Problematic Social Network Use: Structure and Assessment

Covadonga González-Nuevo,Marcelino Cuesta,Álvaro Postigo,Álvaro Menéndez-Aller,José Muñiz

doi:10.1007/s11469-021-00711-y

Covadonga González-Nuevo, Marcelino Cuesta + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-021-00711-y

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Abstract

Using social networks (SNs) inappropriately can lead to psychological problems. The objective of this study was to develop a new measuring instrument of problematic use of SNs. The sample comprised 1003 participants over 18 years old (M = 42.33; SD = 14.32). Exploratory factor analysis was performed with a randomly selected 30% of the sample, and confirmatory factor analysis with the remaining 70%. The reliability of the instrument was estimated, and evidence of validity in relation to the variables—anxiety, depression and satisfaction with life—was obtained. The new scale demonstrated a two-dimensional structure (GFI =0.99; RMSEA= 0.06), with one factor of negative social comparison (α = 0.94) and another of addictive consequences (α = 0.91). Clear evidence of validity related to other variables was found. The new scale demonstrated good psychometric properties. The advantage of this questionnaire is that it assesses not only excessive use but also social comparison through SNs.

Highlights

Time spent in social networks (SNs) has been linked to various psychological problems such as depression, anxiety and psychological well-being (Frost & Rickwood, 2017; Hussain & Griffiths, 2021)
Various terms have been used to refer to maladaptive SNs use, such as problematic social media use (Bányai et al, 2017), social media disorder (Van Den Eijnden et al, 2016) and Facebook addiction (Andreassen et al, 2012)
An initial exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was done to confirm whether the data fitted to an essentially unidimensional structure, which gave an unsatisfactory fit (Table 2)

Summary

Introduction

Time spent in social networks (SNs) has been linked to various psychological problems such as depression, anxiety and psychological well-being (Frost & Rickwood, 2017; Hussain & Griffiths, 2021). The other approach applies Caplan’s (2010) model of problematic internet use to SNs. Studies based on Caplan’s (2010) model address typical symptoms of behavioural addiction, such as mood-related and negative consequences, and include other traits which would denote problematic use (Marino et al, 2016). Social comparison was defined by Festinger (1954) as the tendency to use other people as sources of information to examine one’s own abilities and ways of behaving, thinking, or feeling These comparisons, which are innate in humans, are intensified on SNs due to the almost limitless content available (Perloff, 2014). There are two possibilities: either the person compares themselves with someone they consider inferior (downward comparison) and their self-esteem improves or they compare themselves with someone considered superior (upward comparison), which is a common situation on SNs and is known to have negative effects on a person’s mental health (De Lenne et al, 2018; De Vries et al, 2018; Luong et al, 2019; Verduyn et al, 2020)

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