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Description
Although previous research has explored the relationship between social media use and well-being, many studies are contradictory of each other and conclude varying findings relating to social media use and outspokenness. This study explores the relationship between active and passive social media use, perceived social media expertise, and outspokenness using the potentially mediating variable of perceived social acceptance. 162 participants, recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and ASU’s SONA systems, completed a survey relating to their own use of social media, perceived social acceptance, and outspokenness. Contradictory to my first hypotheses, no significant correlations were found between social media use and social media expertise. However, correlation analyses revealed that active social media use is related to an increased amount of perceived social media expertise (r = 0.23, p < .004). Perceived social media expertise was significantly positively correlated with outspokenness (r = 0.19, p < 0.015); however, it was not correlated with perceived social acceptance. When examining these relationships separately by gender, a strong association was found for males between active social media use and outspokenness, whereas passive social media use and outspokenness were negatively correlated for females. The results of this study add to previous research in the field of social media and outspokenness and lend new ideas for future research on these topics, such as exploring the gender differences that are associated with these variables. Further research in the area is needed for a more complete understanding of how one’s social media use affects his/her outspokenness and how gender modifies these effects.
ContributorsRubino, Kelli Erika (Co-author) / Rubino, Kelli (Co-author) / Mickelson, Kristin (Thesis director) / Halavais, Alexander (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
With its ever-increasing prevalence throughout the world, social media use has become a primary means of communication and connection with others. Much research has been dedicated to the topic of social media use, suggesting both positive and negative outcomes for those who are online more frequently. While uploading content and interacting with posts that others have created is associated with social comparison and identity formation, there is little research to date that examines the relationship between social media use and an individual’s meaning in life. One of the greater benefits of social media use is the ease with which people can curate their own personal identities, and this has led to an increase in users—particularly young adults—posting sexualized images of themselves for social gain. Untested in prior research is the relationship between self-objectification via social media and life meaning. For my thesis, I proposed a moderation model in which participants who reported higher levels of self-objectified beliefs and online habits would also report lower levels of meaning in life. Furthermore, I hypothesized that there would be unique differences between genders and sexual orientations that would also serve as moderators, such that heterosexual women and LGBQ men would demonstrate the lowest levels of life meaning when reporting high levels of self-objectification. Results from analyses found that while there was no significant relationship between active social media use and meaning in life, there was a significant three-way interaction between objectified social media use, gender and sexual orientation, and meaning. Findings from this study provide support for previous research that has found LGBQ men and heterosexual women face the most adverse effects from self-objectification. These results suggest that self-objectified social media use can negatively impact life meaning for certain populations.
ContributorsMostoller, Alexis (Author) / Mickelson, Kristin (Thesis advisor) / Salerno, Jessica (Committee member) / Burleson, Mary (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Social media has been extensively researched, and its effects on well-being are well established. What is less studied, however, is how social media affects romantic relationships specifically. The few studies that have researched this have found mixed results. Some researchers have found social media to have a positive influence on relationship outcomes, while other have found social media to have a negative influence. In an attempt to reconcile these discrepancies, the current thesis study explored possible mediators between social media use and relationship health outcomes which, to my knowledge, has not been investigated in previous literature. Three moderators were explored: type of social media use (active use versus passive use), relationship-contingent self-esteem, and social comparison orientation. The baseline portion of the study had 547 individuals, recruited from Arizona State University’s SONA system as well as Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, who were in a romantic relationship for at least three months; the follow-up portion of the study had 181 participants. Results suggest that women who passively use social media exhibit a negative association between hours per day of social media use and baseline relationship satisfaction. Men who passively use social media exhibited a negative association between hours per day of social media use and follow-up relationship satisfaction, as well as a negative association with baseline commitment. While relationship-contingent self-esteem did not moderate the association between hours per day of social media use and relationship health, it was positively related to both men and women’s baseline relationship satisfaction and baseline commitment. Social comparison orientation (SCO) produced minimal results; women low on SCO exhibited a negative association between social media use and baseline relationship satisfaction, and higher SCO for men was associated with lower baseline commitment. Finally, exploratory post-hoc mediation models revealed that relationship comparisons mediated the association between hours per day of social media use and baseline relationship, as well as baseline commitment, for both men and women. Previous research supports the findings regarding passive social media use, while the findings regarding relationship-contingent self-esteem and relationship comparisons add new findings to the romantic relationship literature.
ContributorsQuiroz, Selena (Author) / Mickelson, Kristin (Thesis advisor) / Burleson, Mary (Committee member) / Halavais, Alexander (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019