scholarly journals Are online behaviors damaging our in-person connections? Passive versus active social media use on romantic relationships

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Selena I. Quiroz ◽  
Kristin D. Mickelson
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Relationship Satisfaction ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Relationship Health

Social media has been extensively researched, and its impact on well-being is becoming more clear. What is less clear, however, is the role of social media on romantic relationships, with the few existing studies finding mixed results. In an attempt to reconcile these discrepancies, the current study explored types of social media use (i.e., active use and passive use) as moderators between frequency of social media use and relationship health (i.e., relationship satisfaction and commitment). Participants were 432 adults in a romantic relationship for at least three months. Results showed that women who passively use social media at moderate to high levels exhibited negative associations between hours per day of social media use and relationship satisfaction, and hours per day of social media use and commitment. On the other hand, active use may ameliorate the negative association between hours per day of social media use and relationship health for both women and men. Specifically, men and women reporting low levels of active use exhibited a stronger negative association between hours per day of social media use and relationship health than those who reported moderate levels of active use. Additionally, there was no association between hours per day of social media use and relationship health for men and women reporting high levels of active use. Implications of these findings are discussed, as well as future directions based on these findings.

scholarly journals The Connection between Social Media Use and Relationship Satisfaction

2020 ◽  
pp. 109-114
Author(s):  
Illia Yahiiaiev ◽  
Marta Savych ◽  
Vladyslava Keller
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Correlation Analysis ◽  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Relationship Satisfaction ◽  
Negative Correlation ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Negatively Associated

The active use of social media can potentially jeopardize the quality of romantic relationships. The present study contributes to the existing research body investigating the connection between social media use and relationship satisfaction, by focusing on the users’ social media activity, their relationship visibility, relationship satisfaction and the different types of intimacy. We conducted a web-based data collection where participants (n 418) completed various types of questionnaires, namely the Social Media Use Integration Scale (SMUIS) (Jenkins-Guarnieri, 2013), the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) (Diener, 1985), the Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS) (Hendrick, 1988), Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships (PAIR) (Schaefer & Olson, 1981), and an additional questionnaire created to study the visibility of romantic relationships on social media. To analyze the collected data, first a correlation analysis was conducted. The findings show that there is a negative correlation between social media activity and romantic relationship satisfaction. Besides, social media activity is negatively associated with emotional, intellectual, recreational and social intimacy. No negative correlation has been found regarding social media activity and sexual intimacy. The correlation analysis also indicates that the users’ visibility on social networks is negatively associated with relationship satisfaction and with all types of intimacy, predominantly with social and recreational intimacy. In the second part of the study, a series of moderated regression analysis were carried out. These analyses have shown that social media activity does not moderate the association between romantic relationships’ visibility on social media and relationship satisfaction.

scholarly journals Exploring the Association Between Social Media Addiction and Relationship Satisfaction: Psychological Distress as a Mediator

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Begum Satici ◽  
Ahmet Rifat Kayis ◽  
Mark D. Griffiths
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Relationship Satisfaction ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Social Media Addiction ◽  
Relationship Assessment ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Social media use has become part of daily life for many people. Earlier research showed that problematic social media use is associated with psychological distress and relationship satisfaction. The aim of the present study was to examine the mediating role of psychological distress in the relationship between social media addiction (SMA) and romantic relationship satisfaction (RS). Participants comprised 334 undergraduates from four mid-sized universities in Turkey who completed an offline survey. The survey included the Relationship Assessment Scale, the Social Media Disorder Scale, and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale. According to the results, there were significant correlations between all variables. The results also indicated that depression, anxiety, and stress partially mediated the impact of SMA on RS. Moreover, utilizing the bootstrapping procedure the study found significant associations between SMA and RS via psychological distress. Consequently, reducing social media use may help couples deal with romantic relationship dissatisfaction, thereby mitigating their depression, anxiety, and stress.

Social Media and Romantic Relationship: Excessive Social Media Use Leads to Relationship Conflicts, Negative Outcomes, and Addiction via Mediated Pathways

2021 ◽  
pp. 089443932110135
Author(s):  
Skye Bouffard ◽  
Deanna Giglio ◽  
Zane Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Relationship Satisfaction ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Negative Outcomes ◽  
Sequential Effects ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Use Of Social Media

