The Impact of Social Media on Social Anxiety Among Adolescent

Research Project Design
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1.0. Research Question/Topic
The topic for the proposed research is "The impact of social media on social anxiety among adolescents." The topic interests me since, according to the recent findings by Pew Research, 97% of teens have self-reported using social media daily. It is 5% up from the survey results conducted in 2014-2015 (Pew Research Center, 2022). Furthermore, the background research indicates a significant relationship between social media usage and social anxiety (O’Day & Heimberg, 2021). However, most research in this direction is carried out irrespective of age. Since adolescents are more vulnerable to threats to their mental health and psychological well-being, it is important to consider how the use of social media can specifically affect their susceptibility to social anxiety disorders (SAD). The research questions that will guide the research include the following:
* How does the use of social media by adolescents affect or trigger the physical symptoms of social anxiety disorder?
* How does the use of social media by adolescents affect or trigger cognitive symptoms of social anxiety disorder?
* To what extent does adolescents' use of social media trigger avoidant behavior?
* Can social media also help adolescents suffering from social anxiety disorder to ease the underlying symptoms?
2.0. Terms and Variables
Some of the terms that may repeat throughout the project are defined as follows:
Adolescents: The term categorizes all young adults aged roughly between 13 years and 19 years.
Social anxiety disorder (SAD): It is also termed social phobia, which is the fear of being watched by others. People suffering from SAD usually prefer isolation and avoid social gatherings as it triggers their fear and results in social anxiety (O’Day & Heimberg, 2021).
Social Media Usage: This includes using all renowned social media platforms where users may interact with each other and exchange user-generated content, such as pictures, videos, and written content.
Social comparison and envy: These themes frequently appear while scanning the literature dealing with the sociological impact of social media, which involves users' practice of competing with others.
Coping strategies/mechanism: This term includes all strategies and tactics that users may employ to combat negative instincts and thought patterns resulting from their exposure to social media.
SAD is a complex phenomenon relying on the interplay of different factors and symptoms. Specifically, the research will involve measuring the three important factors to determine the intensity of SAD among the users. These three measures are (i) physical measures (racing heart, sweating, or trembling), (ii) cognitive symptoms (negative thoughts), and (iii) avoidant behavior (Osório, 2018). Hence, the behaviors will be measured at three levels, and the three factors mentioned earlier will be the dependent variables in each case, while 'social media usage' will be the independent variables. Hence, the impact of social media usage will be evaluated for these three measures.
3.0. Theoretical Framework
A theory that will potentially underpin the proposed research is the ‘Social Comparison Theory,' which assumes that people evaluate their worth by comparing themselves with others (Suls & Wheeler, 2013). The main assumption of the theory sets the scale for the social media users' self-evaluation in the given context. The theory intersects SAD as a comparison to others, and subsequent inferiority complex (in instances of negative results) may trigger the cognitive symptoms of SAD, such as low self-esteem and other negative thoughts (Jiang & Ngien, 2020). Therefore, this theory can effectively be applied to explain the negative behavior of social media users rooted in envy and comparison.
Another relevant underpinning theory is the 'Cognitive Behavioral Theory,' which posits that individuals' behavior is rooted in their thinking (Volungis, 2018). In other words, how an individual responds to a stimulus depends on how they think and feel. This focus on thinking is appropriate since social media exposure has deep cognitive implications. Therefore, this theory also addresses the cognitive measures of SAD and encourages deep investigation into the psychological implications of adolescents' exposure to social media.
Similarly, ‘Social Support Theory’ will be used to underpin the discussion about the counter-narratives to the negative impact of social media. For example, there is also a belief that social media provides people with autism with a coping mechanism and a space where they can alternatively express themselves without the fear of being physically exposed (Cauberghe et al., 2021). Hence, social media may play a supportive role. The social support theory asserts that social support is essential to one's mental and psychological well-being and ability to cope with negative instincts (Sarason, 2013). Hence, social support theory is included to keep the research coherent and compare the positive implications of social media usage (if any) with negative ones.
