Social Media Creates Unhappiness by Promoting Materialism

Does your social media feed make you want to scream? Scrolling through an endless stream of shiny, happy people showcasing their new shoes or glamorous adventures leaves us with a nagging sense of inadequacy. An unshakeable urge compels us to show the world that we have cool stuff, too, and we do more than lay on the couch in stained sweatpants. Before you know it, you've clicked on an advertisement in your feed and bought a new coat and bracelet that you don’t need and can’t afford.

In 1995, the rock band Soul Asylum wrote a song called “Misery,” which describes a company that manufactures a cure for the frustration their products cause in the first place. Social media has perfected this dubious scam by creating a sickness called FOMO (fear of missing out) while simultaneously offering a snake oil treatment: Buy more stuff.

Social Media and Materialism

Studies have shown that social media use, especially among younger people, increases materialism—a drive to accumulate and flaunt money and possessions. Such a mindset implies that external goods like Italian sports cars, Cartier watches, or gourmet dining are signs of a person’s status. Materialists gauge their own worth—and the worth of other people—by how much money and bling they’ve acquired, rather than judging internal goods like character. The materialistic mindset fosters attitudes of competition, envy, and greed.

Madonna’s claim that we are living in a material world is backed by convincing data. One survey estimates that 70 percent of people in the United States believe society is too materialistic, yet nearly one quarter admit to buying things they don’t need, and more than 60 percent carry credit card debt. Social media fuels materialism like never before, making it easier than ever to purchase and show off our trinkets to the world.

Of course, the elation you feel as the likes roll in evaporates the moment you see people posting bigger and better things than you have. Suddenly the purchase that made us happy has lost its luster, and we aim to get high on a new thing. Under materialism’s spell, we never wake up long enough to realize we’re not getting anywhere riding the consumerism carousel.

New Study

It's this rampant materialism that makes a new study led by psychologist Dr. Phillip Ozimek at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum in Germany so alarming. More than 1,200 participants who spent an average of two hours on social media per day completed a series of questionnaires designed to assess how materialism on social media is linked to life satisfaction.

The results revealed that social media can lead to a downward spiral of anxiety and unhappiness, especially in those with a materialistic mindset. Materialistic individuals tend to use social media to compare themselves to others, and they run a greater risk of "social media addiction." Social media use was also found to fuel materialistic values, which are associated with increased stress and reduced life satisfaction.

If you believe you’ve fallen into this trap, don’t beat yourself up. Our minds are evolutionarily wired to compare ourselves to others to assess our social standing. Judging how you stack up to others can motivate self-improvement and prompt you to work harder to demonstrate your value to the tribe. Individuals considered to be of great value to the tribe are likely to secure better mating prospects, thereby cementing the tendency to make social comparisons into our biology.

But it is crucial to realize that we no longer live in a world of small hunter-gatherer groups, where you’d be measuring your worth against a couple dozen others at most. We are now comparing ourselves against billions of people with wildly different backgrounds, abilities, and privilege. Comparing yourself to others can have value in certain contexts, but they should be fair comparisons, not apples and oranges. Keeping up with Joneses is stressful enough, let alone the Kardashians.

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Another problem with social media comparisons: We forget how the content in our feed typically shows everyone’s best side—not their shortcomings or failures. Social media paints a skewed picture of reality that is more like a highlight reel than an accurate portrayal of someone’s life. Using everyone else’s shining moments as the yardstick to measure the quality of your life is not an accurate comparison.

We also compare up, never down. Taking time to appreciate the blessings you have in life compared to those who are less fortunate may rescue you from the black hole of materialism. Practicing gratitude reminds us of the treasures we take for granted and inspires us to help others who aren’t as lucky. Many studies show that kindness and charity produce sustained happiness, not the fleeting pleasure that material goods might bring. Other studies have found that self-acceptance helps to buffer against the negative effects of social media.

The advent of social media correlates with a striking increase in mental health problems, particularly in adolescents. We’ve plunged into this wondrous technology, which certainly has positive features, without thinking about its negative elements or long-term effects. Companies managing these sites should recognize the negative impact of their product and work to minimize it. Users should take caution and learn how to engage productively with social media. Restricting social media among children and adolescents, and requiring a class that teaches responsible social media use, would be prudent.