Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Sharing Brings Happiness?: Effects of Sharing in Social Media Among Adult Users

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Digital Libraries: Knowledge, Information, and Data in an Open Access Society (ICADL 2016)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNISA,volume 10075))

Included in the following conference series:

Abstract

Given that sharing is a fundamental activity among social media users, this study explores the associations between sharing activities in social media and their psychological social well-being in two age groups – young and mature adults. We focus on two dimensions of social and psychological well-being which are life satisfaction and loneliness. We examine four social media platforms which are social networking sites, microblogging services, video-sharing sites and photo- sharing sites. The study comprised of 171 adult social media users in Singapore. Data analyses revealed that young adults who participated in more sharing activities in social networking sites reported higher life satisfaction and lower loneliness. Mature adults who participated more in sharing activities on social networking sites reported lower life satisfaction and higher loneliness. Implications and future research directions are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Boyd, D.M., Ellison, N.B.: Social network sites: Definition, history, and scholarship. J. Comput. Mediat. Commun. 13, 210–230 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Youtube: Youtube Press room (2005). https://www.youtube.com/yt/press/index.html. Accessed 2 April 2016

  3. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission: Amendment No. 1 To Form S-1 Registration Statement Under the Securities Act of 1933 (2013). https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1418091/000119312513400028/d564001ds1a.htm. Accessed 2 April 2016

  4. TechWeb: Sina Weibo valuation of 60 billion dollars in advertising revenue broke the single-season $30 million (2013). http://www.techweb.com.cn/internet/2013-08-13/1316353.shtml. Accessed 2 April 2016

  5. Instagram: Press (2016). http://instagram.com/press/. Accessed 2 April 2016

  6. Jin, B.: How lonely people use and perceive Facebook. Comput. Hum. Behav. 29, 2463–2470 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Burke, M., Kraut, R., Marlow, C.: Social capital on Facebook: differentiating uses and users. In: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 571–580. ACM, Vancouver (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Lee, C.S., Ma, L.: News sharing in social media: the effect of gratifications and prior experience. Comput. Hum. Behav. 28, 331–339 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Grieve, R., Indian, M., Witteveen, K., Anne Tolan, G., Marrington, J.: Face-to-face or Facebook: can social connectedness be derived online? Comput. Hum. Behav. 29, 604–609 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Steinfield, C., Ellison, N., Lampe, C.: Social capital, self-esteem, and use of online social network sites: a longitudinal analysis. J. Appl. Dev. Psychol. 29, 434–445 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Lee, C.S.: Exploring emotional expressions on YouTube through the lens of media system dependency theory. New Media Soc. 14, 457–475 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Gonzales, A.L., Hancock, J.T: Mirror, mirror on my Facebook wall: effects of exposure to Facebook on self-esteem. Cyberpsychol. Behav. Soc. Netw. 14, 79–83 (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Kalpidou, M., Costin, D., Morris, J.: The relationship between Facebook and the well-being of undergraduate college students. Cyberpsychol. Behav. Soc. Netw. 14, 183–189 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Bryer, T.A., Zavattaro, S.: Social media and public administration: theoretical dimensions and introduction to symposium. Adm. Theory Praxis. 33, 325–340 (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Lee, C.S., Abu Bakar, N.A.B., Muhammad Dahri, R.B., Sin, S.-C.J.: Instagram this! sharing photos on instagram. In: Allen, Robert, B., Hunter, J., Zeng, Marcia, L. (eds.) ICADL 2015. LNCS, vol. 9469, pp. 132–141. Springer, Heidelberg (2015). doi:10.1007/978-3-319-27974-9_13

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  16. Lambert, N., Gwinn, A., Baumeister, R., Strachman, A., Washburn, I., Gable, S., Fincham, F.: A boost of positive affect: the perks of sharing positive experiences. J. Soc. Pers. 30, 24–43 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  17. John, N.A.: Sharing and Web 2.0: The emergence of a keyword. New Media Soc. 3, 1–16 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Wittel, A.: Qualities of sharing and their transformations in the digital age. Int. Rev. Inf. Ethics. 16, 3–8 (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Angner, E.: Subjective well-being. J. Socio-Econ. 39(3), 361–368 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Diener, E.: Subjective well-being. In: Lopez, S.J., Snyder, C.R. (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology, pp. 63–73. Oxford University Press, New York (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Kahneman, D., Krueger, A.B.: Developments in the measurement of subjective well-being. J. Econ. Perspect. 20, 3–24 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Seligman, M., Csikszentmihalyi, M.: Positive psychology: an introduction. Am. Psychol. 55, 5–14 (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  23. Pavot, W., Diener, E.: The Satisfaction With Life Scale and the emerging construct of life satisfaction. J. Pos. Psychol. 3, 137–152 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Pavot, W., Diener, E.: Review of the satisfaction with life scale. Psychol. Assessment. 5, 164–172 (1993)

