In a new study published in Public Health Reports, “Closeness of Social Media Contacts and Loneliness Among US Adults: A Nationally Representative Study,” researchers from Oregon State University examine the association between real-life closeness of social media contacts and loneliness among adults.

Researchers found that having more social media interactions with relative strangers was linked to increased loneliness, although having more social media contacts who were close personal friends was not linked to reduced loneliness. In fact, the study found a linear relationship between loneliness and those participants who had more contacts they had never met in person. Participants with the highest proportion of never-met-in-person contacts were more than twice as likely to report loneliness compared to those with the lowest proportion of these contacts.

The authors emphasize that people experiencing loneliness may benefit from critically examining their interactions with strangers on social media and prioritizing in-person connections over social media. The study calls for future research to examine the directionality of the relationship between stranger contacts and loneliness, and to explore nuanced factors such as platform type, reasons for connection, and expectations of emotional support.

The findings indicate public health interventions addressing loneliness and social media use might encourage a reduction in interactions with never-met-in-person contacts while supporting efforts to strengthen real-life social connections.