Motives for Social Media Use

Question: Why are adolescents so drawn to social media? 

Answer: One reason adolescents are so drawn to social media may be the result of the compelling design features of social media that tap into adolescents’ developmental needs. For instance, social media platforms allow users to engage with and create content that enables them to explore their identity, form a sense of belonging with peers, and expand their learning (Moreno & Uhls, 2019). Social media features, such as the number of likes, comments, or followers on content may urge adolescents to regularly keep up with what is trending on social media to stay connected with their peers as well as to socially compare how well-liked their content is compared to others. Other features like “recommended” content tailored to adolescents’ interests, auto-play, and curated content that encourages teens to stay engaged on specific apps and platforms (Weinstein & James, 2022).  

Phones can be particularly alluring with the number of notifications, messages, and updates teens receive each day. Research data suggests that the average teen receives 237 notifications a day, with about 23% of notifications arriving during school hours, and about 5% during the overnight/early AM hours (Radesky et al., 2023). A logical recommendation may be to suggest that teens need to learn how to ignore or turn notifications off, but many teens feel the need to respond to messages right away because they do not want to upset their friends (Fox et al., 2023). 

Other researchers have investigated specific reasons for why adolescents use social media. One of the most reported motives for use is boredom, especially from late adolescence to emerging adulthood (Stockdale & Coyne, 2020). The second most reported reason for using social media is for social connection: in a study of college freshman, students most often reported using social media to communicate with friends (Barker, 2009). Further, 76.3% of adolescents have reported feeling pressure to respond quickly and be constantly available to friend messages to avoid friendship conflict (Fox et al., 2023). Many teens also use text messaging to express excitement and to make plans with friends (Yau, McParlan & Reich, 2021).   

Another explanation for using social media rather than focusing on school and other activities may be adolescents’ fear of missing out (FoMO), which is defined as “a pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent” and coincides with a “desire to stay continually connected with what others are doing” (Przybylski et al., 2013, p. 1841).  

Adolescents who have a strong need for popularity and to belong are more likely to have FoMO (Beyens et al., 2016). A collection of studies have shown FoMO to be more strongly related to problematic social media use compared to general social media use (Akbari et al., 2021; Fioravanti et al., 2021; Zhang et al., 2021). (See our previous portal response for more information about problematic social media use). 

FoMo also increases the likelihood a student will engage in phone multitasking while learning. Phone multitasking during school is prevalent among college students regardless of gender or culture (Chen & Yan, 2016). But students who have FoMO are also more likely to have positive attitudes toward using their phone in class which can impact their course performance (Rosen et al., 2018). In contrast, teens who are less likely to experience fear of missing out are less likely to keep their phone on or near them while doing homework (Yau, McParlan & Reich, 2021). 

It is important to note that phone multitasking and its impact on school performance depends upon the type of content distracting adolescents’ schoolwork and the characteristics of the individual learner. Engaging with social media while learning tends to impact school achievement, but using the phone to read email, talk on the phone, or search online does not impact achievement (Chen & Yan, 2016). Students who are impulsive, high in sensation seeking and low in executive control are more likely to engage in phone multitasking while learning (Chen & Yan, 2016).   

For more information on how to encourage youth to be present during offline activities, please see this previous portal response. 

References 

• Akbari, M., Seydavi, M., Palmieri, S., Mansueto, G., Caselli, G., & Spada, M. M. (2021). Fear of missing out (FoMO) and internet use: A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 10(4), 879-900.  
• Anderson, M., Faverio, M., & Gottfried, J. (2023). Teens, Social Media and Technology 2023. Pew Research Center.  
• Bányai, F., Zsila, Á., Király, O., Maraz, A., Elekes, Z., Griffiths, M. D., ... & Demetrovics, Z. (2017). Problematic social media use: Results from a large-scale nationally representative adolescent sample. PloS one, 12(1), e0169839. 
• Barker, V. (2009). Older adolescents' motivations for social network site use: The influence of gender, group identity, and collective self-esteem. Cyberpsychology & behavior, 12(2), 209-213. 
• Beyens, I., Frison, E., & Eggermont, S. (2016). “I don’t want to miss a thing”: Adolescents’ fear of missing out and its relationship to adolescents’ social needs, Facebook use, and Facebook related stress. Computers in human behavior, 64, 1-8. 
• Bowman, L. L., Waite, B. M., & Levine, L. E. (2015). Multitasking and attention: Implications for college students. The Wiley handbook of psychology, technology, and society, 388-403. 
• Chen, Q., & Yan, Z. (2016). Does multitasking with mobile phones affect learning? A review. Computers in Human behavior, 54, 34-42. 
• Galla, B. M., Choukas-Bradley, S., Fiore, H. M., & Esposito, M. V. (2021). Valuesalignment messaging boosts adolescents’ motivation to control social media use. Child Development, 92(5), 1717–1734. 
• LaFontana, K. M., & Cillessen, A. H. (2010). Developmental changes in the priority of perceived status in childhood and adolescence. Social Development, 19(1), 130-147. 
• Przybylski, A. K., Murayama, K., DeHaan, C. R., & Gladwell, V. (2013). Motivational, emotional, and behavioral correlates of fear of missing out. Computers in human behavior, 29(4), 1841-1848. 
• Fioravanti, G., Casale, S., Benucci, S. B., Prostamo, A., Falone, A., Ricca, V., & Rotella, F. (2021). Fear of missing out and social networking sites use and abuse: A meta-analysis. Computers in Human Behavior, 122, 106839. 
• Fox, K. A., Nick, E., Nesi, J., Telzer, E. H., & Prinstein, M. J. (2023). Why Haven’t You Texted Me Back? Adolescents’ Digital Entrapment, Friendship Conflict, and Perceived General Health. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 1-11. 
• Moreno MA, Uhls YT. Applying an affordances approach and a developmental lens to approach adolescent social media use. DIGITAL HEALTH. 2019;5. doi:10.1177/2055207619826678 
• Rosen, L. D., Carrier, L. M., & Cheever, N. A. (2013). Facebook and texting made me do it: Media-induced task-switching while studying. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(3), 948-958. 
• Radesky, J., Weeks, H.M., Schaller, A., Robb, M., Mann, S., and Lenhart, A. (2023). Constant Companion: A Week in the Life of a Young Person's Smartphone Use. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense. 
• Rosen, L. D., Carrier, L. M., Pedroza, J. A., Elias, S., O’Brien, K. M., Lozano, J., ... & Ruiz, A. (2018). The role of executive functioning and technological anxiety (FOMO) in college course performance as mediated by technology usage and multitasking habits. Psicologia Educativa, 24(1), 14. 
• Stockdale, L. A., & Coyne, S. M. (2020). Bored and online: Reasons for using social media, problematic social networking site use, and behavioral outcomes across the transition from adolescence to emerging adulthood. Journal of adolescence, 79, 173-183. 
• Weinstein E, James C. (2022). School-Based Initiatives Promoting Digital Citizenship and Healthy Digital Media Use. In: Nesi J, Telzer EH, Prinstein MJ, eds. Handbook of Adolescent Digital Media Use and Mental Health. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press;365-388. doi:10.1017/9781108976237.020 
• Yau, J. C., McPartlan, P., & Reich, S. M. (2021). Motives for Texting During Early Adolescence. Frontiers in Human Dynamics, 3, 602368. 
• Zhang, Y., Li, S., & Yu, G. (2021). The relationship between social media use and fear of missing out: A meta-analysis. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 53(3), 273. 

Age: 10-17  

Topics: Present, Mindfulness, Multitasking, Alternative Activities, School, Community 

Role: Other Professional