“It’s not a matter of exposure”: Exploring the impact of differential susceptibility variables on users’ vulnerability to adverse social media effects

نوع المستند : المقالة الأصلية

المؤلف

Assistant professor, Cairo university, Raio and Television department

المستخلص

 
While extensive use of social media has been consistently associated with the emergence of a wide array of adverse outcomes among users according to well established line of thought, it can not be drawn upon as the sole catalyst for these effects. Other factors like individual’s personality traits further contribute. The current work uses the differential susceptibility model of media effects as a framework to test for the impact of dispositional susceptibility variables on individuals’ use of social media and 3 subsequent distinct responses associated with these consumption patterns namely social comparison, loneliness and, life satisfaction. Findings stated that the most evident detrimental impact associated with social media consumption was social comparison that was significantly prevalent apart from individuals’ personality traits. in other terms, these virtual platforms foster upward social comparison patterns apart from individuals’’ perception of self-esteem. This signifies how social media have been constituting a fertile environment for psychologically distressing upward comparison patterns.

الكلمات الرئيسية