A Panel Study on the Effects of Social Media Use and Internet Connectedness on Academic Performance and Social Support

Author(s):  
Louis Leung

Using a longitudinal panel study approach, this research examined the effects of social media use and internet connectedness on academic performance and on perceived social support. Results showed that, after controlling demographics and overall grades at Time 1, individual-level change in overall grades over the year that followed was attributable to Facebook, blogs, and online game use but not to internet connectedness. Results suggest that heavy Facebook use has a positive effect on overall grades, while heavy use of blogs and online games leads to grade impairment. In the case of academic competence and perceived social support, individual-level change over the year that followed was only attributable to Facebook use. Implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.

Author(s):  
Louis Leung

Using a longitudinal panel study approach, this research examined the effects of social media use and internet connectedness on academic performance and on perceived social support. Results showed that, after controlling demographics and overall grades at Time 1, individual-level change in overall grades over the year that followed was attributable to Facebook, blogs, and online game use but not to internet connectedness. Results suggest that heavy Facebook use has a positive effect on overall grades, while heavy use of blogs and online games leads to grade impairment. In the case of academic competence and perceived social support, individual-level change over the year that followed was only attributable to Facebook use. Implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.


Author(s):  
Hyunjin Seo ◽  
Ren-Whei Harn ◽  
Husain Ebrahim ◽  
José Aldana

Based on a survey of international students enrolled in a U.S. university, this study examines how social media use is associated with perceived social support and adjustment when demographic and social psychological characteristics are controlled for. Our research shows that level of social media use is positively associated with level of perceived social adjustment but not with level of perceived social support. International students don’t feel comfortable discussing their distress via social media due to complex cultural internetworking present in the online networking sphere. The results of this study indicate that in studying this topic we should take into account both common challenges in getting social support online and special circumstances facing international students. The current study offers scholarly and policy implications for providing relevant social, academic, and professional resources to international students in the United States — a group that has significantly grown in numbers in the past decade.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 321-321
Author(s):  
Kunyu Zhang ◽  
Jeffrey Burr ◽  
Kyungmin Kim ◽  
Nina Silverstein ◽  
Qian Song

Abstract Loneliness is a risk factor for poor quality of life among older adults. Social media use provides a new dimension of communication for older adults to connect with people and to maintain social relationships. However, research has been inconclusive about whether social media use reduces loneliness among older adults, which is due in part to a lack of appropriate measures for capturing different types of social media use. Furthermore, little is known about the underlying mechanisms through which social media use is associated with loneliness. This study investigates the association between social media communication with close social ties and loneliness among community-dwelling older adults (65+), and further examines the mediating role of social contact and social support in the association. Data from the 2014 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) are analyzed to address our research questions (N = 4,184). Path analyses are employed to examine the relationships among social media communication with close social ties (i.e., children, family, and friends), frequency of contact with social ties (i.e., phone, in-person contact, write/email), perceived social support from social ties, and loneliness (R-UCLA loneliness scale). The results show that a higher level of social media communication is associated with lower levels of loneliness through social contact and perceived social support. Moreover, the relationship between social media communication and perceived social support is partially mediated by social contact. These findings suggest that social media communication may be considered an intervention that may reduce loneliness among older people.


2018 ◽  
Vol 168 (1) ◽  
pp. 122-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Archer ◽  
Kai-Ti Kao

Many mothers can find themselves increasingly isolated and overwhelmed after giving birth to a new baby. This period can be a source of extreme stress, anxiety and depression, which can not only have an economic impact on national health services, but can also have long-term effects on the development of the child. At the same time, social media use among most new mothers has become ubiquitous. This research investigates the role of social media, potentially as a mechanism for social support, among Australian mothers of young children aged from birth to 4 years. The findings indicate that participants had mixed responses to their social media use. While social support was deemed a benefit, there were also some negative aspects to social media use identified. The findings highlight the need to critically interrogate social media’s ability to act as a source of social support for new mothers.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Schumann ◽  
Diana Boer ◽  
Katja Hanke ◽  
James H Liu

Vote shares for populist radical right parties (PRRPs) have increased considerably in recent years, and this advancement of PRRPs has been attributed in part to social media. We assess the affinity between social media and populist radical right parties by examining whether more frequent social media use for news enhances the willingness to vote for a PRRP (exposure effect) as well as whether individuals who have voted for a PRRP in the past use social media more frequently to access news (selection effect). To address these research questions, we analysed data of a two-wave survey study that was conducted in Germany, focusing on the party Alternative for Germany (AfD). Binary logistic regression highlighted that social media use increased the likelihood of supporting the AfD. Pre-registered multinominal analyses, however, showed that this effect was driven by specific party comparisons. That is, using the AfD as a reference category, social media use reduced intentions to vote for parties that expressed similar positions as the AfD on the issue of immigration and with which the PRRP competes over votes. Social media selection effects were not supported.


Author(s):  
Neete Saha ◽  
Aryn C. Karpinski

Numerous studies have investigated the impact of socialization agents (social media) on domestic university students' academic performance and psychological well-being, while the influence of these agents on the increasing population of international students at universities in the United States (US) remains understudied. The current study examined international students' (N = 331) global satisfaction with life as a mediator in the relationship between general social media use (and Skype™ use) and academic performance. The results indicated that both mediation models were supported. Social media and Skype™ use were positively predictive of satisfaction with life, and there was a positive relationship between satisfaction with life and academic performance. These findings have implications for university staff and administrators who need to be aware of the positive influence social media use has on international students' perceptions of their experiences, which in turn can positively impact their academic performance.


Author(s):  
Md. Aminul Islam ◽  
Bezon Kumar

This paper mainly explores how real-life social network and social media use are related to loneliness among university students in Bangladesh. To carry out this paper, primary data and several methods are used. This paper uses Lubben Social Network Scale and UCLA loneliness scale to measure the level of real life social network and loneliness, respectively. Besides Pearson's partial correlation matrix is used to find out the correlation between social network, social media use, and loneliness. The study finds that students are averagely engaged in real-life social network and moderately lonely. The study also finds a significantly positive relationship between social media (Facebook) use and loneliness, and a significantly negative relationship between real life social network and loneliness. This paper calls for the students to be careful in using social media and be engaged more in real life social network to avoid loneliness.


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