Social media use (SMU) has become commonplace in modern society, especially among young adults. Research has examined whether more frequent SMU is more commonly associated with poorer psychological well-being, although findings are mixed. A few more recent studies have examined how type of SMU (active vs. passive use) may also affect well-being. Socially anxious individuals are at risk of engaging more frequently and passively online, yet few studies have examined how social anxiety (SA) influences the relationship between SMU and psychological well-being. Undergraduates (N = 1091) completed an online survey assessing their SMU, SA, and psychological well-being; 123 of these individuals were randomized to either actively (n = 56) or passively (n = 67) engage on their preferred social media site for a period of 10 minutes; participants’ psychological well-being was assessed before, after, and the evening following the experimental task. Self-reported SMU frequency was positively correlated with SA, depression, envy, and fear of missing out. Self-reported passive SMU was positively correlated with SA, envy, and negative social comparison. SA moderated the relationships between self-reported passive SMU and loneliness (LO), as well as autonomy. However, contrary to expectation, for less socially anxious individuals, more passive SMU was associated with lower LO and more autonomy. Experimentally-manipulated passive SMU, compared to active SMU, did not predict poorer psychological well-being across time. SA also did not moderate the relationships between experimentally-manipulated SMU and psychological well-being. Future research should continue to examine how frequency and type of SMU (e.g., active vs. passive) affect psychological well-being, using experimental designs in addition to self-report measures to examine these constructs. / Psychology
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TEMPLE/oai:scholarshare.temple.edu:20.500.12613/8966 |
Date | January 2023 |
Creators | McNamara, Emily O'Day |
Contributors | Heimberg, Richard G., Giovannetti, Tania, Drabick, Deborah A., Fauber, Robert L., Jarcho, Johanna, Olino, Thomas |
Publisher | Temple University. Libraries |
Source Sets | Temple University |
Language | English |
Detected Language | English |
Type | Thesis/Dissertation, Text |
Format | 82 pages |
Rights | IN COPYRIGHT- This Rights Statement can be used for an Item that is in copyright. Using this statement implies that the organization making this Item available has determined that the Item is in copyright and either is the rights-holder, has obtained permission from the rights-holder(s) to make their Work(s) available, or makes the Item available under an exception or limitation to copyright (including Fair Use) that entitles it to make the Item available., http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
Relation | http://dx.doi.org/10.34944/dspace/8930, Theses and Dissertations |
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