Shyness and social media use: A meta-analytic summary of moderating and mediating effects

Abstract

Since the advent of social networking sites (SNSs) such as Facebook and Twitter (often called social media), the link between shyness and using these platforms has received substantial scholarly attention. We assumed that the diverging findings could be explained by the patterns of use examined in the primary studies. A three-level, random effects meta-analysis was conducted (50 effect sizes, total N = 6989). Shyness and SNS use across all available indicators were unrelated. As predicted, the association was moderated by the specific SNS use pattern. Shyness was negatively associated with active use (e.g., posting photos), ρ = −0.11, 95% CI [−0.20, −0.03], and with the number of SNS contacts (i.e., online network size), ρ = −0.26, 95% CI [−0.34, −0.17]. Negligible or no associations were found for general use (e.g., daily logins), ρ = 0.07, 95% CI [0.02, 0.13], or passive use (reading others’ posts), ρ = 0.07, 95% CI [−0.01, 0.14]. A meta-analytic mediation model suggests that the number of SNS contacts can partially explain the previously identified negative association between shyness and well-being.