Running head: Excessive Social Media Usage and Impact on Relationships

A Qualitative Study of Excessive Social Media Usage and its Impact on Relationships

among Different Cultures

California School of Professional Psychology

Alliant International University

San Francisco

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree

Doctor of Psychology

By

Kalyani Akula. M. A

2024

Approved by:

David Hoskins, Psy.D.

Dustin Weissman, Psy.D.

Randall Wyatt, Ph.D.

EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS ii

© Copyright by Kalyani Akula, 2024

All Rights Reserved
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS iii

Abstract
A Qualitative Study of Excessive Social Media Usage and its Impact on Relationships among

Different Cultures

Kalyani Akula, M.A.

California School of Professional Psychology

San Francisco Campus

Alliant International University

The amount of time spent on social media can have different positive and negative

impacts on individual’s relationships. The purpose of this study was to understand how excessive

social media usage impacts individuals' relationships (among parent-child, romantic partner, and

sibling relationships) and to identify if culture plays a role in excessive social media usage. A

qualitative approach was used to collect and analyze data by conducting interviews with the

participants. Three research questions guided this study (a) How does spending a lot of social

media time impact an individual's (i) parent-child relationship, (ii) romantic relationship, and (iii)

sibling relationship? (b) Does culture play a role in social media usage? and (c) Does gender play

a role in excessive social media usage? The findings that answered the first research question

were (a) increasing misunderstanding and communication breakdown, (b) creating feeling of

negligence, (c) decrease quality of time, (d) social media is used as an escape mechanism, and

(e) improves partners’ and parent-child communications. The findings that addressed the second

research question were (a) cultural norms and rules and (b) generational differences and cultural

adaptation. For the third research question, females expressed excessive use of social medial than

males and most of the married participants expressed negative impacts of social media use on
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS iv

their children than with their romantic relationship. Other relevant themes findings included (a)

unintentional usage but deliberate engagement, (b) strong emotional attachment and dependence

on social media, (b) fulfilment of psychological needs, and (c) coping with boredom and

tiredness. These findings highlight the need for more balanced strategies to optimize the positive

impacts of social media on relationships while minimizing the associated negative impacts.

Keyword: social media, relationship, phubbing, excessive use

EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS v

Dedication

I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my parents, Ashok Kumar Akula and Vanaja Akula.

You taught me the importance of family and giving, supported my every decision, and continue

to support me in whatever I do.

To Aditi Akula, my hero and constant source of inspiration—your courage, strength, and wisdom

have guided me more than words can express. You have been a shining example in my life, and I

strive to embody the qualities you display every day.

To VijendraRaj Apsingekar, your presence in my life has been a constant source of guidance and

wisdom. From our countless debates to our occasional disagreements, our bond has grown

stronger. Through it all, you have been a steady pillar or support, offering insight, perspective,

and unwavering encouragement.

To Avyukth, my little love, who has shown me the purest form of unconditional love. In your

presence, I have discovered a love that knows no boundaries, and your infectious smile brightens

even the darkest of days and fills my heart with immeasurable happiness.

This work honors my late grandparents, Srinivas Rao and Shyamala Pyata, Advaiah and Eshwari

Akula—your long-lasting legacy. Though you are no longer with us, your influence, and the

values you instilled continue to shape our lives in profound ways.

This dissertation is not only a reflection of my hard work but a testament to the foundations you

laid through your love, support, and life lessons.

EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS vi

Acknowledgements

I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to my Dissertation Chair, Dr. David Hoskins. Your

unwavering guidance, patience, and understanding throughout this journey have been invaluable.

During moments of confusion and frustration, your insight and encouragement always helped me

find clarity and direction. Your flexibility in accommodating my needs, along with your constant

support, gave me the confidence to keep pushing forward. Your kindness, warmth, and genuine

care have not only made this academic process more manageable but also more meaningful. I am

deeply appreciative of the time and effort you invested in helping me succeed. For all of this, I

am profoundly grateful.

I would also like to express my sincere thanks to Dr. Dustin Weissman for graciously agreeing to

be a part of my dissertation committee. Your willingness to contribute your expertise and

valuable insights have enriched this work immensely.