    Google Scholar 

  25. Putnam, R.D., Goss, K.A.: Introduction. In: Putnam, R.D. (ed.) Democracies in flux: the evolution of social capital in contemporary society, pp. 3–19. Oxford University Press, New York, N.Y. (2002)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  26. Lin, N.: A network theory of social capital. In: Castiglione, D., van Deth, J.W, Wolleb, G. (eds.) The Handbook of Social Capital, pp. 69–92. Oxford University Press, New York (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  27. Putnam, R. D.: Bowling together (2004). http://www.oecdobserver.org/news/fullstory.php/aid/1215/Bowling_together.html. Accessed 10 Feb 2014

  28. Valenzuela, S., Park, N., Kee, K.: Is there social capital in a social network site?: Facebook use and college students’ life satisfaction, trust, and participation. J. Comput. Mediat. Comm. 14, 875–901 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Pavot, W., Diener, E., Colvin, C., Sandvik, E.: Further validation of the satisfaction with life scale: evidence for the cross-method convergence of well-being measures. J. Pers. Asses. 57, 149–161 (1991)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Peplau, L.A., Perlman, D.: Perspectives on loneliness. In: Peplau, L.A., Perlman, D. (eds.) Loneliness: A Sourcebook of Current Theory, Research and Therapy, pp. 1–18. Wiley Interscience (1982)

    Google Scholar 

  31. Rokach, A., Brock, H.: Coping with loneliness. J. Psychol. 132, 107–127 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Patterson, A., Veenstra, G.: Loneliness and risk of mortality: a longitudinal investigation in Alameda County, California. Soc. Sci. Med. 71, 181–186 (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  33. Caplan, S.E.: Problematic Internet use and psychosocial well-being: Development of a theory-based cognitive–behavioral measurement instrument. Comput. Hum. Behav. 18, 553– 575 (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  34. Kraut, R., Patterson, M., Lundmark, V.: Internet paradox: a social technology that reduces social involvement and psychological well-being? Am. Psychol. 53, 1017–1031 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Cheek, J.M., Busch, C.M.: Influence of shyness on loneliness in a new situation. Pers. Soc. Psychol. B. 7, 573–577 (1981)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Segrin, C., Kinney, T.: Social skills deficits among the socially anxious: rejection from others and loneliness. Motiv. Emotion. 19, 1–24 (1995)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Sheldon, P.: The relationship between unwillingness-to-communicate and students’ facebook use. J. Media Psychol. 20, 67–75 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Russell, D., Peplau, L., Cutrona, C.: The revised UCLA Loneliness Scale: Concurrent and discriminant validity evidence. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 39, 472–480 (1980)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Papacharissi, Z., Rubin, A.: Predictors of internet use. J. Broadcast. Electron. Media. 44, 175–196 (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  40. Lee, C.S., Goh, D.H.-L., Chua, A.Y.K., Ang, R.P.: Indagator: investigating perceived gratifications of an application that blends mobile content sharing with gameplay. J. Am. Soc. Inf. Sci. Tec. 61, 1244–1257 (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  41. Gregor, P., Newell, A.F., Zajicek, M.: Designing for dynamic diversity: Interfaces for older people. In: Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies, pp. 151–156. ACM, Edinburgh (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  42. Mcmellon, C., Schiffman, L.: Cybersenior empowerment: how some older individuals are taking control of their lives. J. Appl. Gerontol. 21, 157–175 (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  43. Info-communications Development Authority of Singapore: Annual survey on Infocomm Usage in Households and by Individuals for 2014 (2015). https://www.ida.gov.sg/~/media/Files/Infocomm%20Landscape/Facts%20and%20Figures/SurveyReport/2014/2014%20HH%20public%20report%20final.pdf. Accessed 2 April 2016

  44. Digital Influence Lab.: Digital Marketing Statistics in Singapore – 2015 (2015). http://digitalinfluencelab.com/singapore-digital-marketing-stats/. Accessed 2 April 2016

  45. Wong, A.: Facebook, WhatsApp top ranked in Singapore (2014). http://www.todayonline.com/tech/facebook-whatsapp-top-ranked-singapore. Accessed 7 May 2016

  46. Statista: Penetration of leading social networks in Singapore as of 4th quarter 2015 (2015). http://www.statista.com/statistics/284466/singapore-social-network-penetration/. Accessed 2 April 2016

  47. Singapore Business Review: 5 important statistics about Facebook users in Singapore (2012). http://sbr.com.sg/leisure-entertainment/news/5-important-statistics-about-facebook-users-in-singapore. Accessed 7 May 2016

  48. Info-communications Development Authority of Singapore: Publication of Infocomm Technology Roadmap 2012 (2012). https://www.ida.gov.sg/~/media/Files/Infocomm%20Landscape/Technology/TechnologyRoadmap/SocialMedia.pdf. Accessed 2 April 2016

