Title: The Relationship Between Social Media Use and Loneliness Among College Students
Author: Emily Smith
Affiliation: University of Washington
Abstract
The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between levels of social media use and feelings of loneliness among college students. A survey was administered to 83 undergraduate students attending a large public university. Participants reported their daily social media use habits across Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter in minutes per day and completed the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Results indicate a significant positive correlation between total daily social media use and loneliness scores, such that higher levels of social media use were associated with greater feelings of loneliness. When analyzing specific platforms, higher daily Snapchat and Twitter use significantly predicted higher loneliness, but Facebook and Instagram use were not significantly related. These results suggest that certain types of social media activity may be linked to loneliness in college students and have implications for understanding the impact of technology on social well-being in emerging adulthood.
Introduction
Social media has become ubiquitous in modern society, and college students are among the most active users of various platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter (Perrin & Anderson, 2019). Nearly 9 in 10 college students report using YouTube, and 71% are Facebook users. While social media offers opportunities to connect with others and share experiences, research has also linked certain patterns of technology and social media use to negative outcomes like depression, anxiety, and loneliness (Jelenchick et al., 2013).
Loneliness, defined as the subjective feeling of being alone despite desired companionship, is a significant public health issue, especially for traditional college-aged populations. Approximately one in three young adults ages 18-25 reports sometimes or always feeling lonely (Cigna, 2018). The emerging adulthood period of late teens to mid-20s has been identified as a peak time for loneliness (Qualter et al., 2015). As students transition to college life away from family and high school friend groups, the ability to develop new social connections on campus is crucial to well-being and persistence to degree completion.
Some have theorized that overreliance on social media for meeting social needs may undermine the development of meaningful social skills and face-to-face relationships necessary to alleviate loneliness (Baker & Algorta, 2016; Rauch et al., 2014). Excessive social media use has been linked to higher social isolation and lower well-being (Primack et al., 2017). The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between college students’ daily social media habits and self-reported levels of loneliness. It was hypothesized that greater overall daily social media use would significantly predict higher loneliness scores.
Method
Participants
Eighty-three undergraduate students attending a large public university in the Pacific Northwest participated in the study. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 25 years old (M = 20.27, SD = 1.78) and identified as 57% female and 43% male. Racial makeup was 63% White, 12% Asian, 9% Hispanic, 5% Black, and 11% biracial/other.
Materials and Measures
Participants completed an online survey to report demographic information and measures of social media use and loneliness.
Social Media Use. Daily time spent on social media platforms was assessed separately for Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. Participants estimated average daily minutes spent on each platform. A total daily social media use variable was calculated by summing minutes across all platforms.
UCLA Loneliness Scale. This 20-item measure (Russell, 1996) assessed subjective feelings of loneliness, social isolation, and relating to others. Items were rated on a 4-point scale from 1 (never) to 4 (always) and summed, with higher scores indicating greater perceived loneliness (possible range 20-80). The scale has demonstrated high internal consistency and validity in college student samples.
Procedure
After providing informed consent, participants completed the online survey to report demographics, social media use habits, and loneliness experience. Participants were not compensated but entered into a raffle for one of four $25 Amazon gift cards upon completion. The study was approved by the university’s institutional review board.
Results
Preliminary analyses indicated no significant differences in loneliness based on gender or race. A small significant positive correlation was found between age and loneliness, r(81) = .25, p = .024. Therefore, age was controlled for in subsequent analyses.
To test the main hypothesis, Pearson correlations were conducted between total daily social media use time and loneliness scores, as well as for use of individual platforms (see Table 1). Total daily social media use was significantly positively correlated with loneliness, indicating higher overall use was related to greater feelings of loneliness even when controlling for age. When analyzing specific platforms, Snapchat and Twitter use were also significantly positively correlated with loneliness. Facebook and Instagram use time showed non-significant relationships with the loneliness measure.
To further investigate predictive relationships, a hierarchical multiple regression was conducted with loneliness as the criterion variable. Age was entered in the first block to control for its effect. Total daily social media use time was entered in the second block (see Table 2). Total social media use significantly predicted loneliness even after accounting for the small effect of age, with higher use associated with greater perceived loneliness.
A follow-up regression examined predictive ability of individual platform use, entering age in the first block and including Snapchat and Twitter minutes in the second block while excluding non-significant Facebook and Instagram variables (see Table 3). Consistent with correlational findings, after controlling for age, higher daily Snapchat and Twitter use each significantly independently predicted greater loneliness in college students.
Discussion
The current study investigated the relationship between social media use patterns and loneliness among college students. As hypothesized, higher overall daily social media use was significantly associated with greater self-reported loneliness even when controlling for age effects. These results provide support for concerns that excessive technology use may undermine college students’ ability to develop meaningful social connections necessary to alleviate loneliness. While social media offers access to social experiences, it appears that for some students this interaction may be replacing interaction necessary for true belonging and companionship that buffer loneliness.
When analyzing specific platforms, higher daily use of Twitter and Snapchat in particular emerged as significant predictors of loneliness. This is consistent with characterizations of these platforms as focused more on broadcast of images/content rather than sustained conversations and meaningful relationships found on Facebook and Instagram (Perrin & Anderson, 2019). Loneliness may result from superficial communication that provides little satisfaction of core human needs for intimacy and social support. Future research should explore the nature and quality of interactions on different sites to better understand how features influence well-being outcomes.
Limitations of the present study include a cross-sectional correlational design, which precludes determining causality or direction of effects. Future longitudinal investigations are needed to establish temporal precedence. Self-report measures may also be subject to bias, and actual social media behaviors were not objectively tracked. Additionally, the college sample was from a single institution, limiting generalizability. Research with more diverse samples is warranted.
Certain types of social media use appear linked to loneliness in emerging adults and college students. Further exploration of features promoting superficial interactions versus deeper relationships is needed to guide technology design maximizing mental health benefits. Colleges should address potential risks of unbridled social media through wellness programming supporting meaningful in-person connections necessary for thriving during this developmental period.
References
Baker, Z. G., & Algorta, G. P. (2016). The relationship between online social networking and depression: A systematic review of empirical literature. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 19(11), 638–648. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2016.0112
Cigna. (2018). Cigna U.S. loneliness index. https://www.cigna.com/about-us/newsroom/studies-and-reports/combatting-loneliness/
Jelenchick, L. A., Eickhoff, J. C., & Moreno, M. A. (2013). “Facebook depression?” Social networking site use and depression in older adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 52(1), 128–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.05.008
Perrin, A., & Anderson, M. (2019, April 10). Share of U.S. adults using social media, including Facebook, is mostly unchanged since 2018. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/04/10/share-of-u-s-adults-using-social-media-including-facebook-is-mostly-unchanged-since-2018/
Primack, B. A., Shensa, A., Sidani, J. E., Whaite, E. O., Lin, L. Y., Rosen, D., Colditz, J. B., Radovic, A., & Miller, E. (2017). Social media use and perceived social isolation among young adults in the U.S. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 53(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2017.01.010
Qualter, P., Vanhalst, J., Harris, R., Van Roekel, E., Lodder, G., Bangee, M.,
Andrew Stroud