Attachment Style's impact on loneliness and the motivations to use social media

Abstract

Social media use has increased dramatically in the past decade, changing how and why people connect. This study examines how attachment style impacts time spent on social networking sites (SNS), the motives behind social media use, and feelings of loneliness. The impact of loneliness severity on social media usage was additionally investigated. It was hypothesized that (1) individuals with an anxious attachment style would spend more time using SNS compared to participants with other attachment styles and (2) those with an anxious attachment style would use SNS the most to decrease feelings of loneliness. Results of this study indicate attachment styles and loneliness did not have a significant influence on time spent on SNS. This study further found that those with an anxious attachment style were significantly more motivated to use SNS to decrease loneliness. Additionally, those experiencing a low severity of loneliness were less likely to use SNS to reduce feelings of loneliness. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that has found a significant connection between attachment styles, loneliness severity, and motivation to use SNS to manage feelings of loneliness.

Keywords

• Attachment
• Loneliness
• Social media
• Anxious-attachment
• Social networking sites
• Motive