scholarly journals A Study of University Students’ Communication Behavior in Social Media from Theory of Uses and Gratification

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (11) ◽  
pp. 122-132
Author(s):  
Nurwahida Alimuddin ◽  
Ibrahim Latepo

University students have intensively used social media in their daily life. The students use social media for social, education, and interaction purposes. Some studies found that students also use social media for psychological relief benefits such as building happiness through making friends and finding entertainment. However, limited studies have been conducted to find out variables that affect psychological needs in social media use. This study, therefore, aims to find out variables that affect university students' psychological needs in social media use. This study used a quantitative method with a survey approach. Samples were eighty students who were purposively recruited from four faculties. This study shows that information search, social interaction, entertainment, narcissism, and attention seekers behavior have significantly influenced the students' motivation to fulfill psychological needs in social media use. Personal identity-building did not affect the students’ use of social media in fulfilling their psychological needs. The students might be focused on social identity rather than personal identity building. We concluded that social media had become a new source for university students to find psychological relief and well-being.

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (39) ◽  
pp. 50-61
Author(s):  
Alisar Hudimova ◽  
Ihor Popovych ◽  
Vita Baidyk ◽  
Olena Buriak ◽  
Olha Kechyk

Aim. The present study empirically investigates and theoretically substantiates the results of the impact of social media on young web-users’ psychological well-being during the forced self-isolation caused by the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic (N = 254). Materials and methods. Standardized valid psycho-diagnostic methods, the author’s questionnaire (A. Hudimova, 2021), correlation and factor analyses were used to identify young web users’ patterns of social media involvement during the forced self-isolation. Results. The results show that during the global COVID-19 pandemic, young web users give preference for passive social media use rather than for communication. The obtained results showed an expansion in the time spent via social media by young web users. It was found that the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic is accompanied by the participants’ experience of negative emotions and fears of the unknown (r = .204; p <.01). It is substantiated that increasing immersion of young web users in social media is a kind of strategy to escape from bad thoughts (r = .271; p <.01). Significantly, it is stated that uncontrolled use of social media causes sleep disorders during isolation (r = .444; p <.01). Conclusions. The study proves that young people spend almost all day online due to the obsessive pattern of social media involvement and/or procrastination, which often provokes withdrawal syndrome upon the attempt to distract from them. The lack of controlled time spending on social media during self-isolation provokes an exacerbation of anxiety, apathy, depressed mood, and a sense of isolation from social reality. The obtained results provide evidence that the causal relations of passive social media use provoke an exacerbation of feelings of alienation, disrupt the healthy rhythm of sleep, and psychological state of young web-users during the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic.


2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 297-315
Author(s):  
Maria Santos Corrada ◽  
Jose A. Flecha ◽  
Evelyn Lopez

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of social media and its impact on information search, communication with a company, and purchase and re-purchases of products and services. Using use and gratification theory as a starting point, it also examines the impact of satisfaction of use of social media in the process of purchasing and re-purchasing products and services. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was conducted with 444 participants, and the data were analyzed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling technique to observe the effects between the variables of social media use, search information, communication with the company, purchase, re-purchase and satisfaction of use of social media. Findings The results reflect how the use of social media generates significant rewards that significantly impact the search for information and the communication with the company. The data also show how communication with the company has an impact on the purchase and re-purchase of products and services. Finally, it was empirically confirmed that the gratification received by users through social media use impacts satisfaction with social media use. Originality/value The results contribute to how social media impacts alternative evaluations through the gratification of user needs, resulting in motives and behaviors leading to the purchase of goods and services, as established by Use and Gratification Theory. In its contributions to the Academy, Use and Gratification Theory (U&G) explains why individuals use and share information using social media. First, it justifies the purchase and re-purchase of products and services due to user satisfaction according to users’ experience using social media. Second, it presents a vision of how the use of social media is a significantly important result in the gratification of consumer needs.


Author(s):  
Dilek Demirtepe-Saygili

Social media has become a part of people's lives and many psychological processes are suggested to be related with social media use. This chapter examines social media use from a stress and coping perspective. Social media can be a stressor for users with the content of posts they see, with a fear of negative evaluation, as an unhealthy attachment to social media accounts, and as a result of cyberbullying. Social media use can also be a problem-focused coping as a source of information, an emotion-focused coping as a distraction, and a source of social support. Lastly, it can be a predictor or a part of well-being as well as a moderator or mediator between coping and well-being. After elaborating on social media use as a part of the coping process, implications for research and practice are discussed. The key points from a coping viewpoint are specified for users, parents, teachers, and professionals. While problematic use of social media can be part of dysfunctional coping and a worse well-being, healthy use can help individuals deal with stresses and lead to a better well-being.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Boursier ◽  
Francesca Gioia ◽  
Alessandro Musetti ◽  
Adriano Schimmenti