Thank you Dr. Randall Wyatt for being an integral part of this journey and for your unwavering

commitment to my academic success. Your guidance, thoughtful advice, and encouragement

have been invaluable throughout this process.

EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS vii

Table of Contents

Abstract iii

Dedication v

Acknowledgements vi

List of Tables xi

Chapter 1: Introduction 1

Chapter II: Literature Review 9

Theories Guiding Conceptualization 14

Relationships and Social Media Usage 17

Parent-Child Relationships and Social Media Usage 17

Sibling Relationships and Social Media Usage 23

Romantic Partner Relationships and Social Media Usage 27

Identifying Satisfaction Among Relationships 31

Gender and Social Media Usage 34

Summary and Purpose of the Study 36

Summary 36

Purpose of the Study 38

Chapter III: Methods 39

Description of the Research 39

Participants 40

Measures 41

Procedure 44

Data Analysis 45
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS viii

Chapter IV: Results 48

Participants Demographics 48

RQ1: How does spending excessive time on social media is impacting relationships (i)

Parent-Child Relationship, (ii) Romantic Relationship and (iii) Sibling Relationship? 50

Theme 1: Increasing Misunderstanding and Communication Breakdown 50

Theme 2: Creating a Feeling of Negligence 52

Theme 3: Decrease Quality of Time 54

Theme 4: Social Media is Used as an Escape Mechanism 55

Theme 5: Improved Partners and Parent-Child Communications 56

RQ2: Does Culture Play a Role in Social Media Usage? 57

Theme 1: Cultural Norms and Rules 57

Theme 2: Generational Differences and Cultural Adaptation 58

Theme 3: Use of Social Media to Gain Resources 59

RQ3: Does Gender Play a Role in Excessive Social Media Usage? 59

Other Identified Themes 61

Theme 1: Unintentional Usage but Deliberate Engagement 61

Theme 2: Strong Emotional Attachment on Social Media 62

Theme 3: Fulfillment of Psychological Needs 63

Theme 4: Coping with Boredom and Tiredness 63

Chapter V: Discussion 65

Implications 78

Limitations 78

Recommendations for Future Research 79

EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS ix

Conclusion 80

References 82

Appendix A: Demographic Questionnaire 99

Appendix B: Semi-Structured Interview Part I 100

Appendix C: Semi-Structured Interview Part II 101

Appendix D: Participants Screening 103

Appendix E: Participant Thank You Letter 106

EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS x

List of Tables

Table 1: Participants Demographics 49

Table 2: Themes identified for the First Research Question 50

Table 3: Themes identified for the Second Research Question 57

Table 4: Other identified themes 61

EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 1

Chapter I: Introduction

Being tied up with a smartphone and checking on social media right after waking up has

been a trend of the 21st century. Social media consists of Social Networking Sites (SNSs) and

blogs that help individuals connect to create awareness for educational or business purposes

(Siddiqui and Singh, 2016). Although social media aids in socialization and support for

individuals, its positive impacts easily outweigh its negative impact. Social media is making us

dependent, addictive, and affecting the way we interact with each other and our relations.

Excessive social media usage may also create distractions among human interactions and replace

them with conversations through technology. The time a person dedicates to the screen influence

how they approach their personal relationships (Keller, 2013). Research shows that seven out of

ten Americans use social media, the internet or technology to either stay connected with others or

share their information or engage in entertainment or news content (Pew Research Center, 2019).

The same Pew Research of 2019 pointed out that 90% of these individuals are among 18–29-

year-old, 82% of them are between 30–49-year-old, 69% individuals are aged between 50–64-

year-old, and about 40% of them are 65 years and above. Sixty-five percentage of these

individual users were male, and 78% of them were female (Pew Research Center, 2019). These

Pew Research statistics indicate that individual users of social media continue to rise each year

among all age groups. Therefore, this current project addressed the impact social media has on

individuals and their relationships.

Motivations for excessive social media usage: Nonavailability of the internet and not

having access to social media is often perceived as a nightmare in this technology fluxed world.

