The uses and gratifications of social media and their impact on social relationships and psychological well-being

Abstract

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This study aims to find the antecedents that lead to the adoption of social media among adults and older adults in Thailand and the impact it has on their social relationships and psychological well-being. It puts forward the uses and gratifications theory focusing on purposive value, self-discovery, entertainment value, social enhancement, and maintaining interpersonal connectivity. A survey comprising of 1,176 participants was undertaken in Bangkok, Thailand. The results of the structural equation modeling show that purposive value, entertainment value, social enhancement, and maintaining interpersonal connectivity had a positive relationship with social media usage, while self-discovery showed a negative relationship. Social media use seemed to positively affect both the social relationships and psychological well-being of their users. The discussions and conclusions included here describe how this occurs, as well as the academic and practical implications that follow from them.

Keywords

• social media use
• adults
• older adults
• uses and gratifications theory
• social relationships
• psychological well-being