- Library Home /
- Search Collections /
- Open Collections /
- Browse Collections /
- UBC Theses and Dissertations /
- A meta-analysis and intensive longitudinal investigation...
Open Collections
UBC Theses and Dissertations
UBC Theses and Dissertations
A meta-analysis and intensive longitudinal investigation into the relationships between active and passive social media use and social and emotional wellbeing Godard, Rebecca
Abstract
Background: Concerns about the effects of social media on users’ wellbeing are widespread, yet these effects likely differ based on how users engage with these platforms. A commonly-used framework distinguishes between active use (interacting with other users) and passive use (consuming content without interacting). Active use is typically hypothesized to be beneficial, while passive use is hypothesized to be harmful. Yet the value of this framework remains unclear. Recent theory suggests that active and passive use impact user wellbeing differently depending on contextual factors (e.g., experiences of online social connection), yet these predictions have not been widely tested. Study 1: In a meta-analysis of 141 studies (N = 145,394), active and passive use had mostly negligible associations with 13 dimensions of wellbeing. However, both active and passive use were associated with greater online social support. Passive use was associated with worse emotional outcomes in general social media contexts, but not in social media groups. Compared to adults, adolescents had more positive associations between active use and wellbeing, but more negative associations between passive use and wellbeing. Study 2: Emerging adults (N = 495) completed 21 brief surveys over 7 days about their active and passive social media use, feelings of connection on social media, and mood. Active use was reciprocally related to greater feelings of connection on social media over time, while passive use was associated with lower feelings of connection concurrently and across time. Feelings of connection on social media were associated with more positive mood concurrently and across time. All associations differed significantly between individuals. Conclusions: Study 1 indicated that active and passive social media use have stronger associations with online social support compared to other dimensions of wellbeing. Study 2 further revealed that on a daily basis, online connection plays a central role in explaining why social media use has different associations with global wellbeing between users and across time. Findings support emerging theories of social media use and suggest the need for tailored recommendations for healthy social media use.
Item Metadata
Title |
A meta-analysis and intensive longitudinal investigation into the relationships between active and passive social media use and social and emotional wellbeing
|
Creator | |
Supervisor | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
|
Date Issued |
2025
|
Description |
Background: Concerns about the effects of social media on users’ wellbeing are widespread, yet these effects likely differ based on how users engage with these platforms. A commonly-used framework distinguishes between active use (interacting with other users) and passive use (consuming content without interacting). Active use is typically hypothesized to be beneficial, while passive use is hypothesized to be harmful. Yet the value of this framework remains unclear. Recent theory suggests that active and passive use impact user wellbeing differently depending on contextual factors (e.g., experiences of online social connection), yet these predictions have not been widely tested.
Study 1: In a meta-analysis of 141 studies (N = 145,394), active and passive use had mostly negligible associations with 13 dimensions of wellbeing. However, both active and passive use were associated with greater online social support. Passive use was associated with worse emotional outcomes in general social media contexts, but not in social media groups. Compared to adults, adolescents had more positive associations between active use and wellbeing, but more negative associations between passive use and wellbeing.
Study 2: Emerging adults (N = 495) completed 21 brief surveys over 7 days about their active and passive social media use, feelings of connection on social media, and mood. Active use was reciprocally related to greater feelings of connection on social media over time, while passive use was associated with lower feelings of connection concurrently and across time. Feelings of connection on social media were associated with more positive mood concurrently and across time. All associations differed significantly between individuals.
Conclusions: Study 1 indicated that active and passive social media use have stronger associations with online social support compared to other dimensions of wellbeing. Study 2 further revealed that on a daily basis, online connection plays a central role in explaining why social media use has different associations with global wellbeing between users and across time. Findings support emerging theories of social media use and suggest the need for tailored recommendations for healthy social media use.
|
Genre | |
Type | |
Language |
eng
|
Date Available |
2025-03-20
|
Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
|
Rights |
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
|
DOI |
10.14288/1.0448229
|
URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
|
Graduation Date |
2025-05
|
Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
|
Rights URI | |
Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
|
Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International