Centennials, FOMO, and Loneliness: An Investigation of the Impact of Social Networking and Messaging/VoIP Apps Usage During the Initial Stage of the Coronavirus Pandemic

Abstract

The current COVID-19 pandemic has had obvious, well-documented devastating effects on people's physical health. In this research, we investigate its potential effects on people's mental health. Many people have experienced social isolation, as countries attempt to stem the spread of the disease through confinement and other forms of social distancing. Intuitively, such social isolation may increase feelings of loneliness, and people may take logical steps to reduce their feelings of social isolation and loneliness. One route is through the use of social networking apps (e.g., Facebook, Instagram) and messaging and VoIP apps (e.g., WhatsApp, iMessage). In this research, we investigate the effects of pandemic-induced social isolation on social networking and messaging apps, and potential related effects on loneliness. We surveyed young adults (N = 334) who are part of the Centennial cohort (born after 1995) from three different countries (Italy, Argentina, UK) and obtained their screen time usage data over a 4-week period starting from mid-March 2020. This sampling procedure allowed us to obtain data from respondents who were experiencing different degrees of mandated social isolation (lockdowns), which enabled us to determine whether social network and messaging app usage increased as a function of social isolation, and to test potential effects on levels of loneliness. Results showed that only social network usage increased in the initial stage of confinement as a function of lockdown initiation. Additionally, social network app usage was associated with increased feelings of loneliness, and this relation was mediated by fear of missing out (FOMO). In contrast, messaging app usage was associated with decreased feelings of loneliness, and was unrelated to FOMO. These results suggest that technology may be useful for mitigating the impact of loneliness during social isolation but that it is necessary to promote usage of messaging and VoIP apps, rather than social networking apps, because they are directly associated with decreases in loneliness without increasing FOMO.

Digital Media Use and Adolescents' Mental Health During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Few were conducted in Oceania ( n = 3), America ( n = 2), and Middle East ( n = 1). One study ( 36 ) collected data from Italy, Argentina, and United Kingdom. Six studies adopted a longitudinal design, ranging from 14 days ( 37 ) to twelve months ( 38 ).…”

“…In general, studies reported that social media use increased during the Covid-19 pandemic ( 36 , 47 , 56 , 60 , 62 ), including the usage of a variety of social media platforms (e.g., Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok). In particular, three studies reported that about one-third of the participants used social media for more than 5 h per day ( 40 , 50 , 56 ), with some participants reporting time spent on social platforms up to 10 h per day ( 40 ).…”

“…Similarly, a study found that messaging and the use of VoIP apps (e.g., Skype, Viber, WhatsApp) were associated with lower levels of loneliness. In contrast, general social media use increased feelings of loneliness via the mediating role of FoMO ( 36 ). A study of thirteen-year-old participants found that positive online experiences (e.g., feeling valued, receiving advice) decreased loneliness, whereas negative experiences (e.g., being cut-off and mistreated) augmented it ( 55 ).…”

“…subjective health rating was negatively correlated with daily sitting time, stress score, and anxiousness, while it showed a positive correlation with the MD adherence, sleep duration, quality of life, happiness and optimism during both study periods. Fumagalli et al (36) Results showed that only social network usage increased in the initial stage of confinement as a function of lockdown initiation. Additionally, social network app usage was associated with increased feelings of loneliness, and this relation was mediated by fear of missing out (FOMO).…”

Digital or In-Person: The Relationship Between Mode of Interpersonal Communication During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Mental Health in Older Adults From 27 Countries

“…The use of digital communication technologies is therefore not entirely foreign to older people, and researchers suggest that these technologies have beneficial effects on the everyday functioning of older adults. Studies suggest that use of digital communication technologies, as well as the use of social media networks, may potentially mitigate increased loneliness following forced social isolation (Fumagalli et al, 2021). Older adults who use video call apps (such as Skype) are estimated to show a twofold decrease in depressive symptoms; however, depression rates among older people using instant messaging and social media networks were similar to those who did not use any communication technology (Teo, Markwardt, & Hinton, 2019).…”