2017/07/27 by Jin-Liang Wang, Jin‐Liang Wang, James Gaskin +2 · 4 citations
Social Sciences · Psychology · Arts and Humanities · #Impact of Technology on Adolescents #Digital Mental Health Interventions #Media Influence and Health
paper · doi:10.1177/0894439317721981
Prior studies have found an inconclusive relationship between social networking site (SNS) usage and users’ subjective well-being. Passive SNS usage may be detrimental to subjective well-being, because it cannot provide social support and may evoke envy and jealousy. Conversely, it is also possible that lower subjective well-being may predict higher passive SNS usage, which can be used as a means to relieve stress. To examine this reciprocal process, a two-wave study among a sample of Chinese college students was conducted ( N = 350 at Time 1, 265 at Time 2). Data were analyzed with structural modeling. Cross-lagged analysis indicated that passive SNS usage at Time 1 predicted a decrease in subjective well-being at Time 2. Lower subjective well-being at Time 1 also predicted an increase in passive SNS usage at Time 2. These findings deepen our understanding of the complicated association between SNS usage and well-being and has implications for how to help individuals use SNS healthily.