how environmental and cultural factors may play a role in anxiety disorders. One of the major areas of modern psychological research is on the role of social media in our mental health.  Research seems to indicate a correlation between social media use and anxiety disorders.  This chapter will explore potential explanations for this.

Social media: friend or foe?

It is well accepted by psychologists that higher levels of social media use are correlated with higher levels of anxiety in young adults. Vannucci et al (2017) carried out an online survey on social media use and anxiety symptoms. The sample was made up of  563 young adults from the U.S. (18–22 years-old; 50.2% female; 63.3% Non-Hispanic White). Participants self-reported the amount of time they spent using various social media sites on an average day and responded to anxiety questionnaires. The analysis of the data showed that higher rates of daily social media use were correlated with participants scoring high enough to indicate a potential anxiety disorder.

The first question is - how do we know that it is about the use of social media and not about simply being online?  Could it be that screen time is what is actually leading to higher levels of anxiety? Sanders et al (2019) carried out a longitudinal study of 4013 Australian children aged 10–11 who were assessed every two years over a four-year period. The children kept diaries of the amount of time they spent on screen and classified that time as "passive" (e.g. watching movies), social (social media), educational, or interactive (gaming).  The researchers found that there were moderate negative effects for most of the classification, but higher amounts of screen time for educational purposes was actually correlated with more positive outcomes. Passive screen time was the most detrimental. Their findings suggest that the amount of screen time is not the issue, but rather, the way that children use their screen time.  The study is also a bit problematic as the children were aged 10 - 11 at the beginning of the study and 14 - 15 at the end of the study. It may be that they were too young to show the type of social media usage that it is typical of young adults who show anxiety disorders.

So, why is it that the use of social media specifically is linked to anxiety disorders? Bonnette et al (2019) carried out an online survey of 1314 American adults, aged 18 - 82.  Their findings were that individuals with generalized anxiety disorder showed behaviours that could be classified as "social media addiction."   They had a greater likelihood of comparing themselves to others who are better off than they are, being bothered if unfriended/unfollowed, and being more likely to post under the influence of alcohol. Particularly, the study noted that upward social comparison - that is, comparing oneself to others who are "better off" was significantly linked to GAD.