Online Relationships Research Articles

Analysis of the Influence Factors of Social Media Fatigue among Chinese WeChat Users: A Perceived Overload Perspective

WeChat is one of the main social media platforms where users obtain information and socialize in China. Nevertheless, a certain number of users generate a feeling of exhaustion from it and show a discontinuous use behaviors recently, which is defined as social media fatigue. The method of literature analysis is applied to this study, trying to probe the influence factors of the burnout of the social media amongst Chinese WeChat users, from a perceived overload perspective. Subdividing perceived overload into information overload, social overload and context overload, this paper puts forward a novel term context overload and discusses each of the above perspectives. The research finds that all these aspects positively impacts social media fatigue. The large quantity and low quality of the information increase the possibility of encountering social media fatigue. Additionally, strong ties and weak ties online friends contribute to social overload and social media fatigue in different way. Finally, dealing with a flattened context which is a mixture of separate contexts in real life also leads to social media fatigue. The paper desires to help social media develop healthily as well as people make better use of social media by analyzing these issues.

A Study on Domination of Social Networking Sites on interpersonal relationship of students

Social networking sites users are growing up day by day. Young generation people are frequently using these sites for various purposes including gaming, chat, doing business and many more. It also allows us to interact with the unknown people who share common interest with us. Through these SNS, we develop virtual interpersonal relationships with friends existing in the online world. The study aims to investigate the reasons of domination of these social networking sites and its impact on interpersonal relationship of student’s life. A survey was done on the 300 students of five different colleges through the simple random techniques. It was found that there is a very significant connection between social networking site utilization and interpersonal relationships. Excessive use of social networking sites hampers the interpersonal relationship of the students to a large extent. Students need to understand the differences between the real world and the virtual world. Relying on these websites, which encourage online friendships, is bad since it increases the risk of meeting people with questionable behaviour. These sites hinder face-to-face friendship, but many students do not consider that and they use SNS in order to communicate conveniently with their faraway friends.

Guidelines for virtual early childhood and family learning: An equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization-informed systematic review of the literature

This article presents an equity-informed systematic review of research pertinent to the offering of virtual early childhood education programming to young children and their families. Findings are presented as guidelines which may shape the delivery of future programming within virtual contexts. These findings are organized within three major areas that were identified through the methodology: Building Connections and Fostering Online Relationships; Interactive Virtual Programming, Digital Tools, and Responsiveness; and Digital Technologies, Considerations for Access, Use, Professional Learning, and Safety. Findings highlight that developing inclusive, meaningful, and collaborative programs within virtual spaces is necessary for maximizing the learning opportunities and engagement of all children and families. Developing such services requires the careful negotiation and consideration of a range of worldviews, knowledges, priorities, and interests within unique families and contexts. Practice implications are drawn from the research, opportunities for pedagogical change are identified, and future research needs are provided.

Online Experiences, Internet-Fostered Connection, Resilience, and Adjustment Among Adolescent Siblings of Children With Cancer.

Pediatric cancer disrupts the lives of siblings in many ways, including physical separations from family and friends that increase risk for distress. Research suggests that siblings use technology and social media to connect with friends and family and seek social support and interaction. However, this may expose siblings to negative online experiences that can erode self-esteem, reducing resilience. This study explored the relationship between online experiences, internet-fostered connection, resilience, and psychosocial health among siblings of children with cancer. Participants included adolescent siblings (N = 81; aged 12-17 years) of children with cancer. Most were female (56.8%), and 50.6% represented racially or ethnically minoritized groups. Online experiences, social media use, resilience, and psychosocial health were self-reported and analyzed using structural equation modeling. A majority of siblings reported moderate to severe posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSSs) (59%) and elevated emotional and behavioral difficulties (EBDs) (53%). Experiencing more positive online experiences was associated with greater perceived connection to family and friends online, but not resilience, PTSSs, or EBDs. In contrast, higher negative online experience scores were significantly associated with more PTSSs and EBDs. In addition, the association between negative online experiences and EBDs was significantly mediated by a negative association between negative online experiences and resilience. Although social media may be a valuable tool for helping siblings of children with cancer garner social support, negative online experiences may be detrimental to their adjustment. Efforts should be made to preserve and foster resilience among siblings who use social media for support.

The Effect of Friendship on Loneliness in Post-Pandemic Overseas Students

Loneliness is a common problem among overseas students. Loneliness can occur due to the low level of the intimacy of friendship. Thus, this study aimed to determine the effect of friendship on the loneliness of respondents. The research used comparative causal type quantitative methods. The study involved 385 respondents who were overseas students at Malang State University class of 2020 and 2021 who started friendships online and continued offline. They were selected using a purposive sampling technique. The study used the University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale Version 3 (UCLA LS) scale, which was adapted into Indonesian by Putri (2019) and modified by researchers, had 14 items with a reliability of 0.884, and the Intimacy of Friendship Scale by Rizal’s (2020) and modified by researchers, had 41 items with a reliability of 0.942. Data analysis in this study used simple regression analysis. The results showed that intimacy of friendship contributed 32.7% to loneliness with a negative influence (ρ = 0.000).
 Keywords: Intimacy of friendship; Loneliness; Overseas students; Post-pandemic

ANXIETY IN CHILDREN AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE BAD HABITS DEVELOPMENT

Abstract. Due to the presence of war in Ukraine, children have an increased level of anxiety. Оn the other hand it is a difficult stage in life of young people who lose the ability to communicate offline, especially during distance learning. It is difficult for children to adapt to the constant stay at home, to communicate with classmates and friends online, to adapt to the new rhythm of life and the dynamics of learning.. The modern educational system has changed so much in the last two years that the student must constantly adapt to new learning platforms and innovations. And the inability to clearly see and do laboratory classes in many subjects, self-study, even physical education classes leads to chronic stress.
 The study of the problem of anxiety and social emotional chronic stress on the formation of disorders on the part of the maxillofacial system is relevant. Stress is becoming an increasingly global problem, especially among children, because it negatively affects their lives and health, the progression of bad habits, and in turn, disorders of the dental system. Therefore, it is important to study the problem of social emotional chronic stress in the educational activities of students in terms of distance learning and its impact on the formation of disorders of the dental system.
 To reduce the impact of stressors, children use oral habits: sucking fingers, biting nails, pencils or pens, sitting in front of a monitor with his mouth open, despite a positive breath test, in the same position resting his head on his hands, causing chronic injury in this area. According to many studies, this may be the result of a person's adaptation to existing chronic stress.
 The article is based on a quantitative study conducted among school-aged patients with oral by means of a secret questionnaire. The level of anxiety was determined using the STAI (State-TrateAnxiety-Inventory) scale. We determined personal and situational anxiety. High levels of anxiety turn into stress, which is becoming a more global problem, especially among children. It has a negative impact on their life and health, on the progression of oral habits and, in turn, on the appearance of acquired dental and maxillomandibular anomalies. Therefore, it is relevant to study the problem of anxiety in children, social emotional chronic stress on the appearance of oral habits and, as a result, on the development of maxillomandibular anomalies.
 The article presents the results of an anonymous survey of 120 patients with existing maxillomandibular anomalies, which includes the periods of anxiety, various stress factors, the progression of chronic oral habits, and their influence on the development of maxillomandibular anomalies. Our results of a secret survey indicate the state of chronic stress of students, their being in a state of social stress due to new living conditions in the war period in Ukrine; frequent changes between periods of live communication and distance learning; psychological problems in the family; emotional relief during the habit. Due to the fact that children live in conditions of chronic stress, they lose motivation to learn. They do not get pleasure from it, but in turn seek help in habits that, according to our patients, help reduce the impact of stress on quality of life and their own emotional state. The results of the study explain the formation of adaptive responses of the body to the stress and confirm the relationship between chronic oral habits in children under influence of anxiety and social stress.

It’s A Match: Strategi Pengurangan Ketidakpastian oleh Pengguna Perempuan di Aplikasi Kencan Online Bumble

Every interpersonal relationship always goes through a stage of reducing uncertainty so that an interpersonal relationship can develop. This includes interpersonal relationships in online dating applications. This study examines the strategies used by female users to reduce the uncertainty in online dating application Bumble. Bumble was chosen as it’s the only online dating application that put woman in charge to make the first move. Uncertainty reduction theory was used to analyse the findings. Three informants were interviewed and literature studies from previous studies in similar topics were used to gain further information. The result shows that each informant has different approach and strategies to reduce the uncertainty while using online dating application Bumble. The strategies help each informant to decide whether to continue or stop the interaction while using Bumble.

Open Access Original Research Social Sciences (miscellaneous) Social Media Usage Affects Family Communication Among Chinese Adolescence

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to see how social media usage affected family communication among Chinese adolescents. The study's overarching goal was to determine the influence of social networks on family communication among Chinese adolescents. The study aimed to determine how frequently Chinese adolescents used social media and how this might affect their family interactions. Design / Methodology / Approach: The data were obtained from seven Chinese respondents who comprised the sample. In-depth interviews were used as a data collection tool. The data collected were thematically analysed. Main Findings: The findings reveal that Chinese adolescents spend more time interacting with friends and social networks online than speaking with their families. They frequently seek mentoring, advice, and emotional and social support from online friends. According to the study findings, adolescents' personalities significantly impede effective family interaction and communication. Research limitations/implications: The findings show that social media significantly impacts family communication. Future research could also look at the attitudes and behaviours of parents and adult children on social media. Originality/value: This research is unique in that it looks at the Chinese community's family communication patterns on social media. The findings of this study will benefit Chinese society because family communication serves as a crucible for society.

중학생이 지각한 학업스트레스와 사이버불링 피⋅가해 경험 간의 관계에서 온⋅오프라인 친구관계의 매개효과

Objectives The purpose of this study is to investigate the mediation effect of online⋅offline friendship on the relationship
 between academic stress and cyberbullying victim-offender experience perceived by middle school
 students.
 Methods For this a questionnaire was conducted on 262 students in middle school in Gyeongsangnam-do and
 the data of 243 students were finally analyzed using the SPSS Ver. 27.0 program. Correlation analysis was performed
 to examine the relationship between each variable, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis was carried
 out to verify the mediation effect of online⋅offline friendship. In addition, the Sobel Test, Bootstrapping was
 conducted to verify the significance of the indirect effect of the parameters.
 Results First, in the relationship between academic stress, online⋅offline friendship, and cyberbullying victim⋅
 offender experiences perceived by middle school students, there was a significant negative correlation between
 academic stress and online⋅offline friendship, and there was a significant positive correlation between academic
 stress and cyberbullying victim⋅offender experiences. Second, in the relationship between academic stress and
 cyberbullying victim experience, the partial mediation effect of online friendship was verified. Third, in the relationship
 between academic stress and cyberbullying victim experience, the partial mediation effect of offline
 friendship was verified. Fourth, in the relationship between academic stress and cyberbullying offender experience,
 the partial mediation effect of online friendship was verified. Fifth, in the relationship between academic
 stress and cyberbullying offender experience, the partial mediation effect of offline friendship was verified.
 Conclusions These findings suggest the need for interventions that can improve healthy online⋅offline friendship
 as well as reduce academic stress in order to minimize the cyberbullying cyberbullying victim⋅offender
 experience.

