Happiness, Loneliness, and Social Media: Perceived Intimacy Mediates the Emotional Benefits of Platform Use

The purpose of this study is to explore the how user perceptions of social media might influence effects on psychological well-being. Social Presence Theory was used to examine Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and texting. Undergraduate students ( N null = 352) were given a survey to assess how frequently they use social media, how intimate they think each platform is, and how lonely and happy they are. Perceived intimacy was found to...