Reyes Marc Eric S, Morales Belen Corazon C, Javier Gabriella E, Ng Rachel Alysson E, Zsila Ágnes
Department of Psychology, College of Science, University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines.
Institute of Psychology, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary.
J Technol Behav Sci. 2022;7(3):396-405. doi: 10.1007/s41347-022-00262-6. Epub 2022 Jun 23.
With the increasing popularity of social networking platforms, it serves a greater purpose that is no longer contained simply as a means of social leisure. Social networking sites (SNSs) form and maintain social interactions. Various phenomena revolve around how this usage is associated with certain behaviors, such as keeping social ties online and affecting well-being. It is vital to understand how SNSs may affect users differently during this time, viewing this in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. Moreover, studies have also suggested that gender plays a role in these behaviors. The present study investigated SNS use and showed evidence of its association with social connectedness and happiness across gender during the COVID-19 pandemic. We empirically examined the association of social networking use with the sense of social connectedness and state of happiness among 420 Generation Z Filipinos (31.4% male) aged 18 to 27. We found that social networking use is not associated with either social connectedness or happiness. Multiple-sample path analysis was performed to investigate further the association between social networking site use, social connectedness, and happiness across gender. SNS use for male participants during stress-related periods predicted decreased social connectedness and happiness levels. General motives for use, or reasons people are likely to use SNSs, also predicted reduced happiness levels among males. Overall, the findings suggest that SNS use by itself may not be sufficient to influence substantial change in social connectedness and happiness and that gender alter the ways of SNS use, given its importance as a crucial channel for communication at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.
随着社交网络平台越来越受欢迎，其作用变得更为重大，不再仅仅局限于社交休闲方式。社交网站（SNS）形成并维持着社会互动。各种现象都围绕着这种使用方式如何与某些行为相关联，比如在网上维系社会关系以及影响幸福感。在菲律宾新冠疫情的背景下，了解SNS在此期间如何对用户产生不同影响至关重要。此外，研究还表明性别在这些行为中起作用。本研究调查了SNS的使用情况，并显示出在新冠疫情期间SNS的使用与不同性别的社会联系和幸福感之间存在关联的证据。我们实证检验了420名年龄在18至27岁的菲律宾Z世代（31.4%为男性）的社交网络使用与社会联系感和幸福状态之间的关联。我们发现社交网络使用与社会联系或幸福感均无关联。进行了多样本路径分析，以进一步探究社交网站使用、社会联系和不同性别幸福感之间的关联。在与压力相关的时期，男性参与者使用SNS预示着社会联系和幸福感水平的下降。使用SNS的一般动机，即人们可能使用SNS的原因，也预示着男性的幸福感水平会降低。总体而言，研究结果表明，SNS的使用本身可能不足以对社会联系和幸福感产生实质性影响，并且鉴于在新冠疫情期间SNS作为关键沟通渠道的重要性，性别会改变SNS的使用方式。
