Introduction
Theoretical frameworks provide context and direction for research studies. They allow the researcher to clarify hypotheses and research questions based on previous theoretical and empirical work. This paper will summarize a proposed study focusing on how social media usage impacts adolescent mental health and well-being. Specifically, it aims to investigate if higher social media use predicts increased depression, anxiety, and loneliness in high school students.
To provide context and rationale for this focus, this paper will first outline two relevant theoretical frameworks that are commonly cited in similar research studies: social comparison theory and the displacement hypothesis. It will then discuss how these frameworks have guided the development of hypotheses and informed research design decisions for the proposed study. Finally, limitations of relying solely on these frameworks and opportunities for future theoretical developments are considered.
Social Comparison Theory
Social comparison theory posits that people have a drive to gain accurate self-evaluation by comparing themselves to others (Festinger, 1954). In the context of social media use, it suggests that adolescents frequently compare their own lives to curated versions of peers’ lives presented online. Upward social comparisons, where one compares oneself to someone perceived as better off, can negatively impact self-esteem and well-being (Gibbons & Buunk, 1999).
Social media platforms are conducive environments for upward comparisons because users selectively share positive life events and images that portray an idealized version of themselves (Chou & Edge, 2012). Adolescents still developing their identities may be particularly vulnerable to internalizing unattainable standards of beauty, popularity, success or happiness presented by their online peers (Feinstein et al., 2013). Further, the ability to view many peer profiles simultaneously exacerbates the frequency of comparisons.
This framework informs hypotheses that social media use correlates with increased depressive symptoms, anxiety, and feelings of inadequacy or loneliness in adolescents as they repeatedly expose themselves to upward comparisons on platforms. It also provides rationale for investigating whether appearance-focused comparisons specifically relating to body image or number of social connections correlate more strongly with worse outcomes.
Displacement Hypothesis
The displacement hypothesis suggests that time spent engaged with media and technology displaces time available for face-to-face social interaction and other productive activities beneficial for well-being (Kraut et al., 1998). While originally focused on television and computer use, this framework has also been applied to social media (Boyd, 2014). It argues excessive social media engagement could deprive adolescents of opportunities for in-person socialization important for social skills development and meeting psychosocial needs.
Proponents of this view argue social media interactions cannot fully substitute for or replicate the psychological benefits derived from unmediated interactions and relationships (Best et al., 2014; Rosen et al., 2013). This is because face-to-face communication allows for reading complex social cues, self-disclosure and intimacy development not easily achieved through screens. It also ensures engagement in productive behaviours like exercise, hobbies and quality time with family that promote well-being.
This theory informs hypotheses that greater social media usage predicts poorer mental health indirectly by displacing time available for beneficial activities and relationships. It also guides inclusion of variables measuring both social media engagement hours as well as frequency of in-person interactions to explore this mediating relationship. Differences based on platform type may also emerge, for example viewing passive content on YouTube versus actively communicating on Snapchat.
Proposed Study
Based on these theoretical lenses, a questionnaire study is proposed to investigate social media use, depression, anxiety, loneliness and well-being scales in a sample of high school students. Social comparison tendencies and time-displacement will also be measured. Analyses will explore correlations between platforms/activities and outcomes, and test whether social comparison and time-use mediate these relationships.
Study limitations
While these frameworks provide starting points, relying solely on existing theories risks overlooking important new dynamics of online social interaction. Firstly, relationships online can still fulfill some psychosocial needs like a sense of belonging, especially for socially anxious adolescents with few close offline friends.
Secondly, social media allows for maintaining weak ties across distances that may be valuable sources of informational/emotional support. The displacement hypothesis in particular fails to consider blended integration of online and offline lives in today’s “threshold society” (Licoppe, 2004). The functions and effects of social tools are also constantly evolving alongside new platforms, features and practices.
Future work should evaluate theoretical models and assumptions through qualitative methods like focus groups and interviews to understand adolescent experiences from their perspective. Combining deductive and inductive approaches could develop conceptual frameworks more sensitive to user agency and contextual factors like platform affordances, peer cultures and individual differences. Longitudinal data would also improve causal claims about social media impacts.
Conclusion
Existing theory provides a starting point but future research in this area would benefit from more nuanced frameworks attuned to the intricacies of digitally-mediated sociality. While guiding this proposed questionnaire research, social comparison and displacement perspectives leave some dynamics unaddressed and could benefit from elaboration through mixed-method, user-centered approaches over time. Nonetheless, systematically investigating hypotheses derived from relevant literature can advance contextual understanding of relationships between social media use and adolescent mental health issues.
Andrew Stroud