How do social and parasocial relationships on TikTok impact the well-being of university students? The roles of algorithm awareness and compulsive use

Abstract

Social media now has emerged as one of the most widely used communication channels. The objective of this work is to verify the factors that influence the compulsive use of TikTok, as well as the mediating role of algorithm awareness, and to identify the predictors of well-being related to the use of TikTok. In the present work, the relevance of the study of PSRs and FoMO that affect the compulsive use of TikTok in young people is discussed. A total of 379 young university students (56.7 % girls) between 15 and 25 years old (M = 19.80; S.D. = 1.49) were surveyed using self-reports. Data treatment followed serial mediation through structural equation modeling. The results showed that exist significant relationships between these variables. Likewise, they reinforce the understanding of the diversity of the mechanisms of social and parasocial motivations on compulsive use and well-being. The results highlight the need to strengthen the training and education of young people in the appropriate and regulated use of TikTok in the university setting.

Keywords

• Social relationships
• User
• Young people
• Social media
• Excessive use
• Psychological well-being