New Delhi: How often you post on Instagram, the words you use, and even your profile picture could offer clues about how lonely you feel, according to a study by researchers at the University of California San Diego.
The study, published in npj Mental Health Research on 6 November, analysed the Instagram activity of 415 American college students and found that different forms of loneliness were associated with distinct online behaviours.
Researchers found that Instagram activity was moderately useful in predicting how lonely participants felt, although it was less effective in determining how many friends and family members they could rely on in real life.
“Instagram really reflects how lonely people feel, but not necessarily how many people they can turn to in real life,” lead author Sherry (Yueyi) Jiang told Newswise.
Different types of loneliness
The researchers distinguished between two forms of loneliness: emotional and social.
Emotional loneliness refers to the absence of close, meaningful relationships, even when someone is surrounded by other people. Social loneliness, meanwhile, involves feeling disconnected from a wider circle of friends or a community.
The study found that participants reporting greater emotional loneliness tended to post more frequently between 11 pm and 5 am, use more negative language in their captions, and have sadder or angrier facial expressions in their profile pictures.
They also made more references to family and friends, potentially reflecting a desire for closer relationships.
Those experiencing social loneliness showed different patterns. They were less likely to like or comment on other people’s posts, posted less frequently on weekends, and used fewer words expressing care or appreciation.
Across both groups, researchers found that participants reporting greater loneliness tended to share fewer photographs featuring human faces and use more past-focused language, including words such as ‘was’ and ‘had’.
“Loneliness isn’t a one-size-fits-all experience, and neither are the solutions,” said Piotr Winkielman, a psychology professor at UC San Diego.
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What researchers analysed
The researchers examined Instagram archives voluntarily shared by participants, including photographs, captions, comments, likes and other interactions.
More than 60 per cent of participants had private accounts, allowing researchers to examine activity that would ordinarily be inaccessible to the public.
Using machine learning, the researchers compared these digital records with participants’ responses to established questionnaires measuring loneliness and their real-life social connections.
“What’s remarkable is that we can identify patterns associated with something as personal and difficult to observe as loneliness,” Jiang said.
Could social media help detect loneliness?
The researchers suggested that similar techniques could eventually help identify people experiencing loneliness and enable earlier mental health support.
“What if your Instagram account could suggest it’s time to talk to someone?” Winkielman asked.
However, the findings do not establish whether Instagram use contributes to loneliness or whether people experiencing loneliness simply behave differently online.
The sample was also limited to college students, predominantly women and largely Asian or Caucasian, making it difficult to generalise the findings to other populations.
(Edited by Maryam Hassan)