Online Communication and Adolescent Well-Being: Testing the Stimulation Versus the Displacement Hypothesis

Abstract

The aim of this study was to contrast the validity of two opposing explanatory hypotheses about the effect of online communication on adolescents' well-being. The displacement hypothesis predicts that online communication reduces adolescents' well-being because it displaces time spent with existing friends, thereby reducing the quality of these friendships. In contrast, the stimulation hypothesis states that online communication stimulates well-being via its positive effect on time spent with existing friends and the quality of these friendships. We conducted an online survey among 1,210 Dutch teenagers between 10 and 17 years of age. Using mediation analyses, we found support for the stimulation hypothesis but not for the displacement hypothesis. We also found a moderating effect of type of online communication on adolescents' well-being: Instant messaging, which was mostly used to communicate with existing friends, positively predicted well-being via the mediating variables (a) time spent with existing friends and (b) the quality of these friendships. Chat in a public chatroom, which was relatively often used to talk with strangers, had no effect on adolescents' well-being via the mediating variables.

¿Existe relación entre uso problemático de Internet y las respuestas de ansiedad social, obsesivo-compulsivas y el bienestar psicológico en adolescentes?

“…Some authors have observed that abusive use of Internet and online interactions entails individuals" spending time on Internet at the expense of other daily activities, which leads to a consequent isolation, academic impairment, and problems in family relationships. Therefore, the psychosocial well-being of the individual is threatened (Valkenburg & Peter, 2007).…”

The Predictive Effects of Online Communication on Well-Being among Chinese Adolescents

“…Specifically, the use of e-mail or Instant Messaging may improve face-to-face interaction and promote users' well-being (Morgan & Cotten, 2003;Shaw & Gant, 2002;. For instance, using a sample of 1,210 Dutch teenagers between 10 and 17 years of age, Valkenburg and Peter (2007) found that Instant Messaging, which was mostly used to communicate with existing friends, is a significant predictor of users' subjective well-being.…”

Socialna sprejetost srednješolcev v razredu in na socialnem omrežju Facebook

“…Hipoteza obogatitve (Kraut idr., 2002) pravi, da imajo največjo korist od spleta tisti, ki že imajo močna socialna omrežja in socialne veščine, po kompenzacijski hipotezi pa naj bi bila spletna komunikacija bolj koristna za socialno anksiozne in zavrnjene posameznike, saj ti manko stikov v svojem okolju kompenzirajo na spletu (Lee, 2009). Ugotovitve raziskav večinoma kažejo, da je komunikacija mladostnikov na spletu pozitivno povezana s kvaliteto njihovih medosebnih odnosov in časom, ki ga mladostniki preživijo s svojimi prijatelji, ter s tem potrjujejo hipotezo obogatitve in stimulacijsko hipotezo (Valkenburg in Peter, 2007;Lee, 2009). …”

“…Ahn, 2012;Ellison idr., 2007;Valkenburg in Peter, 2007) preučevale povezanost odnosov na spletu in izven spleta v povezavi z različnimi konstrukti (npr. socialnim kapitalom, osebnostnimi lastnostmi, samopodobo, kvaliteto prijateljskih vezi, uporabo spleta), jih je le malo obravnavalo povezanost socialne sprejetosti v razredu in socialne sprejetosti na spletu.…”