Many of us are guilty of doomscrolling, endlessly scrolling through short-form videos or social media posts. Often, we spend more time than we intend on social media. This is because these platforms are designed to maximise user engagement. Social media algorithms show us content that will grab our attention and encourage engagement through likes, comments, and shares.1 On average, internet users spend around seven hours per week on social media.2

Social media can make us feel good, connect us to others, and allow us to learn new things. But we can also feel worse about ourselves because of the idealised content others share. How social media affects our self-esteem depends on several things, including our base self-esteem, our tendency to compare ourselves to others, and whether we are active or passive on social media.

Receiving likes on our social media posts can make us happy and give us a self-esteem boost.3,4 Sociometer theory explains that we are sensitive to social feedback from others because it was necessary to understand our social standing within a group in our evolutionary history.5 When we feel accepted by others, we experience higher self-esteem because our social standing is secure.

Posting on social media can make us feel connected to others and increase our self-esteem, but the effects are temporary.6 Also,........

© Psychology Today