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Three tests of compensation by mobile and social media: How change in social resources over time moderates the effect of use on well-being
Pennington, Natalie
Pennington, Natalie
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Abstract
Mobile and social media are often identified as a means of enhancing social connection for those who are struggling (i.e., social compensation, poor-get-richer). An alternative perspective suggests that those who are already socially connected benefit the most from mobile and social media use (i.e., social enhancement, rich-get-richer). Using three different data sets from three different time periods (i.e., six years, one year, one month) and across different contexts (i.e., older adults’ pandemic-era communication, college student communication with friends, daily diary study of social media), we test whether change in sociality moderates the association between frequency of mobile and social media use and well-being. We found no evidence of social compensation but found support for social enhancement. When experiencing declines in sociality, the use of mobile and social media was either unrelated to well-being or associated with a decline in well-being. These findings challenge long-held assumptions about relational maintenance through mobile media.
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This work is a conference paper to be presented at International Communication Association; June 12-16, 2025; Denver, CO.
Date
2024-11-22
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Keywords
Communicate bond belong theory, Mobile media use, Relational maintenance, Social compensation, Social enhancement, Social media use
Citation
Hall, J.A., & Pennington, N. (2025). Three tests of compensation by mobile and social media: How change in social resources over time moderates the effect of use on well-being. Conference paper to be presented at International Communication Association; June 12-16, 2025; Denver, CO.