Sixteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

Social media use has increased among all age groups across the last decade. Some prior research states that frequent social media use can be associated with poorer mental health. However, many scholars suggest that greater attention is needed on social media’s effects on different types of mental health. Also, more research is needed on the unique ways that social media affects people from different age groups because the way social media is used often differs depending on one’s stage of life. To address these gaps, this project examines the following research questions: How is frequent use of social media and internet apps associated with optimism and determination? Does age moderate the relationships between these variables? And, third, is usage of the most common social media sites for one’s age group associated with optimism and determination? Data come from the 2016 wave of the General Social Survey (N=2,867). Preliminary results from OLS regression suggest that using social media and internet apps more than occasionally is associated with better optimism and determination, even when controlling for current happiness. For those in the age groups of 26 to 33, 50 to 65, and 66+, using the social media sites most common for one’s age group is also associated with better optimism. These results have important implications given the growing proportion of young adults who use social media for dating, job searching, and socializing, and for the growing proportion of middle-aged and older adults using social media for health-related care, entertainment, and maintaining connections.