Entertainment and Social Media Use During Social Distancing: Examining Trait Differences in Transportability and Need for Social Assurance

This study (N = 348 students and 468 adults) examines whether the associations between increased media use during social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic and negative emotional states (negative affect, boredom, and depression) depend on individual differences. Transportability is the trait likelihood of becoming mentally and emotionally immersed in story worlds, and need for social assurance is the tendency to rely on others for affiliation and companionship. Theoretically, higher transportability may lead to greater benefits from using entertainment media, whereas need for social assurance has previously been linked with negative outcomes of social media use. In addition, we explored whether media use and its associations differ between college students and older adults. Results suggest that social media use and entertainment media use increased during social distancing, particularly for students. Moreover, increased use of both types of media was associated with more negative emotional states. In particular, those high in need for social assurance used social media more often and reported more negative feelings. In addition, contrary to expectations, the association between entertainment media and depression appeared to be increased by transportability, particularly in older adults. These findings highlight the need for greater understanding of how effects of media use might change during social isolation as well as the need for additional social and mental health support for young adults/students during social distancing. Public Policy Relevance Statement College students and older adults increased their entertainment and social media use during social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but that media use did not relieve negative feelings, boredom, or depression. This was especially true for those more likely to be transported (immersed) into stories, those high in need for social assurance, and young adult/students, in whom these characteristics appeared to facilitate the effects of media use on negative mood state. These results suggest that the effects of individual differences on media use may change during times of social stress.

Automated summary

This study examined the relationship between increased media use during social distancing due to COVID-19 and negative emotional states, finding that both social media and entertainment media use increased during social distancing, particularly for students. Increased media use was associated with more negative emotional states, especially for those high in need for social assurance. Surprisingly, entertainment media use was found to be associated with depression, particularly in older adults with higher transportability. The study highlights the importance of understanding how individual differences may impact media effects during times of social stress.