Online, all the time? That might be fine?

There is an assumption that social media use is mainly habitual or driven by addiction-like mechanisms, but findings published in the International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing suggest that engagement with such platforms might be better explained in terms of a person’s structured response to distinct psychological and social needs. The work could have implications for how the platforms, policymakers, and users themselves interpret their time spent online.

The researchers analysed responses from 384 participants about their social media use using Structural Equation Modelling. This statistical approach tests complex causal relationships between psychological factors and observable behaviour. It allowed the team to examine how different motivational variables work together to influence social media use in a way that earlier analyses might have missed.

The work builds on Uses and Gratifications Theory, a framework in media studies that argues that individuals are active agents who choose media platforms to satisfy specific needs rather than passive recipients of content. Within this framework, the researchers categorise motivations for social media use into four groups: coping, social motive, enhancement, and conformity.

“Coping” refers to using social media to manage negative emotional states such as stress, anxiety, or sadness. “Social motive” captures the use of platforms to maintain relationships, communicate with others, and experience a sense of belonging. “Enhancement” describes engagement aimed at increasing positive emotions, enjoyment, or self-esteem. “Conformity” refers to behaviour shaped by external pressure, including following trends or responding to perceived social expectations.

The study demonstrated that coping and social motives are the strongest and most consistent predictors of overall social media usage. This suggests that users tend to spend more time on social media when they are either trying to regulate negative emotions or seeking interpersonal connection. Enhancement motives, linked to enjoyment and self-image, also had a part to play, but their effect was less consistent between users. Finally, conformity, despite its theoretical relevance in earlier research, had only a weak association with overall time spent on platforms.

From a policy and design perspective, the work shows that social media usage is more complex than is often assumed in public debate. If social media use is closely tied to emotional regulation and social connectedness, then interventions focused solely on reducing screen time may overlook the underlying psychological drivers of engagement. For some individuals, this might then do more harm than good.

The work also raises the possibility that a blanket approach to restriction or deterrence might not distinguish between different patterns of use. In such cases, the challenge for policymakers and designers should then be to recognise when and why usage becomes disproportionate in more subtle ways.

Kirezli, O. and Aydin, A.E. (2026) ‘The influence of diverse usage motives on the amount of social media use: the moderating effects of age and gender’, Int. J. Electronic Marketing and Retailing, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp.342–361.