Social media addiction: what matters more – where you live or who you are?

Abstract Purpose The rapid rise of mediated communication, particularly various forms of social media, has created a greater need to study the impact of media effects associated with its use. In particular, new attention has been brought to light regarding potential addiction among users. Social media addiction has been shown to increase rates of mental, emotional and health issues, including depression, anxiety, and poor sleep. This quantitative study calculates the potential impact that residential and working areas may have on social media addiction among users, particularly by analyzing measurable differences among the population size of geographic areas across the United States. Design/methodology/approach 420 people were surveyed on their social media use, with questions inspired by the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale. Participants were asked to classify the geographic area where they reside as urban, suburban , city/town , and rural . Findings Results show suburban residents to be less inclined to social media addiction than urban and city/town residents. Whites, Hispanics, and higher education also were contributors to social media addiction. Practical implications This study adds to the research surrounding the ubiquitous use of social media among the world population, and the impact that has on an individual’s mental and physical health. Social implications This study shows how technological dependence affects people in different geographical areas. Factors for varying dependence may include indicators such as stress, life satisfaction, routines, and extracurricular activities. Originality/value This is one of the first we found to investigate whether people who live in different geographical and populated areas in the U.S. may experience social media addiction differently. This study continues the growing research into the mental health of social media users.