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Social Media Use, Psychological Well-Being, and the Role of Social Anxiety Among Young Adults
McNamara, Emily O'Day
McNamara, Emily O'Day
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2023
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Psychology
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http://dx.doi.org/10.34944/dspace/8930
Abstract
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.
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