Category
Poster - Applied
Description
The issue of loneliness remains a big concern for a number of people nowadays. Loneliness appears as a predictor and an outcome of many mental impairments. Response to loneliness may be observed from behavioral and physiological sides by exploring subjective feelings and autonomic nervous response. There is an increasing number of social media users which results in increased screen time. The evidence of these relationships is mixed. Whereas some articles suggest that time spent on social media has a negative impact on people and increases feelings of loneliness, other studies give evidence that it may help people maintain or even extend their social capital and decrease their feelings of isolation. These mixed observations led us to assume that the type of content people face and the type they use social media (passively or actively) play a key role in the social media experience. The current study examines the role of visual social media content, the type of social media use, and its association with loneliness. Additionally, this study takes a look at the physiological response through the form of electrodermal activity. It was hypothesized that higher levels of loneliness are associated with higher screen time and a higher likelihood of passive social media use. It was also hypothesized that one of the main purposes to use social media is communication. We surveyed and interviewed a sample of Liberty University students to determine their levels of loneliness and motivations to use social media. Preliminary results suggest a positive association between levels of loneliness and the amount of screen time. Preliminary results from semi-structured interviews that people with higher loneliness scores are more likely to use social media passively. Finally, they suggest that the main reason to use visual social media is communication.
Feelings of Loneliness and Their Associations with the Type of Social Media Use in College Students: Mixed Methods Study
Poster - Applied
The issue of loneliness remains a big concern for a number of people nowadays. Loneliness appears as a predictor and an outcome of many mental impairments. Response to loneliness may be observed from behavioral and physiological sides by exploring subjective feelings and autonomic nervous response. There is an increasing number of social media users which results in increased screen time. The evidence of these relationships is mixed. Whereas some articles suggest that time spent on social media has a negative impact on people and increases feelings of loneliness, other studies give evidence that it may help people maintain or even extend their social capital and decrease their feelings of isolation. These mixed observations led us to assume that the type of content people face and the type they use social media (passively or actively) play a key role in the social media experience. The current study examines the role of visual social media content, the type of social media use, and its association with loneliness. Additionally, this study takes a look at the physiological response through the form of electrodermal activity. It was hypothesized that higher levels of loneliness are associated with higher screen time and a higher likelihood of passive social media use. It was also hypothesized that one of the main purposes to use social media is communication. We surveyed and interviewed a sample of Liberty University students to determine their levels of loneliness and motivations to use social media. Preliminary results suggest a positive association between levels of loneliness and the amount of screen time. Preliminary results from semi-structured interviews that people with higher loneliness scores are more likely to use social media passively. Finally, they suggest that the main reason to use visual social media is communication.
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Graduate