Adolescent social media use and well-being

Section A: Presents a thematic synthesis and appraisal of literature, using a systematic search methodology of qualitative research on the views and experiences of adolescents of social media and well-being. The synthesis revealed four themes, each with positive and negative sides: connections, identity, learning and emotions. Each theme is explored and related to theoretical and extant literature. Clinical implications are provided around each theme, describing ideas of how to work positively with adolescents and social media, while negotiating potential drawbacks. Research recommendations are made concerning extrapolating the factors discussed by adolescents and how to enhance research quality in the area. Section B: Presents a cross-sectional and longitudinal study of the relationship between social media and well-being, in a sample of 497 UK adolescents. Several stress and well-being hypotheses are tested, including the moderating roles of gender and self-esteem that is contingent on friendship quality, within a diathesis-stress model. Results show friendship contingent self-esteem to be significantly related to social media investment, and increased stress to significantly influence well-being change. Findings are discussed in terms of the link between contingent self-esteem and problematic social media investment, stress and well-being

A Need for Considering Digital Inequality When Studying Social Media Use and Well-Being

Digital inequality scholarship has consistently found that people from varying societal positions experience digital media in their lives in divergent ways. Therefore, the growing body of research examining the relationship of social media use and well-being should account for the role of social inequality. This piece synthesizes key empirical research that has addressed the nexus of digital inequality, social media use, and well-being from one or more angles. Based on this extant scholarship, we develop a framework for research that integrates relevant perspectives from multiple disciplines

Book Review

Leonard Reinecke and Mary Beth Oliver (Eds.) The Routledge Handbook of Media Use and Well-Being Routledge, New York, NY, 2017, 465 pp. ISBN: 978-1-138-88658-

Young girls' lived experiences of 'going online': an exploration into the relationships between social media use and well-being for primary age girls

In our digital age, with the creation of online social groups, individuals are constructing their identities in different ways. This ‘convergence culture’ maps a new territory where consumers can manipulate this online media in offline and real-time spaces. There has never been a more recordable or observable ‘looking-glass’ than that of social media, whereby all utterances that are sent out online are put forward for a reaction (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2011). This thesis explores how past (Goffman, 1959; Marcia, 1966) and present (Brook et al., 2008; Urrieta, 2007) theories of identity, as either a fixed or fluid entity, are reflected in contemporary social media practices that young girls aged eight to eleven, from a London primary school, choose to participate in. This thesis investigates how interactions in both the online and offline ‘figured worlds’ (Holland et al., 1998) of blogs influence children’s identity formation as they ‘figure’ out who they are at this pre-adolescent stage. This thesis adopts a mixed methods approach, combining interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) of interviews with thematic, dialogic analysis of written blog posts and a dialogic discourse analysis of questionnaires. These data offer valuable insight into young girls’ perceptions, pressures and motivations behind using or avoiding platforms the Internet has to offer. This thesis has a particular focus on blogging and the opportunity for online communication on blogs. This thesis adds to the limited UK research on social media, blogging, and identity, both perceived and performed by children; we already know about studies providing statistical evidence around screen time and popular apps, but this thesis reveals in-depth and personal reported and lived experiences of six young girls behind these figures. Findings for this sample show that three key motivations for using blogs are (a) connecting with others, (b) sharing feelings and experiences and (c) learning from others and helping others to learn. This thesis highlights the ways in which identities can be seen to be ‘informed’, ‘affirmed’, and ‘stabilised’ within the dynamic nature of identity, and, through this, how agency can be achieved. When other members of the online community positively greet online performances, in both the closed blogging platform within this study or other various contexts, this affirmation can inspire creativity, future-orientation and ambition in the individuals concerned

To use or be used? The role of agency in social media use and well-being

In this paper, we develop the concept of agentic social media use: a way of engaging with social media that emphasizes having the beliefs, knowledge, and practices to use it intentionally. In comparison to instances of “mindless” social media use, people who use social media agentically do so with a purpose in mind: they leverage the affordances of social media to do things that are meaningful, useful, or satisfying for them. For example, people can use social media to intentionally build or manage their relationships, to seek out and learn new information about their interests, or to craft a positive image of themselves through the content they post. Crucially, however, there are many other valuable uses of social media that may not be considered conventionally productive but are nonetheless deliberate and useful, such as using social media intentionally to relax, unwind, and entertain themselves in an effort to modulate their emotions. To use social media agentically means to (1) hold an agentic mindset about one's relationship with social media, (2) have the knowledge and literacy to understand how to navigate social media effectively, and (3) enact practices that assert control over specific elements of social media use, such as curating content and refining algorithmic recommendation. Approaching social media use from the perspective of agency and intentionality allows us to better understand heterogeneous social media effects and to identify new ways of helping people benefit from these technologies

