Enjoyment or Indulgence? Social Media Service Usage, Social Gratification, Self-Control Failure and Emotional Health

Abstract

Social networking site smartphone applications have been widely used among Chinese young adults. However, less is known about their effects on emotional health and the mechanisms through which they function. This study analyzes the relationship between college students’ smartphone social networking service use patterns, social gratification, social media self-control failure, and emotional health. Data was collected from 360 college students in China via application log tracking and a self-administered questionnaire. Structural equation modeling results showed that, after controlling for demographic variables, the use of video social networking site smartphone applications was associated with decreased social gratification, and ultimately, adverse emotional health. Using social networking site smartphone applications late at night exhibited worse emotional health via more social media self-control failure. The implications for designing and using social media applications are discussed.

Exploring the dimensionality of Fear of Missing Out: Associations with related constructs

“…Moreover, research also suggests that people may experience anxiety derived from SMSCF (Y. Liu et al, 2023). The finding that BSMAS and SMSCF were more strongly related with "pervasive apprehension" than with "desire for connection", instead of vice versa, does point at our general expectation that the two dimensions demonstrate differential correlations with problematic social media use.…”

Examining the growth in willingness to pay for digital wellbeing services on social media: A comparative analysis

“…The comparison between the 2020 and 2022 survey results showed a greater preference among individuals in 2022 for paying for wellbeing services, particularly for not prolonging usage time and reducing fake news and radicalism. Some individuals may find it difficult to regulate their use of social media and other online platforms, leading to negative impacts on their mental health and wellbeing [ [76] , [77] , [78] , [79] , [80] ]. Self-regulation of online use and improvement of mental wellbeing can potentially be achieved through features such as tools for screen time monitoring, notification limits, and mindfulness promotion [ 28 ].…”

Negative Emotions Will Be Welcomed: The Effect of Upward Comparison on Counterhedonic Consumption

“…In addition, upward comparisons are positively associated with compulsive consumption, which may arouse negative emotions (e.g., anxiety and regret) and have a detrimental effect on mental health [8,74]. Moreover, upward comparison can lead to indulgent food consumption, which can awaken negative emotions (e.g., anxiety and guilt) and damage consumers' physiological health and well-being [10,75,76]. Our research reminds consumers that they can choose counterhedonic consumption to mitigate the relative deprivation of upward comparisons and its adverse effects [77][78][79][80][81].…”