Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-dnltx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-17T02:05:00.928Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Social Media Use and Social Connectedness in Adolescents: The Positives and the Potential Pitfalls

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 April 2014

Kelly A. Allen ,
Tracii Ryan Open the ORCID record for Tracii Ryan [Opens in a new window] ,
DeLeon L. Gray ,
Dennis M. McInerney  and
Lea Waters
Kelly A. Allen*
Affiliation:
The Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Tracii Ryan
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
DeLeon L. Gray
Affiliation:
College of Education North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Dennis M. McInerney
Affiliation:
The Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong, China
Lea Waters
Affiliation:
The Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
*
Address for correspondence: Kelly A. Allen, Educational and Developmental Psychologist, Toorak College, PO BOX 150, Mount Eliza VIC 3930, Australia. Email: Kellya@toorakc.vic.edu.au
Get access

Abstract

As social media use is rising among adolescents, the issue of whether this use leads to positive or negative outcomes warrants greater understanding. This article critically reviews the literature related to this important topic. Specifically, we examine how social media use affects social connectedness in terms of three elements of adolescent development: sense of belonging, psychosocial wellbeing, and identity development and processes. Mixed findings are reported regarding the role that social media plays in fostering social connectedness, which suggests that young people may experience both positive and negative psychological outcomes. As a result, this article argues that online tools create a paradox for social connectedness. On one hand, they elevate the ease in which individuals may form and create online groups and communities, but on the other, they can create a source of alienation and ostracism. This article contributes to ongoing discourse in the area of educational and developmental psychology, and has implications for researchers and practitioners working with adolescents.

