An Investigation of the Effects of Social Media Browsing on Leisure Solitude in Emerging Adults

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thuy-vy Thi Nguyen

This exploratory study investigated the effect of social media use on emerging adults’ experiences with leisure solitude – periods of free time spent alone. First, one 14-day diary study (n = 109) was conducted to explore the effects of leisure solitude on daily affects and self-experiences and whether social media added any additional benefits or detriments. Then, two experimental studies (Study 2: n = 146; Study 3: n = 249) were conducted to home in on the effects of social media on lab-facilitated leisure solitude. Results across 3 studies revealed little evidence that social media interfered with the regulatory benefits of leisure solitude. Specifically, spending time in leisure solitude lowered arousal levels and increased calmness and relaxation at the end of the day and after just 15 minutes of it in the lab, and this effect was found despite whether participants engaged in social media or not. One interesting finding emerged: browsing on social media created feelings of inauthenticity in solitude. This finding was discussed in connection with the theory of emerging adulthood, which shed light on how emerging adults make sense of the uncertainty experienced in online space.

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 364-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine McCauley Ohannessian ◽  
Anna Vannucci ◽  
Kaitlin M. Flannery ◽  
Sarosh Khan

This study examined the relationship between daily time spent using social media and substance use in a national sample of 563 emerging adults from the United States (18- to 22-year-olds, 50% female, 63% non-Hispanic White). Results revealed that males reported more social media use and more substance use in comparison to females. In addition, greater daily social media use was related to more alcohol consumption, more problematic alcohol use, and more frequent drug use. A significant gender × social media use interaction was also observed for drug use, revealing that greater daily social media use was significantly related to more frequent drug use for females but not for males. Results from this study emphasize the importance of considering different types of social media in relation to substance use and abuse during emerging adulthood and the need to examine these relations by gender.


2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-207
Author(s):  
Abigail Hernandez ◽  
Holly M. Chalk

The present study sought to clarify contradictory literature about the relationship between social media use and life satisfaction by using data from the Emerging Adulthood Measured Across Multiple Institutions 2 (EAMMI2) collaboration. This study examined emerging adults’ frequency of social media use for various reasons, and the relation to life satisfaction, narcissism, and interpersonal exploitativeness. As expected, life satisfaction was associated with social media use for maintaining connections but not for gaining information or creating new connections. Narcissism and exploitativeness were associated with greater social media use across all reasons. Life satisfaction correlated negatively with exploitativeness. Post hoc analyses revealed that life satisfaction was highest in participants whose primary reason for social media use was maintaining connections. This study added to existing literature by suggesting that reasons for social media, specifically using social media to maintain existing relationships, are relevant to predicting life satisfaction in relation to social media use.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 128-143
Author(s):  
Hilary Holmes ◽  
Alba E. Lara ◽  
Gregory S. Brown

Background: Social media is a relatively new and impactful way to connect millions of people around the world. The intersection of mental health and social media is a poorly studied, yet important area of research. Specifically, with regard to college-aged youth, social media can potentially offer an educational tool to enhance mental health awareness or augment treatment when it is used for professional purposes by mental health advocates or healthcare professionals. There is also the added risk of disinformation, cyberbullying, and privacy breaches. Objective: This review aims to assess the current state of social media use and its influence on mental health, especially in college-age youth. Methods: The authors of this paper utilized PubMed and Medline databases to review the most recent experimental studies and literature reviews available on the topic of mental health and social media. Results: Abstracts and relevant papers were read in full, and information from these studies was cited accordingly. Conclusion: The authors conclude that although more research needs to be conducted, social media may offer benefits for mental health awareness, education, and treatment, specifically in populations such as college-age youth.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 205630512110353
Author(s):  
Diamantis Petropoulos Petalas ◽  
Elly A. Konijn ◽  
Benjamin K. Johnson ◽  
Jolanda Veldhuis ◽  
Nadia A. J. D. Bij de Vaate ◽  
...  

