Abstract
Social networking sites (SNSs) have become ubiquitous in our everyday lives, and for all its communicative benefits, excessive SNS use has been associated with a range of negative health implications. In the present study, the authors use eye-tracking methodology to explore the relationship between individual differences in personality, mental well-being, SNS usage, and the focus of Facebook users’ visual attention. Participants (n = 69, mean age = 23.09, SD = 7.54) completed questionnaire measures for personality and to examine changes in depression, anxiety, stress, and self-esteem. They then engaged in a Facebook session while their eye movements and fixations were recorded. These fixations were coded as being directed to social and update areas of interest (AOI) of the Facebook interface. An exploratory analysis of personality factors revealed a negative correlation between openness to experience and inspection times for the updates AOI and an unexpected negative relationship between extraversion and inspection times for social AOI. There were correlations between changes in depression score and inspection of updates AOI, with reduced depression scores associated with increased inspection of updates. Finally, self-reported duration of participants’ typical Facebook sessions did not correlate with eye-tracking measures but were associated with increased Facebook addiction scores and greater increases in depression scores. These initial findings indicate that there are differences in the outcomes of interacting with Facebook which can vary based on Facebook addiction, personality variables, and the Facebook features that individuals interact with.
Highlights
Social networking sites (SNSs) such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have become synonymous with daily-life activities with more than one billion daily users [1,2]
Social networking site addiction prevalence rates vary across countries; 1.6% was reported among a Nigerian sample [12], 8.6% was reported among a Peruvian sample [13], and 12%
The present study explored the relationships between depression, anxiety, stress, self-esteem, and Facebook addiction
Summary
Social networking sites (SNSs) such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have become synonymous with daily-life activities with more than one billion daily users [1,2]. Social networking sites allow users to engage in a variety of activities including posting photos, communicating, updating profiles/status, checking the news, and playing games [3]. These activities can provide immediate gratification; long-term excessive SNS use can lead to negative health implications and even addiction to SNSs [4,5,6]. Several studies have linked online activities (such as online gaming, social networking site use, and online gambling) to substance use disorders [7,8], and engaging in excessive use of SNSs can potentially lead to addiction [9]. Social networking site addiction prevalence rates vary across countries; 1.6% was reported among a Nigerian sample [12], 8.6% was reported among a Peruvian sample [13], and 12%
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