Keywords

inclusive educationeducational psychologyschool psychologyspecial education
Type
Articles
Information
The Educational and Developmental Psychologist , Volume 31 , Issue 1 , July 2014 , pp. 18 - 31
Copyright
Copyright © Australian Psychological Society Ltd 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abrams, D., Weick, M., Thomas, D., Colbe, H., & Franklin, K.M. (2011). On-line ostracism affects children differently from adolescents and adults. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 29, 110–123. doi:10.1348/026151010´494089Google Scholar
Adams, W.L. (2011, August 8). Were Twitter or Blackberrys used to fan flames of London's riots? Time. Retrieved December 22, 2013, from http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2087337,00.htmlGoogle Scholar
Anderson-Butcher, D., & Conroy, D.E. (2002). Factorial and criterion validity of scores of a measure of belonging in youth development programs. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 62, 857–876. doi:10.1177/001316402236882CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arnett, J.J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55 (5), 469–480. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.55.5.469CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2011). Nearly three-quarters of Australian households now have broadband. Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/lookup/8146.0Media%20Release12010-11Google Scholar
Baker, E., & Bugay, A. (2011). Peer victimization and depressive symptoms: The mediation role of loneliness. Procedia — Social and Behavioral Sciences, 30, 1303–1307. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.10.253Google Scholar
Barker, V. (2012). A generational comparison of social networking site use: The influence of age and social identity. International Journal of Aging & Human Development, 74 (2), 163–187. doi:10.2190/AG.74.2.dGoogle Scholar
Baumeister, R.F., & Leary, M.R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117 (3), 497–529. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.117.3.497Google Scholar
Bonetti, L., Campbell, M.A., & Gilmore, L. (2010). The relationship of loneliness and social anxiety with children's and adolescents’ online communication. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 13 (3), 279–285. doi:10.1089/cyber.2009.0215CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and loss: Attachment. London: Hogarth Publishers.Google Scholar
Bowlby, J. (1973). Attachment and loss, Vol. 2: Separation. New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Bradley, G.L., & Inglis, B.C. (2012). Adolescent leisure dimensions, psychosocial adjustment, and gender effects. Journal of Adolescence, 35, 1167–1176. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2012.03.006Google Scholar
Caplan, S.E. (2003). Preference for online social interaction: A theory of problematic Internet use and psychosocial well-being. Communication Research, 30, 625–648. doi:10.1177/0093650203257842Google Scholar
Cohen, A.P. (1982). Belonging: Identity and social organization in British rural cultures. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press.Google Scholar
Cohen, A.P. (1985). The symbolic construction of community. London: Tavistock.Google Scholar
D’Amato, G., Cecchi, L., Liccardi, G., Pellegrino, F., D’Amato, M., & Sofia, M. (2012). Social networks: A new source of psychological stress or a way to enhance self-esteem? Negative and positive implications in bronchial asthma. Journal of Investigational Allergology and Clinical Immunology, 22 (6), 402–405. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23101183Google Scholar
Davis, K. (2012). Friendship 2.0: Adolescents’ experiences of belonging and self-disclosure online. Journal of Adolescence, 35, 1527–1536. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2012.02.013CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davis, K. (2013). Young people's digital lives: The impact of interpersonal relationships and digital media use on adolescents’ sense of identity. Computers and Human Behavior, 29, 2281–2293. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2013.05.022CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deci, E.L., & Ryan, R.M. (1991). A motivational approach to self: Integration in personality. In Dienstbier, R. (Ed.), Nebraska Symposium on Motivation: Perspectives on motivation (vol. 38, pp. 237–288). Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.Google Scholar
Douglas, K. (2013, July). Understanding cyberhate: The psychology of prejudice and discrimination in online communication. Paper session presented at the Social Networking in Cyberspace Conference, Wolverhampton, UK.Google Scholar
Fiske, S.T. (2004). Social beings: A core motives approach to social psychology. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.Google Scholar
Fitzpatrick, K.M., Dulin, A., & Piko, B. (2010). Bullying and depressive symptomatology among low-income, African-American youth. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39 (6), 634–45. doi:10.1007/s10964-009-9426-8Google Scholar
Fox, J., Warber, K.M., & Makstaller, D. (2013). The role of Facebook in romantic relationship development: An exploration of Knapp's relational stage model. Journal of Social & Personal Relationships, 30, 771–794. doi:10.1177/0265407512468370Google Scholar
Gajaria, A., Yeung, E., Goodale, T., & Charach, A. (2011). Beliefs about attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and response to stereotypes: Youth postings in Facebook groups. Journal of Adolescent Heath, 49, 15–20. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2010.09.004Google Scholar
Gillen-O’Neel, C., & Fuligni, A. (2013). Longitudinal study of school belonging and academic motivation across high school. Child Development, 84 (2), 678–692. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2012.01862.xGoogle Scholar
Gonsalkorale, K., & Williams, K.D. (2007). The KKK won't let me play: Ostracism even by a despised outgroup hurts. European Journal of Social Psychology, 37, 1176–1186. doi:10.1002/ejsp.392CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harter, S. (1999). The construction of the self: A developmental perspective. New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Harwood, J. (1999). Age identification, social identity gratifications, and television viewing. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 43, 123–136. doi:10.1080/08838159909364479Google Scholar
Hill, P.L., Allemand, M., Grob, S.Z., Pen, A., Morgenthaler, C., & Kӓppler, C. (2013). Longitudinal relations between personality traits and aspects of identity formation during adolescence. Journal of Adolescence, 26, 413–421. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2013.01.003Google Scholar
Ko, H., & Kuo, F. (2009). Can blogging enhance subjective wellbeing through self-disclosure? CyberPsychology & Behaviour, 12 (1), 75–79. doi:10.1089/cpb.2008.0163Google Scholar
