Maartje Boer

CHAPTER 8 254 Additional Findings Models 7 and 8 yielded additional findings. Table 8.6 shows that the previously found negative between-person association between more passive (i.e., SNS viewing, IM viewing) and more active (i.e., IM sending) SMU activities and life satisfaction were not observed anymore when controlling for upward social comparison (M7a,e,f). Furthermore, when we controlled for both upward social comparison and SMU problems at the between-person level, we observed positive between-person associations between one more passive (i.e., SNS viewing) and some more active (i.e., SNS liking, SNS responding) SMU activities (M8a,c,d) and life satisfaction. Thus, SMU problems and upward social comparison may together suppress positive between-person associations between some SMU activities and life satisfaction. Discussion The present study investigated the extent to which the association between SMU intensity and wellbeing is dependent on (1) the SMU activity adolescents engage in, (2) the (non)linearity of the association, (3) individual differences, (4) whether SMU problems are considered, and (5) the level of analyses. In doing so, we distinguished SMU activities ranging from more active (i.e., SNS posting, IM sending, SNS responding, SNS liking) to more passive (i.e., SNS viewing, IM viewing). Wellbeing was indicated by life satisfaction. At the within-person level, there was no average association between any of the SMU activities and life satisfaction, regardless of whether we controlled for SMU problems. However, the associations at the within-person level varied: For some adolescents, increases in SMU activities were associated with decreases in life satisfaction, whereas for others, increases in SMU activities were associated with increases in life satisfaction. In general, this variation could not be explained by adolescents’ tendency to engage in upward social comparisons. At the between-person level, higher average intensity of some more passive activities (i.e., SNS and IM viewing) and one more active activity (i.e., IM sending) were associated with lower average life satisfaction with a small effect size. However, these associations disappeared when controlling for adolescents’ average level of SMU problems. In addition, for none of the SMU activities, evidence was found that the association between SMU intensity and life satisfaction was curvilinear.