On a daily basis, individuals between 12 and 25 years of age engage with their mobile devices for many hours. Social Media Use (SMU) has important implications for the social life of younger individuals in particular. However, measuring SMU and its effects often poses challenges to researchers. In this exploratory study, we focus on some of these challenges, by addressing how plurality in the measurement and age-specific characteristics of SMU can influence its relationship with measures of subjective mental health (MH). We conducted a survey among a nationally representative sample of Dutch adolescents and young adults ( N = 3,669). Using these data, we show that measures of SMU show little similarity with each other, and that age-group differences underlie SMU. Similar to the small associations previously shown in social media-effects research, we also find some evidence that greater SMU associates to drops and to increases in MH. Albeit nuanced, associations between SMU and MH were found to be characterized by both linear and quadratic functions. These findings bear implications for the level of association between different measures of SMU and its theorized relationship with other dependent variables of interest in media-effects research.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thabo J van Woudenberg ◽  
Roy Hendrikx ◽  
Moniek Buijzen ◽  
Julia CM van Weert ◽  
Bas van den Putte ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Although emerging adults play a role in the spread of COVID-19, they are less likely to develop severe symptoms after infection. Emerging adults’ relatively high use of social media as source of information raises concerns regarding COVID-19 related behavioral compliance (i.e., physical distancing) in this age group. OBJECTIVE Therefore, the current study investigated physical distancing in emerging adults in comparison to older adults and looked at the role of using social media for COVID-19 news and information in this regard. In addition, this study explored the relation between physical distancing and different social media platforms and sources. METHODS Secondary data of a large-scale national longitudinal survey (N = 123,848, 34.% male) between April and November 2020 were used. Participants indicated, ranging for one to eight waves, how often they were successful in keeping 1.5 meters distance on a 7-point Likert scale. Participants between 18 and 24 years old were considered young adults and older participants were identified as older adults. Also, a dummy variable was created to indicate per wave whether participants used social media for COVID-19 news and information. A subset received follow-up questions asking participants to indicate which platforms they have used and what sources of news and information they had seen on social media. All preregistered hypotheses were tested with Linear Mixed-Effects Models and Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models. RESULTS Emerging adults reported less physical distancing behaviors than older adults (b = -.08, t(86213.83) = -26.79, p < .001). Also, emerging adults were more likely to use social media for COVID-19 news and information (b = 2.48, SE = .11, Wald = 23.66, p = <.001), which mediated the association with physical distancing, but only to a small extend (indirect effect: b = -0.03, 95% CI = [-0.04; -0.02]). Opposed to our hypothesis, the longitudinal Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model showed no evidence that physical distancing was predicted by social media use of the previous wave. However, we did find evidence that using social media affected subsequent physical distancing behavior. Moreover, additional analyses showed that most social media platforms (i.e., YouTube, Facebook and Instagram) and interpersonal communication showed negative associations with physical distancing while others platforms (i.e. LinkedIn and Twitter) and Governmental messages showed no to a slightly positive associations with physical distancing. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, we should be vigilant for physical distancing of emerging adults, but this study give no reason the to worry about the role of social media for COVID-19 news and information. However, as some social media platforms and sources showed negative associations, future studies should more carefully look into these factors to better understand the associations between social media use for news and information, and behavioral interventions in times of crisis.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Robyn Vanherle ◽  
Sebastian Kurten ◽  
Robin Achterhof ◽  
Inez Myin-Germeys ◽  
Kathleen Beullens

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 228-237
Author(s):  
Lauren Larson

In the 21st century, use of online communication has skyrocketed, and this is particularly true for young people who have grown up in the age of the smartphone. In the world of online communication, adolescents and young adults especially seem to gravitate toward social media. The present study examined a mediational model wherein social media use in emerging adults predicts social media addiction through altered social behaviors, including face-to-face interactions, communication apprehension, and social skill deficits. More than 100 undergraduate students reported on their social media use and social behaviors via an online questionnaire. Contrary to expectations, social media use was only significantly correlated with social skills deficits, r(108) = .204, p = .017, and social media addiction, r(108) = .495, p < .001. Face-to-face interactions, communication apprehension, and social skills deficits did not function as mediators of the relationship between social media use and addiction and had no significant correlations with social media addiction. A modified mediation model is proposed, wherein impoverished face-to-face behavior and communication apprehension predict social skills deficits and those deficits predict social media addiction only when social media use is high.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document