The association between social media use and well-being during quarantine period: testing a moderated mediation model

ObjectivesSocial media use (SMU) increased dramatically during COVID-19 due to policies such as long-term quarantine. Given that SMU has complex effects on individuals’ well-being, this study aimed to explore the relationship between SMU and subjective well-being and the influencing factors in the context of the pandemic in China.MethodsA total of 895 adults (413 males) in different risk areas across China participated in this study. They provided self-reported data on subjective well-being, social media use, adaptive humor, and other demographic variables.ResultsIt revealed that SMU was positively associated with individual well-being, an effect partially mediated by the score of adaptive humor. Furthermore, the effect of SMU on adaptive humor was moderated by trait optimism, with the effect more robust in high (vs. low) optimistic individuals.ConclusionThis study explored the positive effects of SMU on individuals’ well-being, suggesting that individuals may better cope with negative experiences and maintain well-being under quarantine by showing more adaptive humor on social media

Negative influences of Facebook use through the lens of network analysis

Various recent studies suggest a negative association between Facebook use and mental health. Yet, empirical evidence for this association is mixed, raising the question under which conditions Facebook use is related to negative outcomes, such as decreased well-being. Our study addresses this question by investigating the relationship between Facebook use, rumination, depressive, anxiety-, and stress-related symptoms, taking into account potential key variables such as social comparison, contingent self-esteem, and global self-esteem. In a first study, we explored the unique relations between these constructs using state-of-the-art network analysis. Subsequently, we conducted a preregistered replication study. In both studies, social comparison and self-esteem held a central position in the network, connecting social media use with indicators of psychopathology. These findings highlight the prominent role of social comparison and self-esteem in the context of social media use and well-being. Longitudinal and experimental studies will be required to further investigate these relationships

On fear of missing out, social networks use disorder tendencies and meaning in life

Much research has been conducted on the association between social networks use disorder tendencies (SNUD; i.e. problematic social media use) and well-being. In more detail, a meta-analysis and further research suggest an inverse association between higher SNUD tendencies and lower well-being. In existing studies on social media use and well-being, this association has often been investigated by asking participants about their life satisfaction and/or emotional well-being. A path that has only recently been used to shed further light on SNUD tendencies is the assessment of meaning in life. Against this background, the present study aimed to investigate both the search for and presence of meaning in life in the context of SNUD tendencies in 955 participants. To the best of our knowledge and beyond what has been mentioned, this study is the first to investigate the links between meaning in life variables and state/trait fear of missing out (FoMO), with FoMO being a critical variable known to be linked to the overuse of digital technologies. In a structural equation model, we observed that associations between FoMO and meaning in life variables was mediated by SNUD tendencies. Although the present study is of cross-cultural nature and cannot establish causality, it might be the case that proneness to FoMO might trigger SNUD tendencies and as a consequence, results in more search for meaning in life, while hindering presence of meaning in life

Digital Competence and Capability Frameworks in Higher Education: Importance of Life-long Learning, Self-Development and Well-being

The paper compares the EU’s 2013 and 2016 digital competence (DigComp) framework with the UK education’s 2009 and 2015 digital capabilities (DigCap) framework. The similarities are in the increased focus on data within privacy/overall literacy and the inclusion of well-being. Among the differences, DigComp focuses on life-long learning whereas DigCap is more holistic. This is explained by diverse target audiences, as DigComp has to be relevant to various stakeholders across the EU, whilst DigCap serves the UK higher and further education sector. Although education is dominant within DigCap, both frameworks agree on the importance of digital skills, knowledge and attitudes to the fields of education, training and employment. The paper discusses a UK HE case study of a technology enhanced learning toolkit. It concludes by arguing for a human-centred approach to digital competence and capability frameworks, in which learning, self-development and wellbeing play a vital role