  49. Matuszak, G., Elms, D., Wissmann, P.: The rise of the digital multitasker (2013). https://www.kpmg.com/ES/es/ActualidadyNovedades/ArticulosyPublicaciones/Documents/Digital-Debate-2013.pdf. Accessed 5 May 2016

  50. Skoric, M.M., Poor, N.D., Liao, Y., Tang, S.W.H.: Online organization of an offline protest. In: Proceedings of the 44th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, pp. 1–8. IEEE, Kauai (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  51. Helliwell, J., Layard, R., Sachs, J.: World Happiness Report (2012). http://worldhappiness.report/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2012/04/World_Happiness_Report_2012.pdf. Accessed 2 April 2016

  52. Helliwell, J., Layard, R., Sachs, J.: World Happiness Report 2013 (2013). http://worldhappiness.report/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2013/09/WorldHappinessReport2013_online.pdf. Accessed 2 April 2016

  53. Helliwell, J., Layard, R., Sachs, J.: World Happiness Report 2016 Volume 1 (2016). http://worldhappiness.report/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/03/HR-V1_web.pdf. Accessed 2 April 2016

  54. Housing & Development Board: Public housing in Singapore: Well-being of communities, families and the elderly. HDB Sample Household Survey 2008, Housing and Development Board (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  55. Tambyah, S.K., Tan, S.J., Kau, A.K.: The quality of life in Singapore. In: SOCI 92, pp. 337–376 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  56. Veenhoven, R.: Happiness: also known as “life satisfaction” and “subjective well-being”. In: Kenneth, K.C., Michalos, A.C., Sirgy, J. (eds.) Handbook of Social Indicators and Quality of Life Research, pp. 63–77. Springer, New York (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  57. Veenhoven, R.: Cross-national differences in happiness: cultural measurement bias or effect of culture? IJW. 2, 333–353 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  58. Lim, L.L., Kua, E.H.: Living alone, loneliness, and psychological well-being of older persons in Singapore. Curr Gerontol Geriatr Res. 2011 (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  59. Kua, E.: Some old-age truths about happiness (2012). http://newshub.nus.edu.sg/news/1209/PDF/TRUTHS-tdy-12sep-p10&p12.pdf. Accessed 2 May 2016

  60. Gentile, B., Twenge, J. M., Freeman, E. C., Campbell, W. K.: The effect of social networking websites on positive self-views: an experimental investigation. Comput. Hum. Behav. 28, 1929–1933 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  61. Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., Griffin, S.: The Satisfaction with Life scale. J. Pers. Assess. 49, 71–75 (1985)

    Google Scholar 

  62. Valkenburg, P., Peter, J., Schouten, A.: Friend networking sites and their relationship to adolescents’ well-being and social self-Esteem. Cyberpsychol. Behav. 9, 584–590 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  63. Russell, D.: UCLA loneliness scale (version 3): reliability, validity, and factor structure. J. Pers. Asses. 66, 20–40 (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  64. Bozoglan, B., Demirer, V., Sahin, I.: Loneliness, self-esteem, and life satisfaction as predictors of Internet addiction: a cross-sectional study among Turkish university students. Scand. J. Psychol. 54, 313–319 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  65. Demir, A.: Reliability and validity of the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Turkish J. Psychol. 7, 14–18 (1989)

    Google Scholar 

  66. Jang, J.Y., Han, K., Shin, P.C., Lee, D.: Generation like: comparative characteristics in instagram. In: Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 4039–4042. ACM, New York (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  67. Goffman, E.: The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Penguin, London (1982)

    Google Scholar 

  68. Papacharissi, Z.: The self online: the utility of personal home pages. J. Broadcast. Electron. Media. 46, 346–368 (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  69. Tandoc, E., Ferrucci, P., Duffy, M.: Facebook use, envy, and depression among college students: Is Facebooking depressing? Comput. Hum. Behav. 43, 139–146 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  70. Mehdizadeh, S.: Self-Presentation 2.0: Narcissism and Self-Esteem on Facebook. Cyberpsychol. Behav. Soc. Netw. 13, 357–364 (2010)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore

    Winston Jin Song Teo & Chei Sian Lee

Authors
  1. Winston Jin Song Teo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Chei Sian Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Winston Jin Song Teo .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan

    Atsuyuki Morishima

  2. Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria

    Andreas Rauber

  3. Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

    Chern Li Liew

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing AG

About this paper

Cite this paper

Teo, W.J.S., Lee, C.S. (2016). Sharing Brings Happiness?: Effects of Sharing in Social Media Among Adult Users. In: Morishima, A., Rauber, A., Liew, C. (eds) Digital Libraries: Knowledge, Information, and Data in an Open Access Society. ICADL 2016. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 10075. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49304-6_39

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49304-6_39

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-49303-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-49304-6

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation