Story highlights 1,787 people 19 to 32 were asked about their social media habits

The question is, what causes what?

(CNN) One of the most deeply felt ironies of social media is that it is kind of a lie. The person we pretend to be is disconnected from the person that is; the bustling lives of others we like and scroll through are nothing more than curated alternate realities masking flaws and banalities barely different than our own.

We don't need a study to know that, but new research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine reveals a deeper layer: For young people, social media might not even be that social at all.

The study, put together by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh , reveals that increased social media use is linked to higher levels of perceived social isolation.

The researchers asked 1,787 participants ages 19 to 32 about their social media habits and how they feel about their places in the world. They gauged their agreement with statements like "I feel that people barely know me" or "I feel that people are around me but not with me." There were some limitations, too: Participants self-reported their social media use, so responses were subject to memory and other biases. The results can't be generalized to other age ranges, either.

Still, it turns out, participants with high usage of platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Reddit also perceived themselves to be more socially isolated.

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