A longitudinal study of the effects of internet use on subjective well-being

PAEZ, DARIO; DELFINO, GISELA; VARGAS-SALFATE, SALVADOR; LIU, JAMES H.; GIL DE ZÚÑIGA, HOMERO; KHAN, SAMMYH; GARAIGORDOBIL, MAITE

Media Psychology

Taylor & Francis

Lugar: Philadelphia; Año: 2020 vol. 23 p. 676 - 710

1521-3269

This study examined how internet use is related to subjectivewell-being, using longitudinal data from 19 nations withrepresentative online samples stratified for age, gender, andregion (N = 7122, 51.43% women, Mage= 45.26). Life satisfactionand anxiety served as indices of subjective well-being attime 1 (t1) and then six months later (t2). Frequency ofinternet use (hours online per day) at t1 correlated withlower life satisfaction, r = -.06, and more anxiety, r = .13at t2. However, after imposing multivariate controls, frequencyof internet use (t1) was no longer associated withlower subjective well-being (t2). Frequency of social contactby internet and use of internet for following rumors (t1)predicted higher anxiety (t2). Higher levels of direct (faceto-face plus phone) social contact (t1) predicted greater lifesatisfaction (t2). In multivariate analyses, all effect sizes weresmall. Society-level individualism-collectivism or indulgencerestraintdid not show a direct effect on outcomes normoderate individual-level associations. Results are discussedin the framework of the internet as a displacement of socialcontact versus a replacement of deficits in direct contact;and as a source of positive and negative information.