Associations between social media use and loneliness in a cross-national population: do motives for social media use matter?
Bonsaksen T, Ruffolo M, Price D, Leung J, Thygesen H, Lamph G, Kabelenga I, Geirdal AØ
Health psychology and behavioral medicine · 46 citations
How it was studied
- Design
- Cross-sectional study (classified by our AI screen)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Independent funding
Based on full-text disclosure statement.
Publication
- Published
- 2023-01-01 · Health Psychol Behav Med · vol. 11 · issue 1 · p. 2158089
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- Cited
- 119 citations · more than 100% of similar papers · 54.0× the field average
- Impact
- Top 10% most cited in its field
- References
- 59 works
- Access
- Open access (journal) · CC-BY-NC
- Research areas
- Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Social Media and Politics · Media Influence and Health
- Keywords
- social media use, loneliness, motivations for social media use, COVID-19 pandemic, social contact, health anxiety, cross-national comparison
8 authors
From NO, US, AU, GB, ZM
- Tore Bonsaksen · correspondingVID Specialized University; University of Inland Norway
- Mary Carmel RuffoloUniversity of Michigan
- Daicia PriceUniversity of Michigan
- Janni LeungThe University of Queensland
- Hilde ThygesenOsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University; VID Specialized University
- Gary LamphUniversity of Lancashire
Abstract
Background
We aimed to examine the association between social media use and loneliness two years after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.
Methods
Participants were 1649 adults who completed a cross-sectional online survey disseminated openly in Norway, United Kingdom, USA, and Australia between November 2021 and January 2022. Linear regressions examined time spent on social media and participants' characteristics on loneliness, and interactions by motives for social media use.
Results
Participants who worried more about their health and were younger, not employed, and without a spouse or partner reported higher levels of loneliness compared to their counterparts. More time spent on social media was associated with more loneliness (β = 0.12, p β = 0.12 and β = 0.14, both p < 0.01).
Conclusions
Our findings suggest that people who use social media for the motive of maintaining their relationships feel lonelier than those who spend the same amount of time on social media for other reasons. While social media may facilitate social contact to a degree, they may not facilitate the type of contact sought by those who use social media primarily for this reason.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher (CC BY-NC).
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