Summary of the Article
The article describes an investigation that explores the issue of social media addiction, looking at how individuals may become dependent on online communities to meet their networking requirements. In this paper, the research set out to test the following hypothesis. First, the “Uses and Gratification Hypothesis,” which contends that social support on the internet is a motivating factor underlying obsessive online social networking consumption, was addressed in the study. The hypothesis’s foundation is based on the belief that individuals use social media to satisfy their fundamental socializing requirements, emphasizing factors such as interacting with new individuals and getting assistance online. Second, the study looked at the “Social Skills Deficit Hypothesis,” which argues that people with anxiety about social situations are more inclined to engage in obsessive social media usage because of an apparent absence of offline communication abilities. These people might feel at ease and unwind online to avoid social demands and control their emotions. Nevertheless, because they favor online connections, they could become overly dependent on social media and avoid offline interactions, which could become an addiction to online platforms.
Relevant Variables
The study’s three key variables were: First, online social support is the number of supportive comments and motivation obtained from social networking sites. The OSEM (Online Social Experiences Measure) evaluates the independent variable. Second, addictive social media use includes obsessive and troublesome usage of social media sites. The BSMAS (Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale) evaluates this dependent variable. Formally and primarily used for Facebook, it was later modified to incorporate all the social networking sites. Offline social support is defined as an individual’s level at which someone perceives the accessibility and level of support from offline relationships. The (ISEL-12 (Interpersonal Support Evaluation List-Shortened Version) is used to assess the independent variable. Finally, social anxiety refers to the worry and discomfort experienced in social interactions. The SIAS-6 and SPS-6 are used to assess this dependent variable.
Research Method
This study used a cross-sectional survey to examine how social anxiety, internet-based and offline interaction with others, and addicting online social network use interacted. One thousand three hundred sixty individuals from various cultures in the United States of America participated in the survey. The subjects responded to a questionnaire administered online. They used the Online Social Experiences Measure (OSEM) and the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List-Shortened Version (ISEL-12) to gauge their degree of online and offline social assistance. The SIAS-6 and SPS-6 measures were used to quantify social media addiction, while the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) was used to examine social anxiety rates. One BSMAS question, for instance, questioned respondents how frequently they encountered the temptation to engage with social media more and more over the previous year. Following data collection, several regression and controlled moderation procedures were used to evaluate the dataset (Luchtefeld & Jordan, 2022).
Research Result
The study results show important links and predictors of online social networking addiction. Online social support showed a significant association (r =.35) with social media dependency, whereas age showed an inverse association (r = -.50) with addicting usage of social networks. Males displayed greater manifestations of social media dependency, anxiety about social situations, and online social support than females. According to the results of multiple regression analysis, greater levels of online social support were found to be a predictor of more compulsive usage of social media. More specifically, at medium and high levels of social anxiety, there is an important three-way relationship between social anxiety and offline support from others, revealing complicated interactions between both variables in determining social media addiction.
Research Proposal
The research study that might contribute to this investigation is evaluating the impact of different forms of online social support on social media dependency, such as emotional, informational, and instrumental support, and if the effects differ by offline interpersonal support and social anxiety degrees. This, in my opinion, is an excellent idea, considering online social support is a complex phenomenon with varying effects on social media consumers based on what they are looking for. Some users, for example, may seek emotional support to deal with stress or loneliness, while others may desire informative help to gain new skills or solve challenges. These types of online social support may have various associations with social media addiction and interact differently with offline social support and social anxiety.
I would employ an approach comparable to the current study to evaluate this hypothesis. I would also assess online social support utilizing an assessment tool differentiating between sentimental, educational, and practical support. I would also use the same scales as in the current research study to evaluate offline interactions with others and interpersonal stress. Then, I would utilize several regression analyses to examine the significant and interactive impacts of different types of online interaction with others, offline societal backing, and the impact of anxiety related to social situations on social media dependency. I anticipate discovering that emotional online social encouragement is more strongly related to social media habits than informational or instrumental social support.
This association is more robust for users with poor offline societal backing and anxiety related to social situations. This indicates that while psychological online social support can serve as an adequate replacement for offline social support, it also raises the possibility of developing an inescapable reliance on social media. On the contrary, informational and instrumental online social encouragement and backing may be less linked with the prevalence of social media dependency or perhaps have a preventative impact, particularly for users with significant offline social support and low social anxiety. This would imply that informational and instrumental internet-based societal backing could supplement offline societal backing while increasing social media platform use’s positive effects.
References
Luchtefeld, C., & Jordan, K. D. (2022). Individual differences influencing the relationship between online social support and addictive use of social media. Telematics and Informatics Reports, 8, 100025.
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