Since more and more people have begun to use social networking sites (SNSs), research on the use of SNSs is flourishing. This study examines Instagram use and the psychological well-being of the users. It was conducted based on two samples (n1 = 143 and n2 = 320) examining the relationship between Instagram use, social capital, and satisfaction with life using online questionnaires. Social capital was divided into bonding and bridging social capital and Instagram use was distinguished depending on an active and passive mode, respectively. Instagram use was measured by a behavioral report – the Instagram Activity Questionnaire (IAQ) – which was developed in accordance with the Facebook-Activity Questionnaire (FAQ; cf., Ozimek & Bierhoff, 2016). The results indicated consistently in both samples the occurrence of positive associations between mode of Instagram use and social capital variables. Furthermore, only bonding social capital – not bridging social capital – was positively correlated to satisfaction with life. A path model showed that the negative association of active Instagram use and satisfaction with life was positively mediated by bonding social capital. These results are discussed based on social capital theory. Limitations of this investigation are pointed out and suggestions for future research are outlined.

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the use of video conferences in professional settings increased rapidly. Here, we examine how individual and situational characteristics jointly predict active behavior in video conferences (i.e., activating one’s webcam, small talk, contacting other attendees) between strangers. We focus on external networking as well as proactive and reactive online networking and social anxiety as individual characteristics and investigate how these interact with social norms (operationalized as proportion of other attendees using the webcam), in predicting our outcome variable active video conference behavior. An online vignette experiment with three conditions (social norms: 25 vs. 75% of other attendees using the webcam vs. offline) was conducted to analyze the self-reported likelihood of active video conference versus active offline behavior. Regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. Results indicate that external networking is a positive and social anxiety a negative predictor of self-reported active video conference behavior. Furthermore, the likelihood of engaging in active (video conference) behavior differed between the three scenarios, with highest values in the offline scenario and lowest in the online scenario with only 25% of other attendees using the webcam. However, no interaction effects of social norms with social anxiety were found. Overall, the findings suggest that individual differences in networking tendencies and social anxiety and social norms influence active behavior in video conferences independently.

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