From Wellbeing to Social Media and Back: A Multi-Method Approach to Assessing the Bi-Directional Relationship Between...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Sociology
• Digital Media Studies

Background:

• Existing research on social media use and wellbeing yields inconsistent findings.
• Most studies focus on time spent on platforms, neglecting user activities, social context, and motivations.
• A gap exists in understanding the nuanced relationship between social stressors and online behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of momentary social stress on emerging adults' social media usage patterns.
• To examine the relationship between post-stress social media engagement and subsequent changes in psychological wellbeing.
• To explore the specific ways (how much, why) emerging adults use social media in response to social stress.

Main Methods:

• Employed a multi-method research paradigm combining objective and self-report data collection.
• Recruited 114 emerging adults aged 17-25 from a university campus setting.
• Assessed momentary social stress, social media use behaviors, and changes in wellbeing.

Main Results:

• Momentary social stress was found to have no significant effect on subsequent social media use in emerging adults.
• No discernible relationship was identified between social media engagement following stress and alterations in momentary wellbeing.
• The study found no correlation between social stress, social media usage patterns, and wellbeing outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Social stress does not appear to directly influence emerging adults' social media consumption or their immediate psychological wellbeing.
• The findings underscore the necessity for more granular and detailed research methodologies in the fields of social media and psychological wellbeing.
• Future research should adopt nuanced approaches to differentiate user activities and motivations on social media platforms.