The Effect of Social Media Attachment on Subjective Well-being in a College Student Population

Abstract

With the increasing penetration of daily use of social media, people's emotional level of social media has become more affluent, and academics have introduced psychological attachment theory into social media use to explain the complex relationship with social media.In this study, college students who are in emerging adulthood and are "highly active users" of social media were selected as the subjects. Through questionnaire surveys and empirical analyses, we explored the working model of social media attachment and its impact on college students' subjective well-being. The results show that a certain degree of social media attachment positively impacts college students' subjective well-being. Our interpretation is that social media attachment provides a stable attachment object for college students, who are in flux and infinite possibilities, that can be relied on stably (While being an attachment object in its own right, it is a collection of multiple attachment relationships such as parents and partners.), that can give a sense of meaning (gained through self-presentation and self-esteem), and that can provide help (access to information, experiential support). Secure and stable social media attachment can improve college students' subjective well-being, allowing them to explore the world better and create more possibilities for the future.

Keywords: Social Media Attachment; Subjective Well-being; Emerging  Adulthood

DOI: 10.7176/NMMC/106-04

Publication date: March 31st 2024