Koster, M., Nakken, H., Pijl, S.J., & van Houten, E. (2009). Being part of the peer group: A literature study focusing on the social dimension of inclusion in education. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 13 (2), 117–140. doi:10.1080/13603110701284680CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laghi, F., Schneider, B.H., Vitoroulis, I., Coplan, R.J., Baiocco, R., Amichai-Hamburger, Y., Hudek, N., Koszycki, D., Miller, S., & Flament, M. (2013). Knowing when not to use the Internet: Shyness and adolescents’ on-line and off-line interactions with friends. Computers in Human Behavior, 29, 51–57. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2012.07.015Google Scholar
Lanza, H.I., Echols, L., & Graham, S. (2013). Deviating from the norm: Body mass index (BMI) differences and psychosocial adjustment among early adolescent girls. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 38 (4), 376–386. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jss130Google Scholar
McInerney, D.M. (2014). Educational psychology: Constructing learning (6th ed.). Sydney, Australia: Pearson.Google Scholar
Madden, M., Lenhart, A., Cortesi, S., Gasser, U., Duggan, M., Smith, A., & Beaton, M. (2013, May 21). Teens, social media, and privacy. Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved January 8, 2014, from http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Teens-Social-Media-And-Privacy/Main-Report/Part-1.aspxGoogle Scholar
Manago, A.M., Graham, M.B., Greenfield, P.M., & Salimkhan, G. (2008). Self-presentation and gender on MySpace. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 29, 446–458. doi:10.1016/j.appdev.2008.07.001Google Scholar
Margalit, M. (2010). Lonely children and adolescents: Self-perceptions, social exclusion, and hope. New York: Springer.Google Scholar
Martin, A.J., & Dowson, M. (2009). Interpersonal relationships, motivation, engagement, and achievement: Yields for theory, current issues, and practice. Review of Educational Research, 79, 327–365.Google Scholar
Maslow, A.H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50, 370–396. doi:10.1037/h0054346CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mensah, F.K., Bayer, J.K., Wake, M., Carlin, J.B., Allen, N.B., & Patton, G.C. (2013). Early puberty and childhood social and behavioral adjustment. Journal of Adolescent Health, 53, 118–124. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.12.018Google Scholar
Milian, M. (2011). CNN Tech: Facebook, Google refer suicidal people to help lines. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/13/tech/web/facebook-google-suicide/Google Scholar
Newman, B.M., Lohman, B.J., & Newman, P.R. (2007). Peer group membership and a sense of belonging: Their relationship to adolescent behavior problems. Adolescence, 42 (166), 241–263. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17849935Google Scholar
Nurullah, A.S. (2009). The cell phone as an agent of social change. Rocky Mountain Communication Review, 6 (1), 19–25. doi:10.1016/j.trf.2013.03.006Google Scholar
Olenik-Shemesh, D., Heiman, T., & Eden, S. (2012). Cyberbullying victimisation in adolescence: Relationships with loneliness and depressive mood. Emotional & Behavioural Difficulties, 17 (3), 361–374. doi:10.1080/13632752.2012.704227CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pharo, H., Gross, J., Richardson, R., & Hayne, H. (2011). Age-related changes in the effect of ostracism. Social Influence, 6 (1), 22–38. doi:10.1080/15534510.2010.525852Google Scholar
Putnam, R.D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York: Simon & Schuster.Google Scholar
Quinn, S., & Oldmeadow, J.A. (2013). Is the igeneration a ‘we’ generation? Social networking use among 9- to 13-year-olds and belonging. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 31, 136–142. doi:10.1111/bjdp.12007Google Scholar
Reeve, J., Deci, E.L., & Ryan, R.M. (2004). Self-determination theory. A dialectical framework for understanding sociocultural influences on student motivation. In McInerney, D.M. & Van Etten, S. (Eds.), Research on sociocultural influences on motivation and learning: Big theories revisited (vol. 4, pp. 31–59). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Press.Google Scholar
Ryan, T., & Xenos, S. (2011). Who uses Facebook? An investigation into the relationship between the Big Five, shyness, narcissism, loneliness, and Facebook usage. Computers in Human Behavior, 27, 1658–1664.Google Scholar
Schachter, E.P., & Rich, Y. (2011). Identity education: A conceptual framework for educational researchers and practitioners. Educational Psychologist, 46, 222–238. doi:10.1080/00461520.2011.614509Google Scholar
Sharabi, A., & Margalit, M. (2011a). The mediating role of internet connection, virtual friends, and mood in predicting loneliness among students with and without learning disabilities in different educational environments. Journal of Learning Disabillities, 44, 215–227. doi:10.1177/0022219409357080Google Scholar
Sharabi, A., & Margalit, M. (2011b). Virtual friendships and social distress among adolescents with and without learning disabilities: The subtyping approach. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 26, 379–394. doi:10.1080/08856257.2011.595173Google Scholar
Shochet, I.M., Smith, C.L., Furlong, M., & Homel, R. (2011). A prospective study investigating the impact of school belonging factors on negative affect in adolescents. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 40, 586–595. doi:10.1080/15374416.2011.581616Google Scholar
Socialbakers.com (2014). Social media marketing, statistics & monitoring tools. Retrieved January 22, 2014, from www.socialbakers.comGoogle Scholar
Steinberg, L. (2008). A social neuroscience perspective on adolescent risk-taking. Developmental Review, 28 (1), 78–106. doi:10.1016/j.dr.2007.08.002Google Scholar
Teo, T. (2013). An initial development and validation of a Digital Natives Assessment Scale (DNAS). Computers & Education, 67, 51–57. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2013.02.012Google Scholar
Tortajada, I., Arauena, N., & Martínez, I.J. (2013). Advertising stereotypes and gender representation in social networking sites. Comunicar, 21 (41), 177–186. doi:10.3916/C41-2013-17CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Trope, Y., Ferguson, M., & Raghunathan, R. (2001). Mood as a resource in processing self-relevant information. In Forgas, J.P. (Ed.), Handbook of affect and social cognition (pp. 256–274). Hillsdale, NJ: Laurence ErlbaumGoogle Scholar
Valkenburg, P.M., & Peter, J. (2009). The effects of instant messaging on the quality of adolescents’ existing friendships: A longitudinal study. Journal of Communication, 59, 79–97. doi:10.1111/j.1460–2466.2008.01405.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williams, K.D. (2007). Ostracism. Annual Review of Psychology, 58, 425–452. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.58.110405.085641CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Williams, K.D., & Nida, S.A. (2011). Ostracism: Consequences and coping. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20 (2), 71–75. doi:10.1177/0963721411402480Google Scholar
Zadro, L., Williams, K.D., & Richardson, R. (2004). How low can you go? Ostracism by a computer is sufficient to lower self-reported levels of belonging, control, self-esteem, and meaningful existence. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 40, 560–567. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2003.11.006Google Scholar