University of Twente Student Theses
The relation between self-esteem and social media usage during the COVID-19 pandemic while considering age and gender
Zabrowarny, Julia (2024) The relation between self-esteem and social media usage during the COVID-19 pandemic while considering age and gender.
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| Abstract: | The recent COVID-19 pandemic imposed a high health threat on the population, forcing numerous safety measures to be implemented, such as social distancing and quarantines. This social isolation likely resulted in an increased usage of social media which is known to have adverse effects on individual’s self-esteem, with these effects differentiating between age groups and genders. The current study examined the relation between self-esteem and social media usage before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, while considering the role of age and gender. The study used a longitudinal design, and the data was collected by Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences (LISS). The sample consisted of 2135 participants (51% female, 49% of male) with the average age of 42.1. Line graphs and Within-Subject Contrasts were used to examine the changes of self-esteem and social media usage before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pearson’s correlation and a repeated measure ANOVA analysis was used to examine the relationship between self-esteem and social media usage over time, including age and gender as covariates. A decrease in self-esteem and an increase in social media was found, however, the effect size of both changes was very small. No significant relation was found between self-esteem and social media usage over time, and age and gender did not explain this relationship. A significant limitation of this study related to the instrument of measurement of social media usage, which should be considered for future research. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology MSc (66604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/103204 |
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