There are various motivations for individuals to use Social Media. Facebook, WhatsApp,

Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and Google are the most popular and commonly known
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 2

social media sites (SMSs) in the Western world (Alexa, 2017). Kuss and Griffiths (2011;2-17)

identified establishing and maintaining offline and online relationships as one of the primary

motivations. Facebook is a popular and most visited social media platform with over 2 billion

users in 2017 and is actively used by 1.3 billion users every day (Facebook, 2017). With this

high number of users, Facebook appeals to users of all ages. Prior studies investigated the

motivations of using social media excessively reported- entertainment, self-expression,

information sharing, self-documentation, and socialization as the primary motivations for using

Facebook (Alhabash et al. 2014; Krause et al. 2014; Smock et al. 2011). The motivation to

satisfy the need for belonging and for self-presentation was also identified with Facebook usage

(Nadkarni and Hofmann, 2012).

Lee et al. (2015) reported that Instagram could be used for self-expression and social

interaction and excessively used for creativity purposes, coolness, and knowledge about others

(Sheldon and Bryant, 2016). Instagram also identifies as the fastest growing social media

platform due to its popularity among teenagers and young adults (Alhabash and Ma 2017;

Jackson and Luchner 2017). Twitter also serves in information sharing, social interaction,

information seeking, mobilization, content, and new technology gratifications (Johnson and

Yang, 2009; Liu et al. 2010). Snapchat, which is the third most popular social platform after

Facebook and Instagram (Utz et al. 2015), also is used for entertainment, convenience, medium

appeal, self-expression, modality, agency, interactivity, navigability, and privacy motivates

adolescents and young adults (Alhabash and Ma, 2017; Stanley, 2015).

Kuss and Griffiths (2017) defined social media as a digitally mediated technology that

facilitates sharing ideas, thoughts, and information by creating virtual networks, collaborating on

content, and producing the content online. SNSs focus mainly on connecting people through
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 3

online platforms or virtual communities (Kuss and Griffiths, 2017). Phubbing is another behavior

that appears very common in recent times. Chotipitayasunondh and Douglas (2016) coined

"phubbing," which represents "the act of snubbing someone in a social setting by concentrating

on one's phone instead of talking to the person directly" (p. 10). It can also be summarized as

spending excessive time on social media rather than paying attention to or spending quality time

with people or partners when they are together. There is, however, limited research regarding

phubbing behavior. Al-Saggaf and MacCulloch (2019) observed that individuals are more likely

to phub family, friends, and strangers than people at work. Parents, children, and partners are

more likely to be phubbed among family relations (Al-Saggaf and MacCulloch 2019). Radesku

et al. (2015) identified Phubbing being a vicious cycle, where parents become unresponsive to

their children and/or respond harshly to misbehaviors, while children experience distress when

caregivers shift their attention to a digital device (Khourochvili, 2017) and engage in risky

behaviors to regain parental attention (Kildare and Middlemiss, 2017). Excessive social media

usage can contribute to unhealthy comparison and unrealistic expectations for what relationships

are supposed to be like.

Phubbing is a form of technoference. Technoference, defined by McDaniel and Coyne

(2014), uses technology /smartphones to browse SNSs, social media, etc. It is also associated

with an interruption in communication between parents and children or between couples

(Abdulkareen, Aliyu, Khali, Gani, and Musa, 2018). Phubbing is a behavior that is caused by

'technoference.' Technoference is a way to understand what's happening between individuals

when phubbing occurs. In one study, more than 50% of respondents reported not responding to

their children when engaging with their mobile phones, and more than 80% found it hard to look

away from the phone even during conversations with their families (Hiniker et al., 2015). An
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 4

empirical and quantitative study focusing on children's perception of parental technoference

found that parental technoference led to increased anxiety, depression, and cyberbullying

(Stockdale, Coyne, and Padilla-Walker, 2018). Distraction due to technoference in a couple's

interactions and time spent together is also associated with worse relational well-being; less

satisfaction with leisure or time spent together (McDaniel & Coyne, 2016; Roberts & David,

2016; McDaniel, Galovan, and Drouin, 2020).

Over the past two decades, technology, social media, and its usage are widely developed.

