Relationship between social media use, self-esteem and satisfaction with life

Abstract

The usage of social media has risen rapidly over recent years. This remarkable increase in popularity has drastically affected users’ lives, and the phenomenon has drawn the attention of researchers. Prior research has generally evaluated social media use on a single platform (Facebook). However, social media statistics have indicated that there has been a dramatic decrease in Facebook usage among 18-25-years-old, though older people have started to use Facebook more actively. On the other hand, the use of some other social network platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter have increased dramatically among young adults. A few research studies have focused on social media use including Instagram, Snapchat, and LinkedIn. This study intends to contribute to the research in this area by examining the relationship between the usage of social media and self-esteem, and social media use and satisfaction with life among university students in the United States. To achieve this purpose, the Social Media Addiction Questionnaire (SMAQ) was used to assess the participants’ level of social media addiction. The survey also collected demographic information for the research participants. In addition to the SMAQ and demographic questions, the participants completed the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale and the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale. 188 students participated in this study. Multiple Regression Analyses and Pearson Product-Moment Correlation were used to analyze the results. It was found that social media use is a predictor of self-esteem, negative effect, and positive effect. However, there was no correlation between life satisfaction and social media use. In addition to this, the results indicated that there was a strong positive relationship between self-esteem, positive affect, and life satisfaction. Keywords: Social media use, self-esteem, and satisfaction with life