HispanicBusiness

Is social media like Facebook and Twitter making us lonely? A lot of research has been done on the subject, and it appears how people respond to social media depends on their personality type.

Mike Merrill lives and breathes social media. He's the director of marketing at Reach Local in Plano, Texas.

"I'm responsible for helping our sales people sell our social media service," said Merrill.

Away from work, he's the chairman of the Social Media Club of Dallas.

"Basically bring like minded professionals in the social media space, share best practices," Merrill told CW 33 News.

He's seen it all when it comes to how people use social media and how it makes them feel. He said Facebook and Twitter comes down to what the person signing on makes of it. If you are a social person, then social media is another tool in the tool box.

"If you are already extroverted, you are more likely to have success on these platforms, because you are willing to share on yourself, share content, comment on other people's posts and you are not as reserved," said Merrill.

If you are shy and lonely, Merrill said social media could make you feel worse.

"If you are not as outgoing and willing to share about yourself, yet you see everyone else having a good time, sharing and engaging in the conversation, it can make you feet left out," he said.

Tracy Everbach is an associate professor at UNT, and she said the challenge online is that everyone posts happy and amazing experiences to their social media accounts.

"It can create an illusion that everybody else is out there having a great time and their lives are so wonderful and my life is so horrible, but I think people have to keep reminding themselves that that's not reality, it's created, it's socially constructed," said Everbach.

She said for those who feel lonely online and offline, try using social media to your advantage.

"It's a way that someone who doesn't really feel comfortable interacting in person can connect with other people," said Everbach.