On Corporate Responsibility When Studying Social Media Use and Well-Being

We read the review on social media (SM) and well-being by Kross et al. [ 1] with great interest. We appreciate the overview and avenues discussed by the authors to improve research in this vivid area. From our perspective, the most important takehome message from Kross et al. is that whether SM `enhances or diminishes well-being depends on how and why people use it, as well as who uses it' (page 55). In light of many findings illustrating small effect sizes when investigating single associations between a variable, such as personality, and SM use [2,3], we share the opinion that considering each of the how, who, and why questions independently will not provide a complete picture of the relationship between SM use and well-being. Such insights can only be derived when the dynamic interplay of many important variables is considered (see Key Figure in [1]).

Automated summary

The impact of social media on well-being, as discussed by Kross et al., depends on how and why people use it, as well as who is using it. Simply considering these factors independently may not fully reveal the relationship between social media use and well-being, as insights can only be derived when considering the dynamic interplay of various important variables.