University of Twente Student Theses
Association between social media screen time and subjective well-being moderated by neuroticism
Niemann, Fabian (2022) Association between social media screen time and subjective well-being moderated by neuroticism.
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| Abstract: | In recent years, social networks have become very important in daily life, and they are present everywhere. With the rise of smartphones, access to social networks has become even easier and thus, we spend a lot of time on these social networks. Previous research indicated that the time we spend on social networks, social media screen time, is associated with changes in subjective well-being (SWB) (Tromholt, 2016). The personality trait neuroticism seems to play a role in this relationship as well, as people with a higher level of neuroticism spent more time on social networks (Correa et al., 2010; Ehrenberg et al., 2008). Therefore, the goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between social media screen time and subjective well-being and whether neuroticism possesses a moderating effect. During this research, a survey with a cross-sectional design was conducted. The participants’ (N=116) subjective well-being was measured with the BBC-Subjective well-being scale (Pontin et al., 2013), and the neuroticism level was determined using the eight Big Five Inventory scale with questions concerning neuroticism only (John & Srivastava, 1999). Additionally, social media screen time was measured with the help of a self-developed questionnaire making use of estimations and screen time recordings (tracking) applications. There was no significant association between social media screen time and SWB (r(114) = .02, p = .84). Furthermore, there was no moderating function of neuroticism onto the relationship between social media screen time and SWB (b = .03, p = .44). However, neuroticism was found to have a significant independent effect on SWB (b = -1.36, p<.001). A potential explanation for this might be that the measurement of SWB was too broad across its facets to measure more affected details such as loneliness. Alternatively, the not differentiated view on the purposes of the applications, as each purpose elicits a different reaction, could have caused a diminishing of the relationship. Furthermore, the general data collection during the COVID-19 pandemic might have diminished the moderating effect of neuroticism as probably overall screen times increased. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology BSc (56604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/89355 |
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