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prompted people to face a distressing and unexpected situation. Uncertainty and social distancing changed people's behaviors, impacting on their feelings, daily habits, and social relationships, which are core elements in human well-being. In particular, restrictions due to the quarantine increased feelings of loneliness and anxiety. Within this context, the use of digital technologies has been recommended to relieve stress and anxiety and to decrease loneliness, even though the overall effects of social media consumption during pandemics still need to be carefully addressed. In this regard, social media use evidence risk and opportunities. In fact, according to a compensatory model of Internet-related activities, the online environment may be used to alleviate negative feelings caused by distressing life circumstances, despite potentially leading to negative outcomes. The present study examined whether individuals who were experiencing high levels of loneliness during the forced isolation for COVID-19 pandemic were more prone to feel anxious, and whether their sense of loneliness prompted excessive social media use. Moreover, the potentially mediating effect of excessive social media use in the relationship between perceived loneliness and anxiety was tested. A sample of 715 adults (71.5% women) aged between 18 and 72 years old took part in an online survey during the period of lockdown in Italy. The survey included self-report measures to assess perceived sense of loneliness, excessive use of social media, and anxiety. Participants reported that they spent more hours/day on social media during the pandemic than before the pandemic. We found evidence that perceived feelings of loneliness predicted both excessive social media use and anxiety, with excessive social media use also increasing anxiety levels. These findings suggest that isolation probably reinforced the individuals' sense of loneliness, strengthening the need to be part of virtual communities. However, the facilitated and prolonged access to social media during the COVID-19 pandemic risked to further increase anxiety, generating a vicious cycle that in some cases may require clinical attention.


The world was faced the extensive spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus. The COVID-19 crisis is a crisis of both physical and mental health. Proper mental health is crucial to the functioning of society at all times in every country and should be a priority and at the center of response and recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental health and well-being - the well-being of society as a whole - have been severely compromised during the pandemic and are a priority for urgent consideration. In the qarantine period, the social media were important sourses of information. The aim of this study was to fi nd out the relation between social media use and stress together with anxiety during this pandemic of COVID-19. We are looking for trends of social media use and infl uence that on behavioral and mental disorders. This study was conducted with the help of an online based survey of individuals from a fi rst wave and during a second wave of pandemic in Ukraine. It was conducted to understand the relationship between social media and stress during the Covid-19 pandemic and to see dynamics of change. A total of 199 participants of the fi rst test period and 152 participants of a second test period responded to the survey which was conducted by snowballing sampling techniques in the convenient atmosphere. We applied two validated, self-reporting questionnaires namely Perceived Stress Scale and test of Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7. When period of use of social media had increased during the pandemic, it led to an increase in the perception and dissemination of false information (fakes) that negative aff ected psychological well-being. Negative aspects of the use of social networks can aff ect the level of anxiety and stress of the population of our country. Among the respondents, 120 (34.2%) think that their mental health and wellbeing was being deteriorated during this period of pandemic. Total percentage 51.0% of the participants were suff ering from mild anxiety, 11.1% from moderate anxiety and 6.3% from severe anxiety The dissemination of false information in the context of increased search time has all the prerequisites for increasing the risk of deteriorating mental health in our country during a pandemic.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Saiful Islam ◽  
Md. Safaet Hossain Sujan ◽  
Rafia Tasnim ◽  
Rashenda Aziz Mohona ◽  
Most. Zannatul Ferdous ◽  
...  

Background: Smartphone and social media use are an integral part of our daily life. Currently, the impact of excessive smartphone and social media use during the COVID-19 pandemic is poorly understood. The present study aimed to investigate problematic smartphone use (PSPU) and problematic social media use (PSMU) among Bangladeshi college and university students during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out involving 5,511 Bangladeshi college and university students (male: 58.9%; mean age: 21.2 years [SD = 1.7]; age range: 18–25) during the social-distancing in the COVID-19 pandemic (July 2020). A self-reported survey containing questions regarding socio-demographic, lifestyle, and home quarantine activities along with four psychometric scales was completed by participants.Results: The mean scores of PSPU and PSMU were 20.8 ± 6.8 (out of 36) and 14.7 ± 4.8 (out of 30). Based on a hierarchical regression analysis, PSPU and PSMU were positively associated with lower age, poor sleep, social media use, watching television, anxiety, and depression. Additionally, PSMU was linked to being female, living with nuclear family, having urban residence, irregular physical exercise, poor engagement with academic studies, and avoiding earning activities, whilst being male, being married, living with lower-income family, and alcohol consumption were linked to PSMU.Conclusions: The findings indicate that PSPU and PSMU were linked to poor psychological well-being (i.e., anxiety and depression) and other factors (especially lower age, poor sleep) during the pandemic, further suggesting the need for interventions including virtual awareness programs among college and university students.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. e031105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viktor Schønning ◽  
Leif Edvard Aarø ◽  
Jens Christoffer Skogen