4.0. Methodology (including Data Sources)
This study will be based on an online survey. For this purpose, the researcher will use Survey Monkey, considering it is one of the most reliable online survey platforms, crowded with users with diverse characteristics. I will use a purposive sampling strategy since probability-based sampling is unlikely to fit the nature of the study. The purposive sampling ensures all participants have adequate experience relevant to the research variables. The participants must have adequate exposure to social media and suffer from one or more symptoms associated with social anxiety, such as depression, negative thoughts, or any other. This non-probability approach will help target the most relevant audience, ensuring the responses are highly reliable, credible, and transferable (Chambliss & Schutt, 2018; Saunders, 2011; McNeill & Chapman, 2005).
Two hundred participants will be surveyed, and their responses will be run through the descriptive analysis, which involves comparing and contrasting based on the percentages of participants holding certain opinions and attitudes (Chambliss & Schutt, 2018; Ahuja, 2001). The descriptive statistical analysis will be supported by data visualization, which involves using appropriate diagrams and chats to illustrate the findings. The primary research findings will be synthesized with the relevant themes and ideas covered in the literature review to conduct an in-depth discussion that will provide the base for drawing inferences, conclusions, and managerial implications or recommendations.
5.0. Literature Review Outline
I. Theoretical Foundations
I.I. Explaining how Social Comparison Theory links to the social anxiety resulting from exposure to social media among adolescents
I.II. Linking Cognitive Behavioral Theory to the given context
I.III. Linking Social Support Theory to indicate how the use of social media can alternatively serve as a coping mechanism instead
II. Professional Literature
It involves the review of the opinions and ideas shared or theorized by experts in the field of psychology that may offer relevant insights.
III. Empirical Evidence
This section will be divided based on the variables primarily into the following three parts:
III.I. Physical symptoms of social anxiety resulting from the use of social media
III.II Cognitive symptoms of social anxiety resulting from the use of social media
III.III Use of social media and avoidant behavior
IV. Summary of the Review and Gap in the Literature
6.0. Annotated Bibliography
Pew Research Center. (2022, August 10). Teens, social media and technology 2022. /internet/2022/08/10/teens-social-media-and-technology-2022/
This article contains statistics about teens' or adolescents' use of social media. The research suggests that the number of teens using social media is on the rise, and as of 2022, 97% of total teens surveyed by the center reported to have become regular social media users. This post offers insights into the exposure of adolescents to social media platforms and contributes to the rationale for the study based on the assumption that the frequency of usage is associated with the risk associated with social media usage among adolescents. Therefore, these statistics can significantly contribute to the context-setting part of the research project.
O’Day, E. B., & Heimberg, R. G. (2021). Social media use, social anxiety, and loneliness: A systematic review. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 3, 100070. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2021.100070
This study comprises a comprehensive literature review to assess the impact of social media on anxiety and loneliness. The findings suggest that users suffering from loneliness and social anxiety use social media as an alternative to in-person interaction. However, as expected, the individuals do not receive the necessary support to cope with loneliness and anxiety. Furthermore, the frequent use of social media is found to exacerbate the symptoms of loneliness and social anxiety instead of providing individuals with the desired relief. Hence, the article contains significant information concerning the problematic use of social media.
Jiang, S., & Ngien, A. (2020). The effects of Instagram use, social comparison, and self-esteem on social anxiety: A survey study in Singapore. Social Media + Society, 6(2), 205630512091248. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120912488
This article relies on the information gathered from 338 Instagram users to evaluate the impact of social media usage on anxiety. The cross-sectional survey analyzed statistically reveals that the use of Instagram does not directly trigger anxiety. Instead, the problematic use involving social comparison and its effect on self-esteem helps connect the dots between social media use and anxiety. It is a crucial study as it delves into the mediating impact of key variables while also referring to social comparison theory, which is regarded as an important underpinning theory for the proposed research project.
Cauberghe, V., Van Wesenbeeck, I., De Jans, S., Hudders, L., & Ponnet, K. (2021). How adolescents use social media to cope with feelings of loneliness and anxiety during COVID-19 lockdown. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 24(4), 250-257. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2020.0478
This study is based on a survey targeting adolescents to learn how effectively they used social media to cope with anxiety and loneliness triggered by the lockdowns during COVID-19. The findings indicate that social media enabled adolescents to cope with anxiety, while it was not necessarily associated with happiness. Even though the study has its limitations, such as it does not consider people already suffering from social anxiety or similar symptoms, it offers insights into the positive implications of social media from a psychological point of view. Therefore, it is a crucial source to further the understanding of the narrative that counters the assumptions that exposure to social media trigg...