One-way or Two-way Arrow?: A Bidirectional Relationship Between Adolescent's Social Media Use and Peer Pressure and the Gender Difference

Abstract

Social media is a powerful tool and platform for the public to interact and exchange ideas and information. Its impact on adolescents is evident everywhere, and many researchers have made social media and adolescents a research topic. However, the relationship between teens using social media and peer pressure remains unclear. This review examined the specific relationships between the use of social media and peer pressure received by adolescents, including whether there is a gender-specific relationship. After organizing and summarizing previous studies, the results showed that social media use and peer pressure are positively correlated among adolescents and no gender-specific was found. This finding can be used to predict the social media usage of adolescents under high peer pressure and the level of peer pressure experienced by adolescents who frequently use social media. Since this study only is a review, the study's conclusions still need more quantitative research methods like experiments to prove.