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Published on: November 19, 2015
Are Online Social Experiences Associated With General Interpersonal Problems? A Circumplex Assessment
Timothy W Smith1, Giovanni Marquez1, Dakota A Dolister1
1Department of Psychology and Health Psychology Program, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Negative online social experiences and excessive social media use are linked to interpersonal problems. Offline support, however, is associated with fewer difficulties, highlighting the impact of digital interactions on relationships.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Digital Communication
Background:
- Social media offers connection but also negative experiences.
- This raises questions about its impact on interpersonal functioning.
Purpose of the Study:
- Examine associations between online social experiences (support, negativity, excessive use) and interpersonal problems.
- Compare these to offline support and social anxiety using the interpersonal circumplex (IPC).
Main Methods:
- Surveyed a representative sample of 1356 U.S. adult social media users.
- Utilized the interpersonal circumplex (IPC) framework.
- Assessed self-reported online/offline support, online negativity, excessive social media use, general interpersonal problems, and social anxiety.
Main Results:
- Online negativity and excessive social media use strongly correlated with interpersonal problems.
- Online support showed a small positive association with problems, unlike offline support which was inversely associated.
- Social anxiety had associations similar in magnitude to online negativity and excessive use.
Conclusions:
- Online social experiences and excessive use are linked to broader interpersonal difficulties.
- The interpersonal perspective is valuable for understanding digital-age psychosocial issues.
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