Effects of Online Friendships on Safer Sex Communication and Behavior among Black Sexual Minority Men: A Study of Network Exposure

ABSTRACT This study draws on social normative and social learning theories to examine the masspersonal safer sex communication (i.e., Facebook posts about safer sex) and safer sex behavior (i.e., condom use) in a cohort of Black sexual minority men (BSMM) (N = 340), with an eye toward understanding their relationship with the safer sex communication and behaviors of their BSMM Facebook friends. Using linear network autocorrelation regression models, results showed that BSMM’s safer sex communication and condom use behavior were each associated with the communication and behavior of their online peers. Specifically, BSMM’s condom use was positively associated with their friends’ condom use and friends’ safer sex communication, and BSMMs’ safer sex communication was positively associated with friends’ safer sex communication. Moreover, contrary to prior research, BSSM’s safer sex communication and condom use were not related to one another, suggesting that talking about safer sex on social media should not be interpreted to be an indication of engageDment in safer sex behavior. These findings underscore an opportunity to leverage peer influence in social media networks, particularly in the form of masspersonal communication, to encourage cascades of safer sex messaging among peers and adoption of safer sex behavior.

Service, game and livelihood, the new dimensions of neutralization techniques in Internet Romance Fraud: Extending the Neutralization Theory in Modern Internet crimes.

Internet romance fraud is a serious international crime made possible by the use of the internet and social media dating sites. It is a relationship fraud based on mutual love shared between the victims and their offender partners, without the victim knowing that the offenders have criminal intent to defraud the victim. This crime affect victims in developed countries who are referred to as ‘clients’ by their offenders’ partners. Offenders use neutralization techniques to rationalize and justify their deviant behavior by deflecting the quilt associated with this crime. This study surveyed 320 respondents in validated internet romance fraud (IRF) hotspots. Variance-based partial least square (SmartPLS) with structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to investigate casual relationships among the various. The findings indicate internet romance fraudsters” (IRF) use neutralization methods (“condemn of the condemners”, “denial of injury”, “denial of victim,” “denial of responsibility”, game, service and livelihood) to justify their crimes. The offenders do not use defense of necessity and metaphor of the ledger to rationalize their crimes against their victims. The evidence from this study suggests new dimensions of neutralization techniques (game, service and livelihood) have been introduced by criminals to justify their crimes. The empirical evidence from this study suggests that crime intention in the context of IRF is carried on to the actualization of the crime, a novelty in IS research. The implication of this suggests that criminals are using new techniques in emerging crimes (IRF). Law enforcement and prosecution should arm themselves to deal with the new way of crime justification and rationalization.

An Analysis of Chinese Internet Buzzwords from the Perspective of Sociolinguistics

With the rapid development of the Internet, Internet buzzwords have gradually entered sociolinguistics and become an important aspect of sociolinguistic research. Based on the criteria of timeliness and popularity, this paper obtains many novel 2022 Internet buzzword corpus through various online social platforms and friends around them, and finally selects two types of Internet buzzwords as research objects: “English homophonic mosaic”, “word family analogy” through sorting and classification of the obtained corpus, and attempts to analyze their specific manifestations and causes from the perspective of sociolinguistics.

Profiles of Low-Income Help-Seeking Couples and Implications for Intervention Gains: A Couple-Centered Approach

Using a couple-centered approach, the current study seeks to understand (a) the specific ways in which help-seeking couples vary in how their relationship satisfaction changes over time, (b) whether there are important differences in relationship characteristics at the beginning of the interventions, and (c) whether couples with distinct relationship characteristics benefit equally from effective online relationship programs. Mixed-gender low-income couples (Ncouple = 659) seeking help for their relationship were randomly assigned to one of two online relationship programs (n = 432) or the wait-list control group (n = 227). Latent profile analyses were conducted to identify (a) trajectory profiles with both partners’ relationship satisfaction assessed at baseline, during, and postprogram, and at 2- and 4-month follow-ups; and (b) baseline couple profiles with indicators of baseline communication, commitment, emotional support, and sexual satisfaction reported by both partners. Four unique satisfaction trajectories were identified: women-small–men-medium improvement (39%), men-only decline (25%), large improvement (19%), and women-only improvement (17%). Five unique baseline couple profiles were identified: conflictual passionate (30%), companionate (22%), men-committed languishing (22%), satisfied (16%), and languishing (10%). Compared to control couples, intervention couples’ odds of following the large improvement trajectory increased and their odds of following the men-only decline trajectory decreased; the odds of following the other two intermediate trajectories did not differ by intervention status. Moreover, couples with more distressed baseline profiles were more likely to follow trajectories characterized by greater satisfaction gains regardless of their intervention status. However, program effects did not differ based on baseline couple profiles, suggesting that a universal approach may be sufficient for delivering online relationship programs to improve relationship satisfaction in this population.

