Oversharing Online

Do different social networking sites offer different benefits and drawbacks?

Different social networking sites definitely offer different advantages. For example, snapchat offers more personal connections with individualized pictures and chat options, but it is also much harder to find and add friends. Whereas on sites like facebook or instagram, it is easy to find friend's accounts but the content posted on these sites is much less personal as it goes to a wider audience.

Is there an ideal number of “friends” or connections individuals have on Facebook that can improve their mental health?

In my opinion, no. Facebook can be a good tool to connect with friends you have lost contact with or get general updates on people's lives but it is not a great way to make real, deep connections. In my experience, facebook posts are often photos with little context or clickbait pictures, neither of which foster genuine human connection between users. These superficial connections can be nice but they are not the way to gain happiness or improve your mental health.

What factors might influence whether Facebook has negative influences, like links with depression, versus positive influences, such as boosts in self-esteem?

The main factor of the influence which facebook has is the content posted. If users post genuine and positive content such as cute pictures of their pets or inspirational pictures meant to uplift others, then these posts could help boost their followers happiness and self-esteem. On the other hand, it is very easy to post content which could harm others self-esteem or link to depression. Heavily edited photos that seem to display an unattainable body image, an extravagant trip, or just generally glorify the users life can make followers feel inferior and insecure in their own posts. Generally, most people post their best photos online, not the ones that show an accurate representation of daily life. This is important to remember before comparing your own content to others.