This development also extended its possible positive and negative effects into relationships, be it

romantic relationships or parent-child relationships (Hipp, 2019; Thomas 2020; McDaniel and

Tadesky, 2018). Research reports both positive and negative impacts of social media usage and

technology use (Danielle, 2020; Catchpole, & Pryjmachuk, 2017). Social media usage abets in

maintaining and sustaining relationships from people who are far from immediate proximity,

helps individuals to reach for help whenever needed, aids in educational, social connectedness,

and creates awareness around various aspects of culture (Daniell, 2020; Williams and Merten,

2011; Yacoub, Spoede, Cutting, and Hawley, 2018; Sawyer and Chen, 2012). In a qualitative

study conducted on international students, participants reported that social media usage doesn't

help make new friends; instead, it helps strengthen, build, and maintain existing friendships

(Sawyer and Chen, 2012). While in other cases, researchers identified that parental excessive

technological usage is also causing behavioral concerns in children (aged under 5 years)

(McDaniel and Tadesky, 2018). Technological interference was also studied among romantic

couples. In a quantitative study, participants reported partner's excessive social media usage

found a lack of caring, loneliness, and jealousy in their relationships (Nongpong and

Charoensukmongkol, 2016). While individuals are preoccupied with their social media usage,
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 5

they miss the opportunity to connect through emotional or physical expressions (such as a hug,

holding hands, etc.). A longitudinal study identified women more likely to report negative

emotional experiences because of technoference or excessive partner social media usage

(McDaniel and Coyne, 2014).

Excessive usage or addiction of social media, technoference, and phubbing may share

similar properties as they are related to inappropriate use and behaviors (Chotpitayasunondh and

Douglas, 2016) which affect the relationships. Qualitative research conducted to explore

phubbing culture among students (17-25 years old) identified that individuals pub either when

they are addicted to smartphones, or bored or not interested in a conversation; in educational

settings such as in lecture room, to search information (Abdulkareen et al., 2018). Another

quantitative study identified that internet addiction, fear of missing out (FOMO), and self -control

predicted social addiction, which again predicted phubbing behavior (Chotpitayasunondh and

Douglas, 2016). The results of this study also indicated that women phubbed their companions

more than men.

There is also sparse and inconclusive literature focusing on social media usage among

sibling relationships. Young USA teenagers (aged 13-17) and adults (aged 18-29) prefer

engaging in interpersonal communication through phones when compared to face-to-face

settings; while older adults prefer face-to-face interaction over any medicated communication

(Rainie & Zickuhr, 2015; Rideout & Robb, 2018; Kadylak, 2020). Social media usage among

sibling relationships can also be understood by family phubbing. Family phubbing is where

younger family member phubs in the presence of older adults of the family (Kadylak, 2020).

Older adults perceive phubbing as a negative interpersonal violation (Chotpitayasunondh &

Douglas, 2018; Dwyer, Kushlev, & Dunn, 2018), disrupting feelings of intimacy, feelings of
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 6

being ignored and disrespected (Kadylak, 2020; 2018). Understanding younger family members

and older adults regarding their age and relationship with each other is unclear in previous

research. Individuals' relationships with their siblings and excessive social media usage affecting

the sibling relationships can be understood by individuals' relationships with their parents and

other family members. A quantitative study identified positive social media habits in families

with children (2-6 years; and 7-12 years old). The vulnerability of social media effects was

observed among families with multiple children and age gap between siblings. Another

observational study identified that social media's impact on family collective efficacy and open

communication is fostered by the parental perception of their ability to manage children's social

media usage without damaging familial relationships (Procentese et al. 2019).

Culture substantially impacts our attitudes, beliefs, and motivations (Sheldon et al.,

2017); it also influences our attitude towards social media and its usage. Hofstede (1997)

described cultural variations based on dimensions such as individualism/collectivism,

masculinity/femininity. Based on the cultural variation Alsaleh, Elliott, Fu, and Thakur (2018)

hypothesized that attitudes and motivations around social media usage would be different among

social media usage in developed versus less developed countries. International students from

Northeastern Region University in the USA reported social media fostering their connections and

creating awareness of various American cultural aspects (Sawyer and Chen, 2012). E.g., one of

the participants (an international student from India) reported learning about Halloween; another

participant indicated learning about the American culture from Facebook gave him a better idea

of how people think and talk (Sawyer and Chen, 2012).