Adolescents and Trust in Online Social Interactions: A Qualitative Exploratory Study.

Social media have become increasingly embedded in adolescents' daily lives. Although these contexts have been widely studied, how trust in online relationships is built among adolescents is still an unexplored issue. By adopting the theoretical socio-cognitive model of trust, this study aims to explore the components of online trust as far as today's teenagers are concerned. The study involved 10 adolescents aged between 12 and 18 (M = 15.5). The data were collected using individual semi-structured, audio-recorded, and faithfully transcribed interviews. A deductive-inductive content analysis carried out with the NVivo10 software was performed on the textual material. Results show that adolescents seem to be aware of online trust value in "selecting" peers to be trusted. To protect themselves from the risks they are exposed to, they choose to interact with peers/friends who are already known in real life or are similar to them in terms of interests, ways of thinking, passions, and age. Additionally, others' competencies and willingness play an important role in adolescents' evaluations and decisions to rely on others online. The results of this study could be useful for developing awareness-raising interventions on the risks that adolescents are exposed to in order to promote "safe" relationships of trust and emphasize the possible positive use of technologies (e.g., by building online trust relationships using peer "safe" models).

Exploring internet addiction and its associated factors among college students in Western Rajasthan, India: A mixed-methods study.

With near universal use of internet by college students, there is propensity for internet addiction (IA) among them. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and predict the factors for internet addiction among college students in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India, and qualitatively explore the factors associated with internet addiction. Explanatory sequential (QUAN-QUAL) mixed-methods design was used. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was conducted among three streams of undergraduate colleges (health, engineering, and others). Survey instruments included Young's internet addiction test (IAT), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) Items. Focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs) among the students with mild-to-moderate levels of addiction were conducted to understand the reasons for excessive internet use. The prevalence of internet addiction (IA) among the college students was 51% and the rates for mild, moderate, and severe addiction were 31.8%, 18.5%, and 0.7%, respectively. Predictors of IA were male gender, age in years, age of first internet use in years, urban origin, accessing internet at college, mobile internet use, using internet to make online friendship, sleep disturbance, depression, anxiety, and stress. Qualitative study identified five major themes related to situations initiating internet use for nonacademic purpose, content of internet use, triggers for internet overuse/addiction (IA), perceived impact of IA, and measures to overcome IA. Internet addiction was found to be highly prevalent in college students across various streams. Qualitative results provide deeper insights into IA among college students. It is imperative to screen for IA among the students and devise suitable preventive interventions, which can be easily implemented at community level.

Reappraising the roles of review valence and conflict in online relationships

The present work addresses the influence of review valence on consumers’ perceived relationship with a firm and identifies the causes of such influence and the underlying process. Based on social exchange theory and signal theory, the authors identify how conflict is pivotal in connecting review valence and consumers’ perceived relational benefits and trust. The authors use Qualtrics survey data in three experimental studies to examine how review valence indirectly impacts consumers’ perceived trust and benefits. The results indicate that conflict is a moderator between review valence and perceived benefits and trust, and the magnitude of the indirect effect of valence varies according to the different levels of a perceived partner’s commitment to the relationship. These findings provide incremental theoretical implications for relationship marketing in online contexts and have managerial relevance for online marketing strategies.

