Connecting in the Twitterverse: Using Twitter to satisfy unmet belonging needs

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Social Media Studies
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Social media platforms offer avenues for connection.
• Chronic ostracism significantly impacts individuals' sense of belonging.
• Parasocial relationships are one-sided connections with media figures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if social media, specifically Twitter, can fulfill unmet belonging needs.
• To examine the role of chronic ostracism and the need to belong in Twitter usage.
• To determine if parasocial relationships on Twitter mediate the satisfaction of belonging needs.

Main Methods:

• Survey assessing chronic ostracism, need to belong, and Twitter behavior.
• Participants (n=315) evaluated their engagement with potential parasocial relationship targets.
• Analysis focused on the relationship between ostracism, need to belong, and Twitter use.

Main Results:

• Individuals high in need to belong and experiencing chronic ostracism utilized Twitter more.
• This increased Twitter use was particularly associated with forming parasocial relationships.
• Findings support the hypothesis that Twitter engagement can address belonging deficits.

Conclusions:

• Maintaining parasocial relationships on Twitter may serve as a coping mechanism for chronic ostracism.
• Social media can be a tool for individuals with high belonging needs to find connection.
• The study highlights the psychological function of social media in managing social exclusion.