Social Technology Use and Well-Being: The Role of Social Support and Physical Activity
Creators: name: Lin, Xin Yao
Publisher: name: Brandeis University
Year: 2022
Subjects: Daily Diary
Intervention
Physical Activity
Social Support
Technology Use
Well-Being

description: With the proliferation of social technology usage for adults of all ages, it is of interest to explore its influences on physical health and well-being. Social technology use has been associated with both positive and negative physical and psychological outcomes, the mechanisms (how and why) behind this linkage are yet to be determined. The current dissertation examined whether social support and physical activity are potential mechanisms in the relationship between social technology use and well-being in three studies using different assessment methods and study designs (daily, longitudinal, and experimental). Study One used an eight-day daily diary study from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Refresher dataset (N=782) ages 25-75 to test the hypothesized mediation model at both between and within-person levels. Study One consists of two parts. Part A results suggest that days with more social media use were associated with a larger proportion of time spent giving support, and in turn, worse well-being. Discussion focuses on ways to address the negative consequences of social media use for social connections and well-being. Part B results showed that those who used social media less often engaged in more frequent physical activity, which in turn led to more positive affect. This relationship was found for midlife and older adults, but not younger adults. The findings show the benefits of physical activity for well-being and suggest that social media use may dampen efforts to increase social support and physical activity, especially among middle-aged and older adults.
description: Study Two broadened the scope of time and tested the same constructs with a 3-year longitudinal UCNET (UC Berkley Social Networks Study, N=1,159) dataset. The study included two age groups: 21 to 30 year-olds and 50 to 70 year-olds. Results showed that a greater frequency as well as diversity of communication across modes (in-person, phone, and online) and network members were related to better well-being (more positive affect and less loneliness and stress), and these relationships were mediated by more social support, but not physical activity. To our knowledge, this study is the first to examine network communication mode diversity and its associations with social support, physical activity, and well-being in a large longitudinal sample. Study Two findings suggest directions for future research geared towards further understanding of how frequency and diversity of communication with network members are related to various psychosocial outcomes.
description: As directionality and causal relationships cannot be drawn from the two observational studies, Study Three used a randomized clinical trial intervention study design with a social exergame, Go&amp;Grow, to examine the effects of social technology use by condition (social exergame vs non-social exergame) on well-being, by examining social support and physical activity as mechanisms for midlife and older adults who are family caregivers. Family caregivers often experience a high level of stress, social isolation, a sedentary lifestyle, and poor mental and physical health. There is a vital need for sustainable, scalable, and enjoyable programs to support social, physical, and emotional well-being among family caregivers. Findings showed the treatment group increased significantly in well-being (i.e., caregiver’s management of distress) from pretest to posttest and social support (i.e., satisfaction with contact quality) from baseline to the end of the intervention compared to the control group, consistent with predictions. Both conditions increased in steps and exercise self-efficacy from pretest to posttest, but physical activity did not mediate the relationship between condition and any well-being measures. Condition had an indirect effect on well-being through change in social support. More specifically, those in the treatment group increased more than the control group in satisfaction with contact quality, from baseline to the end of the intervention, which in turn led to more positive affect and less loneliness from pretest to posttest. Social support (change in overall social support and knowing others’ experiences) moderated the relationship between condition and physical activity (percent change in steps), in that those in the treatment group who increased more in overall social support and knowing others' experiences increased their steps more from pretest/baseline to the end of the intervention than those with less support, while the change in steps for the control group was not related to support level. In the treatment group, those who used the social features of the app (social engagement and social comparison) more frequently had a greater increase in physical activity (steps, active minutes, and METs) during the 6-week intervention compared to those who used the social features less often. The results of Study Three suggest potential mechanisms of behavioral change that could be applied to develop more engaging, sustainable, portable, and scalable interventions in the future.
description: The current dissertation contributes to a larger discussion about social technology’s role in the psychosocial needs of aging adults and their overall quality of life. The results fill a gap in the literature by including a wide age range and exploring potential mediators linking social technology and well-being. Findings can be used to guide future work by providing insights and evidence for the underlying mechanisms for future interventions aimed at promoting social support and physical activity and improving well-being.