Social media usage and technoference are pervasive across cultural entities. To study the

role of culture and its influences on social media adoption, Alsaleh et al. (2018) conducted an
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 7

online survey using a convenience sample of undergrad and MBA students from Kuwait and

USA. This study observed that USA students/individualistic cultures were more likely to have

positive attitudes and trust SMS than Kuwaiti students/collectivistic cultures. Solo-Anaeto and

Jacobs (2015) also raised the fear of western cultural content, values, and culture in social media

and its influence on African youth, culture, and extension. Kim, Sohn, and Choi (2011) revealed

that American participants reported using their favorite SNS for 1.5h a day, and Korean

participants used SNS for 1.4 hours a day. Chai (2020) investigated the role of ethnic culture and

information privacy concerns on social media behaviors among USA and Korean social media

users. This research identified ethical culture as positively associated, and information privacy

concerns were negatively associated with users' information-sharing behavior on social media.

Even though there has been comprehensive research on the cultural impact on social media

usage, social media usage's cultural impact on relationships was not studied.

Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation is to focus on the impact that excessive social

media usage has on relationships. This study focused on the following research questions: How

does spending a lot of social media time impact an individual's a) parent-child relationship, b)

romantic relationship, and c) sibling relationship? I also identified the positive and negative

impacts of excessive social media on these above relationships and individuals' perceptions of

these impacts with the first purpose. The second research question would be: Does culture play a

role in social media usage? For this, I examined individual's cultural values, patterns, attitudes,

and perspectives of social media usage. I examined individuals from individualistic and

collectivistic cultural ethnicities. For this, I examined the participants from three cultures:

African American, American, and Asian American. I also identified if excessive social media

usage is seen as more prevalent or less prevalent among these cultures. The third research
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 8

question: Does gender play a role in excessive social media usage? With the third purpose, I

identified if gender is positively or negatively associated with social media usage among the

cultures mentioned above.

EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 9

Chapter II: Literature Review

Previous research on social media usage has focused on its positive and negative effects

in children, adolescents, and couple’s interactions (Al-Saggaf and MacCulloch 2019; Galovan

and Drouin, 2020). There is a dearth of research about the impact and in-depth experiences that

adults are facing in their relationships while using social media. Much of the previous research

also used quantitative and observational studies to identify the impact of social media usage and

yet unclear about the factors leading to excessive social media usage. The excessive usage of

social media's impacts a particular relationship, and individuals' experiences in identifying the

impact are also unclear. This observation was similar to the literature reviews around parent -

child relationships and romantic relationships. A considerable amount of literature talks about

excessive Facebook usage leads to jealousy-related suspicions and surveillance behaviors among

romantic relationships (Gull et al. 2019). However, the literature is unclear whether excessive

use of other social media sites other than Facebook also provides similar observations (Abbasi

and Alghamdi, 2017).

There is inconclusive literature about excessive social media usage affecting siblings'

relationships. There is minimal literature that identified if gender plays a role in an individual

excessively using social media. The literature explaining excessive social media usage being

impacted by culture or being different among cultures is also minimal. This unsatisfactory

literature does not help us understand how culture directly or indirectly affects individuals to use

social media excessively, which again affects their personal relationships. So far, very little is

known in the literature about excessive social media usage and how it affects a) parent-child

relationships, b) romantic relationships, and c) siblings' relationships. Very little is also known

about the literature addressing excessive social media usage with culture or gender.
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 10

Culture and Social Media Usage

Hofstede (1980, 25) defines culture as 'the collective programming of the mind which

distinguishes the members of one human group from another.' Culture includes norms and

values; it makes us who we are, what we feel connected to, and how we act. Social interaction is

the main aspect of any culture, which entails our behavior and how we behave. Social media has

played a significant role in our social interaction. For example, we no longer have to speak to a

person to know what they are doing, we can just look at their profile on SNS's or message on

WhatsApp. This leads to less 'real-life' or physical contact. Social media usage can be seen as

positive or negative. On the one hand, social media increased the connections between people

and created an environment where you can share your opinions, pictures, and lots of stuff. Social

media improved our society's creativity and social awareness by interacting with other people

and sharing new ideas and thoughts.

