Week two

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

Under section 2.1.2 of our textbook (Adler, R.B., & Proctor, R. F. II. 2023) cites existing literature that suggests that roughly 150 relationships is the amount that the average person can sustain. This number, also known as "Dunbar's number" is smaller than the ideal online connections an individual may have. Considering Dunbar's number, I don't think there is an ideal number of connections individuals may have on Facebook or other social. media cites that may improve their mental health. If anything, I agree with the statement in our text that says, "an inner circle of about five core people and an additional layer of 10 to 15 friends" is a good general number. From my experiences, I have found that the quantity of friends- both online and in person- does not matter nearly as much as the quality does.

Adler, R. B., & Proctor, R. F. II. (2023). Interplay: The process of interpersonal communication (16th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Do social networking sites have any responsibility in promoting mental health in their users? If so, how might they go about doing so?

My personal answer is No. Social network sites do not have any responsibility in promoting mental health in their users. People may seek guidance for their mental health on social media through influencers, self-help accounts, or through networking but that is ultimately on the individual and not the platform. Social media platforms are businesses at the end of the day and if they promote the consequences of social media on mental health then they are essentially driving business away. Looking at this from an ethical point of view, it would be easy to say Yes, there should be an obligation by social media sites to promote mental health because there is enough research that addresses the effects of extensive and unhealthy social media use on mental health, especially in teenagers. But once again, the site itself offers the opportunity for self-proclaimed shamans and instagram mental health gurus to offer some type of mental health promotion.