Social Media and Friendship Closeness Study Notes

Social Media Use and Friendship Closeness in Adolescents' Daily Lives

Study Overview

• Title: Social Media Use and Friendship Closeness in Adolescents' Daily Lives: An Experience Sampling Study.
• Objective: To investigate the effects of social media use on friendship closeness in middle adolescence.
• Method: Experience Sampling Study (ESM) conducted among 387 adolescents, reporting six times per day for three weeks.
• Platforms Studied: Instagram, WhatsApp, and Snapchat.

Key Questions Addressed

• How do in-the-moment co-fluctuations of social media use and friendship closeness occur in adolescents' daily lives?
• Does interaction with close friends drive the effect of social media use on friendship closeness?
• Do different social media platforms yield different effects on friendship closeness?

Hypotheses

• H1a: Adolescents who use social media more frequently will experience higher average levels of friendship closeness (positive between-person association).
• H1b: Adolescents will experience higher levels of friendship closeness after using social media in the previous hour (positive within-person association).
• H2a: Adolescents who are more frequently in touch with close friends via social media will experience higher average levels of friendship closeness (positive between-person association).
• H2b: Adolescents will experience higher levels of friendship closeness after using social media with their close friends compared to using social media without close friends (positive within-person association).
• H3a & H3b: WhatsApp and Snapchat use will be more strongly positively associated with friendship closeness than Instagram use, both at the between-person and within-person levels.

Key Findings

• Positive between-person associations were found between friendship closeness and general WhatsApp use, and Instagram use with close friends.
• Small negative overall associations at the within-person level were observed between general WhatsApp use and Instagram use (with and without close friends) and friendship closeness.
• Significant heterogeneity was found in person-specific effect sizes of the within-person associations of social media use with friendship closeness (e.g., Instagram use with close friends ranged from β = .745 to β = -.697).

Theoretical Framework

• Stimulation Hypothesis: Suggests that reduced social cues in social media interactions may make adolescents feel more comfortable disclosing intimate information, stimulating friendship closeness.
• Transformation Framework: Explains that social media use may be related to momentary fluctuations in friendship closeness due to the accessibility affordance of social media.
• Social Displacement Hypothesis: Suggests that social media use without close friends may displace time spent on face-to-face interactions, reducing friendship closeness.

Effect Sizes

• Standardized effect sizes used to compare the impact of different platforms on friendship closeness.

Statistical Analysis Method

• Multilevel modeling used to analyze the data, accounting for the nested structure of repeated momentary assessments within individuals.

Additional Considerations

• Includes discussion of the study's strengths, limitations, and implications for future research.
• Explores gender differences in the relationship between social media use and friendship closeness.
• Acknowledges the impact of the constant accessibility of social media on friendship closeness.
• Suggests investigating the moderating role of trait levels of friendship quality, social anxiety, and social competence in future research.