Social Media Flashcards
Defining Social Media
- Digital tool which enables interac among ppl
- Share and exchange info in a virtual comm or network
- DIalogic transmission system (many sources, many recievers) compared to monologic (one source, many viewers)
Why do we need social media?
Tech = adv at rapid rate
- S.M = big feature of daily lives
Ofcom, 2021
- 82% of internet users in UK hav a social media profile
4.2 bill ppl worldwide used s.m daily
Dixon, 2023
Predicted to rise 6 bill by 2027
Global pop will be 8.3 bill
Scott et al 2019
Estimates 20% of UK adol may use s.m for at least 5 hours every day
Social media and society
- S.M has changed the way we socialise
- Presented opp to instantly share social info w large no of ppl
Clark et al, 2018
These activities are elem to the basic human need for feeling social belonging and relatedness and avoiding lonliness and iso
How has psychological research approached social media use?
- Complex
- Often approached from an ideological position of concern
Kuss & Griffiths, 2017
Whether excessive use should be considered a distinct form of beh addiction and clinically treated as such
Katz et al, 2001
- mirrors concerns that have existed around every new form of communication - technology a threat to more meaningful methods of interactions
Excessive social media use = been linked w symptoms typically associated w …
substance abuse and beh addictions
Lee-Won et al 2015 - excessive S.M use =
high lvl of anx
Banyai et al 2017 - excessive S.M use =
Depressive symp
How has psychological research approached social media use? - Zendle & Bowden-Jones 2019
S.M addiction = not currently recognised in either the diag and stat manual of m.d or international classification of diseases
Primack et al 2017
PPts (n = 1787) who used more social media platforms reported higher dep and anx symp
Twenge et al 2017
Adol social media use associated w mental health issues, like - dep (n = 500,000)
S.M addiction - Griffiths et al, 2014
Ppl do report exp that mirror widely used criteria for estab addiction
For example:
1. Inability to reduce their use of social media despite wanting to
2. The exp of withdrawal symp when they = unable to access S.M
S.M & Loneliness - Twenge et al 2021
- Data from cross sec of the U.S pop (monitoring the future)
- Running since 1976
- Looked at correlations between measures of in-person social interac w peers, loneliness and S.M use
N = 8.2 mill, adol 13-18
Social media & Loneliness 2 (Twenge et al, 2021)
Adol feelings of loneliness interested sharply 2011
Adol low in-person social interac & high in S.M use
reported the highest lvl of loneliness
@ the indiv lbl in-person social interac & S.M use = +vly correlated
Ctritques of SM and Loneliness
Correlation not = causation
Too reliant on self rep measures
Lack of consideration of other potential variables
Nuances
- More research = needed - an almost cliche
New ways of thinking - Shaw et al 2022
Furthered this approach - meaningful interac = suggested to fostor +ve feelings, the passive consump of others’ feed = proposed to have -ve effects on nusers’ well being.
Shaw et al - study
Created a mock social media site
Ppt were shown images & asked to act in same way as they would do another S.M platform (like, share,skip)
Shaw et al - results
Identified three dissociable usage styles:
- passive use (consimong content posted by others)
- reactive use (reacting to others’ context)
- Interactive use (interacting w other through content
sharing)
Ideas for the future
- The ‘slow speed’ of (good) research vs the rapid changes adn trend of s.m / tech
- Diff sites promote diff ways of engaing
TikTok - Move towards video consump
Insta - image based - more intimate
Twitter - operates on text and emotional reactions
(outrage, anger etc)
