In a recent study, researchers at the University of Glasgow found that heavy use of social media was associated with lower income levels. People in low-income brackets are more prone to develop a social media addiction, according to research published in the journal Social Science & Medicine.
The study looked at the correlation between poverty and social media addiction using data from a long-term survey of more than 3,000 persons in the UK. Researchers discovered that low-income people were likelier to use social media as a distraction and less able to limit their time spent there.
"An addiction to social media has been linked to poor economic conditions. Addiction can develop when poor people use social media as a way to avoid dealing with their actual lives," the psychiatry department's chief physician, Dr. David Grönte, says.
To fully grasp the relationship between poverty and social media addiction, more study into this topic is necessary, as the experts point out.
"This study adds to a growing body of evidence connecting social media use with psychological distress. For people already struggling financially, researchers must learn more about the effects of social media use on their health and happiness ", David Grönte continues.