IntroductionThe use of social media has risen steadily since its introduction in the early 2000s, and today there are between 2 and 3 billion users worldwide. Research on the link between use of social media and mental health has resulted in a vast number of studies covering diverse aspects of the link between them. The existing body of knowledge on use of social media, and mental health and well-being among adolescents is complex and difficult to follow. In this paper, we present a protocol for a scoping review to systematically identify and summarise the central research foci and knowledge gaps in the research field of social media use, and mental health and well-being among adolescents.Methods and analysisThe current scoping review will adhere to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews. The first step is to search relevant databases for eligible studies. Relevant databases are CINAHL, Ovid Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts, Sociological Services Abstracts, ERIC, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CRD (Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects), NHS EED, HTA and Epistemonikos. Next, two reviewers from the research team will independently screen the identified studies for eligibility. Data extraction and data synthesis will be performed and result in summarised themes based on the findings.Ethics and disseminationA scoping review can be described as a method of gaining an overview and understanding of a research area, with its strengths and weaknesses, and as it involves peer-reviewed and published articles, a scoping review does not require ethical approval. We expect that the results from the current scoping review will produce a consolidated overview of existing studies and research gaps, and gather this knowledge into a coherent review. The results will be disseminated through relevant journals and conferences.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Alexandra Gadd

<p>The technological capabilities and popularity of social media applications such Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are rapidly increasing with technological advances. More individuals are using these applications to communicate with friends and family, share photos, and to post reviews of products and services. Social media use is also important within business environments to enhance marketing and communication processes. Organisations need to adopt these applications to remain relevant within the rapidly growing social media landscape.  Despite their importance for local populations, community events in general, and their use of social media, have received little academic attention. Community events play a key role towards fostering local identity and culture, supporting the local well-being and the economy, and promoting social interactions. Through adopting social media, community events can reach a wider audience to increase event attendance, communicate with event organizers and volunteers, and conduct research to better understand their event attendees.  This thesis applies the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) adoption theories of Rogers’ (1995) Adoption and Diffusion of Innovation Theory, and Davis’ (1986) Technology Acceptance Model to the context of community events to understand social media use. Community events exhibit characteristics that differentiate their managerial and organisational processes from many businesses where ICT adoption theories have been applied.  Two research objectives are explored: 1) Assessing the level of ‘best practice’ use of social media by community event organisers, 2) Determining the influence of the ICT adoption variables on social media use by community events. Through exploratory interviews with event experts, a definition of ‘community events’ was established, and additional factors that may influence community events use of social media were identified. Data to address the research objectives was collected from two sources. First, 114 community event organisers within New Zealand completed an online-survey to understand ICT adoption characteristics that support their social media use. Second, a social media best practice framework was developed to validate social application use rather than relying on organisers ‘self-appraisal’ of use. Using the framework, a systematic analysis of the events’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages was conducted. The ICT adoption characteristics by respondents were correlated with their social media best practice results through linear regression. A positive relationship was shown between adoption variables and social media use.  The findings aligned with existing ICT adoption research. The results showed events that exhibit the ICT adoption variables more positively presented a higher best practice score of social media. However, despite the positive relationship exhibited, community event respondents, overall, had only low to satisfactory use of social media. The best practice social media use was influenced by the difference between community events and competitive businesses. For example, community events often have limited resources due to their reliance on donations, grants and volunteer support. Structured business processes and strategy are not formalised due to their non-profitable or non-competitive motives. In addition, the timing of community event delivery affect staff availability and task completion. This influenced challenges towards successfully adopting and using social media to support community events.  This thesis identifies the importance of validating applications use when applying ICT adoption theories to research. The social media best practice framework developed provides preliminary measures to understand social media usage which could be applied to different business environments. Further understanding of community event’s resource availability, staffing and recruitment processes and timing will enable a greater understanding of factors that can influence adoption of systems in less traditional contexts. Findings and recommendations provided within this thesis will support community events use of social media. This ensures community events are relevant and obtain the benefits of being present within the growing social media environment.</p>


Author(s):  
Alisar Hudimova

Social media are an indispensable modern adolescents’ daily ritual. The present study investigates the specifics of social media influence on the adolescents’ psychological wellbeing in everyday life and during Covid-19. The research hypothesis stated that excessive social media use could provide loneliness, depression, and lack of sleep. The investigation is based on data received from interviews, questionnaires, and statistical analysis. A group of 516 psychology and medical students (78.8% females, 21.2% males) aged 15-21 took part in the study via Google Form survey conducted in Odesa I.I. Mechnikov National University, Ukraine. The participants’ overall well-being, loneliness, level of stress were assessed in correlation with personality characteristics and tendency to social media disorder. The obtained results showed that the more time adolescents spend on social media, the more real-life relationships decrease due to online isolation in social terms. The predictors of social media disorder are difficulties in relationships with family, time spent on social media and psycho-emotional background. It is determined that the social media use creates the illusion of participation and importance for a large circle of people. The study provides evidence that the unsatisfactory level of modern adolescents’ well-being can be explained by the passive use of social media, which provokes emotional lability, irritability, depression, and sleep deprivation.


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