Social media provides a useful platform for people to share information, develop networks, and connect with each other online. While social media allows one to foster relationships with ease, it may pose challenges for individuals in a romantic relationship. Mounting evidence suggests that social media use may have an adverse impact on relationship dynamics, largely due to reduced time and attention for relationship partners. However, it remains unclear (1) how the increased use of social media may lead to negative consequences of relationship quality; (2) how the increased use of social media and negative relationship consequences together may trigger social media addiction; and (3) whether there are psychological factors that may contribute to the mitigation of the negative consequences. Here, we explored these issues by selecting Instagram (IG) as the target platform because the unique feature of tracking objective time of usage within the IG app allowed us to more accurately determine the length of IG usage. Using a structural equation modeling approach, we found that increased IG usage reduced relationship satisfaction, which led to an increase in both conflicts and negative outcomes. The sequential effects of reduced relationship satisfaction and increased conflicts then triggered addictive use of IG. In contrast, tendency to make sacrifice for the relationship partner in everyday life produced a positive effect on relationship satisfaction, which in turn reduced the likelihood of conflicts, negative outcomes, and addiction. Taken together, we have delineated pathways through which excessive social media use may detrimentally affect both relationship and personal well-being and identified sacrifice as a possible psychological factor to mitigate the detrimental effects. We believe that these findings add to our understanding of the processes by which social media influences romantic relationship and highlight the interactive effects of social media and relationship on causing unexpected, adverse consequences.

The effect of social media use on empathy and welling: a personality perspective in Saudi Arabia

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mousa Albashrawi ◽  
Yousef Asiri ◽  
Muhammad Binsawad ◽  
Latifah Alqahtani
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Significant Relationship ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Five Factor Model ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of social media use on both empathy and well-being through using a five-factor model (FFM) of personality in the context of Saudi Arabia. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from the 13 regions in Saudi Arabia. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to measure the reliability and validity of the study’s constructs and a structural equation modeling technique was applied to test the study hypotheses. Findings With a sample of 450 users, the regression results indicate a less significant relationship between personality and social media use, as well as between personality and affective empathy, while a more significant relationship between personality and cognitive empathy. Also, individuals’ well-being are influenced directly by the heavy use of social media. Research limitations/implications The cross-sectional design used in this research may not be able to provide the true essence of the hypothesized relationships compared to the cause-effect design. This study furthers the understanding of the role of personality on empathy and well-being in social media among Saudis from one side and provides insights to professionals for better improvement of social media and so better individuals’ well-being from the other side. Originality/value This paper fills an untapped gap in a developing country context by exploring the relationship between the usage of social media and the two dimensions of empathy, which, in turn, influence well-being under the theoretical lens of an FFM personality.

scholarly journals Multi-Platform Social Media Use: Little Evidence of Impacts on Adult Well-Being

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Lohmann ◽  
Emilio Zagheni
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
General Social Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Young Female ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Data Source ◽  
Using Data

Social media have become a near-ubiquitous part of our lives. The growing concern that their use may alter our well-being has been met with elusive scientific evidence. Existing literature often simplifies social media use as a homogeneous process. In reality, social media use and functions vary widely depending on platform and demographic characteristics of users, and there may be qualitative differences between using few versus many different social media platforms. Using data from the General Social Survey, an underanalyzed data source for this purpose, we characterize intensive social media users and examine how differential platform use impacts well-being. We document substantial heterogeneity in the demography of users and show that intensive users tend to be young, female, more likely to be Black than Hispanic, from high SES backgrounds, from more religious backgrounds, and from families with migration background, compared to both non-users and moderate users. The intensity of social media use seemed largely unrelated to well-being in both unadjusted models and in propensity-score models that adjusted for selection bias and demographic factors. Among middle-aged and older adults, however, intensive social media use may be slightly associated with depressive symptoms. Our findings indicate that although mediums of communication have changed with the advent of social media, these new mediums are not necessarily detrimental to well-being.

scholarly journals Social media and mental health: Reviewing effects on eudaimonic well-being

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Meier ◽  
Leonard Reinecke
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Self Actualization ◽  
Resilience Factors ◽  
Omission Bias ◽  
Health And Well Being

Do social media affect users’ mental health and well-being? By now, considerable research has addressed this highly contested question. Prior studies have investigated the effects of social media use on hedonic well-being (e.g., affect and life satisfaction), psychopathology (e.g., depressive or anxiety symptoms), or psychosocial risk/resilience factors (e.g., loneliness, stress, self-esteem). Yet, public concern over social media effects often centers on more long-term negative outcomes, which may be better captured by indicators of eudaimonic well-being. Indeed, neglecting the eudaimonic side of well-being may have introduced outcome omission bias, since eudaimonia is both conceptually and empirically distinct from other dimensions of mental health and may be uniquely affected by social media use. Specifically, psychology currently theorizes eudaimonic well-being to be best represented by the experiences of (a) meaningfulness, (b) authenticity, and (c) self-actualization. A research synthesis of how social media use relates to these core indicators of eudaimonia is currently missing, however. We thus present a first narrative review that synthesizes both theoretical and empirical links between three key social media uses (i.e., active, passive, and “screen time”) and eudaimonic well-being. The synthesis shows that while there are indeed several plausible theoretical links, the evidence is too scarce and inconsistent to allow definitive conclusions at this time. We instead give recommendations for how the field can close important gaps by investigating whether social media afford or constrain opportunities to find meaning, live authentically, and grow as a person.

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