Well-being and social media: a mixed-methods study

Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives. Research reveals conflicting findings about the outcomes of social media use, highlighting its benefits alongside negative effects. To reconcile these findings and holistically understand the effects of social media on well-being, we must analyze the dynamics and mechanisms underlying the use of this technology. Thus, we propose a mixed-methods study to capture usage patterns, users' perceived interactive affordances of social media, and the differential consequences of using the technology. We aim to conceptualize the dimensions of interactive affordances of social media, develop an operationalization for the construct, and examine its potential mediating role between social media use and users' well-being. We expect this study to contribute to IT affordances and social media use research and provide groundwork for public health recommendations conducive to users’ well-being.