The Corner, the Crew, and the Digital Street: Multiplex Networks of Gang Online-Offline Conflict Dynamics in the Digital Age

Social media is increasingly intertwined into people’s lives, spurring questions about the relationships between online behavior and offline actions. We advance knowledge in conflict dynamics by using a multiplex network framework that conceptualizes online and offline gang relationships as co-constitutive networks—online and offline relationships often overlap and entangle in complex ways that influence behavior in both the virtual and real worlds. We propose a mixed-methods abductive approach for digital data that uses qualitative analyses to challenge and corroborate quantitative analyses of online gang conflict. Synthesizing data from Facebook posts by alleged gang members, maps of gang territory, and police records of offline shooting events, we show that online gang conflicts are not random attacks but targeted network relationships, and such online relationships are dependent on offline geographic relationships and shooting history relationships between gangs. Our mixed-methods approach further shows via qualitative analyses that the statistical network associations are based on cultural-specific language surrounding gang names and symbols, neighborhood streets, and prominent gang members. Our approach underscores how mixed-methods and qualitative approaches are essential in unpacking “big data” and computational methods in understanding the multiplex nature of group conflict.

Socioeconomic Deprivation and Inequalities in Mental Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Adolescents.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the existing inequalities in education and mental health. The aim of this study was to examine socioeconomic disadvantages and mental well-being inequalities among Slovenian adolescents in October 2020. The study used nationally representative data from 3052 adolescents aged 14 and 18 (Mage = 14.4 and 18.4). The WHO-5 Well-Being Index (WHO-5) was used to measure mental well-being and risk for depression. Multinomial logistic regression was used to identify differences in the pattern of associations regarding sociodemographic characteristics and experiences during the pandemic with poor well-being and risk for depression. Our study found that adolescents from socially disadvantaged families faced poorer conditions as regards academic performance, had fewer opportunities to socialise with friends online, and were more likely to feel lonely; they reported lower levels of mental well-being and were at a higher risk for depression. The unemployment of both parents and adolescents' perceptions of family wealth were found to be the most important predictors of depression risk. In addition, experiencing deprivation and economic hardship during the pandemic was also identified as a significant predictor. The study concludes that social and economic conditions were critical determinants of adolescents' mental health during the pandemic and that effective intervention is needed to promote their well-being and reduce inequalities.

Attachments or Affiliations? The Impact of Social Media on the Quality of Peer Relationships—A Qualitative Study Among Norwegian High School Students

Social media (SoMe) is an important part of how young people socialize and communicate with each other and there are concerns that this may negatively impact peer relationships. The aim of this article was to explore how high school students experience the impact of SoMe on their peer relationships and the quality of these relationships. We performed qualitative semi-structured interviews with 12 Norwegian high-school students. Results showed that SoMe changed the quality of peer relationships as well as online and offline communication. The impact of SoMe on peer relationships depended on whether the students had both online and offline peer relations. Unlike offline relationships, where the youth experienced real friendships, online relationships were primarily described as contacts. The results suggest that online peer relationships often resemble affiliations rather than attachments. This may negatively impact social competence, especially among students whose peer relationships are mainly online-based.

Relationship between Loneliness and Internet Addiction During The COVID-19 Pandemic on Class XI Students of 99 Jakarta Public High School Even Semester in The Academic Year 2021/2022 and Its Review from Islamic View

When WHO stated that one way to prevent transmission of COVID-19 is social distancing, the Government of Indonesia carried out a large-scale social restriction program (PSBB), namely work from home, distance learning/learning from home (school from home), and carrying out worship activities from home. Those programs can lead to a lack of social interaction in students' social life cause an increase in loneliness during a pandemic. Individuals who feel lonely will look for ways to fill their emptiness, including the internet. The internet can be a place of escape or coping for many lonely individuals that can form an online friendship, which can cause reducing loneliness despite the excessive use that can turn into an addiction. This study aims to determine the relationship between loneliness and internet addiction during the COVID-19 pandemic in Class XI students at SMA Negeri 99 Jakarta in the even semester of the 2021/2022 academic year. This study used an observational study with a cross-sectional that conducted by students at age 15-18 years old. The results of the analysis of the relationship between loneliness and internet addiction show a correlation coefficient (r) = 0.418 and a significance value of 0.000 (p <0.05), which concludes loneliness has a significant effect on internet addiction. This study concludes that there is a positive correlation between the two variables, where the higher the loneliness, the higher the level of internet addiction.