Effect of Loneliness on Relationships and Social Media Usage in Older Adults

Social media has become ingrained in society, providing a number of consequences both positive and negative. However, social media usage also does not occur in a vacuum. Social media use is shaped by relationships with others, including romantic ones, and can be affected by factors such as loneliness. The current study analyzed data from older adults to improve understanding of social media variation based on relationship qualities. Specifically, the study focused on participant's relationship status and satisfaction in relation to social media usage. The study also tested the role of loneliness as a moderator between those two relationship qualities and social media usage. Through one-way ANOVA and regression analyses, results revealed slight differences in social media behavior online and specifically when lonely between separated participants and both married and widowed participants. For relationship satisfaction, only a significant difference for social media usage when lonely was found. Loneliness did not appear to moderate any associations or differences on a broad level, though it did interact with widowed participants for social media usage via the phone. Implications, limitations of the current research, and directions for future research are discussed.