The influence of social media affordances on adolescents’ need satisfaction

Social media is integral to the lives of adolescents, with most actively engaging on these platforms. As they progress through this developmental stage, their emotional and social well-being increasingly intertwines with their online interactions. Social media offers a wide range of features, from passive content consumption to active engagement, such as liking or sharing posts. These features create various "social media affordances," which are the perceived opportunities for interaction provided by these platforms and how well they align with users' needs and behaviors. For instance, a high like count on a post might provide social validation and meet a need for connection.

Given the central role of social media in shaping adolescent experiences, understanding which affordances most effectively meet their needs is crucial. This project seeks to fill this knowledge gap by investigating the impact of social media affordances on adolescents’ need satisfaction. The project consists of three main studies: First, a comprehensive literature review will assess existing research on how social media affordances affect adolescents’ needs. Second, an eye-tracking study will analyze how adolescents visually interact with social media content, focusing on how different affordances capture their attention and influence their responses. Finally, a real-world study will combine experience sampling—where adolescents report their social media use and emotional states throughout the day—with data donations, which are anonymous data logs from their actual social media accounts, to provide insights into how these affordances impact their emotional and social needs in everyday life.

The ultimate goal of this project is to provide a nuanced understanding of social media’s impact on adolescents, considering their individual characteristics and the needs that drive their online behavior. The findings are expected to contribute to more informed approaches to social media usage, particularly with regard to its influence on the well-being of adolescents.