Hofstede (1997) identified several dimensions (power distance, individualism/

collectivism, masculinity/ femininity, and uncertainty avoidance) that culture is comprised of and

upon which cultures vary. These dimensions are used to explore cultural differences in

technology acceptance (Tarhini et al., 2015; Straub et al. 1997). Hofstede (1980) describes the

individualism/collectivism dimension as being based on the strength and breadth of ties between

individuals and society. In individualistic cultures, the ties between individuals are loose. Strong

links exist only with familiar others; everyone is expected to only look after themselves and their

immediate family (Hofstede, 1980). However, in collectivistic cultures, strong ties exist with a

more diffuse group. It seems clear that the deeply rooted motivation for people in collectivistic

cultures to adopt technologies lies in their desire to avoid disapproval, fit in, and be accepted by

essential reference groups (Hofstede, 1980). Prior studies suggested that collectivist societies
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 11

tend to show higher social media engagement levels in extended personal networks (Hartzel et

al. 2016).

According to Sawyer and Chen (2012), collectivistic cultures are categorized by family

integrity, in-group membership, and strong solidarity, emphasize interdependence among people.

Whereas in individualistic cultures are self-reliant, competition, distance from in-groups, and

hedonism are valued (Sawyer and Chen, 2012). Asian cultures such as China, Korea, India, and

Africa, which have a Confucian background, exhibit higher collectivism levels, while

individualism is more commonly observed in western cultures such as the USA. These findings

also can identify substantial cultural differences between American, Asian, and African cultures.

Sawyer and Chen (2012) found American culture as individualistic and Asian and African

cultures as collectivistic. Based on cultural variation, these differences in attitudes and

motivations would be expected between social media users in developed and less developed

countries (Sawyer and Chen, 2102). These observed differences between cultures can also have

an impact on the communication styles in the particular culture. The communication patterns

among individuals can abet communications within their relationships. Despite the large body of

literature on cultural values and communication behavior, very few studies have applied cultural

frameworks to examine cultural values' effects on social media platforms.

Social media is also emerged as a powerful tool in a digitally connected world, touching

every human experience aspect of African culture. Mbanaso, Dandaura, Ezeh, Iwuchukwu

(2015) studied social media usage among 16-25-year-old youth in Nigeria. In this study, they

surveyed 12 social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Youtube, Flickr,

Google +, Viber, Tango, LinkedIn, myspace, blackberry messenger, and Skype and examined the

purpose, frequency of social media usage, and also studied if social media usage impacts
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 12

education among this population. A sample of 291 participants was randomly selected from five

tertiary institutions within Plateau and Nasarawa states in central Nigeria. The results indicated

that 99% of the participants having social media accounts, out of which 95.2% used smartphones

to access these social media platforms. This study also identified that 46.4% of the participants

fell under the 'very likely' to use category, and 26.8 % fell under the 'extremely likely' category

to use social media in a week. Only 0.7% of the participants were not likely to use social media

within a week. Mlbanaso et al. (2015) identified that 91 % of the participants reported using

Facebook, ranking it the most common, followed by 87% of participants who reported using

WhatsApp.

In the same study, Tango and Flickr were identified as the least used social platforms

with 1% and 2%, respectively. Participants reported using Facebook for posting, chat, call video,

gaming, like, and sharing features. Mbanaso et al. (2015) also reported that 53% of participants

reported extreme social media usage and social sites being the sources of distraction to education

and hindering their study habits. This research also concluded that social networking sites could

enhance life quality when social media is used correctly. When abused, they could have negative

consequences (being distracted), particularly on the youth. However, this study was not evident

in describing the platform of usage at different age groups among the 16-25 years age range.

Even though this study depicts social media usage among adults, its impact on relationships is

still ambiguous.

Kim, Sohn, and Choi (2011) examined the role of culture in computer-mediated

communication by exploring and comparing the motives for and ways of using SNS among the

USA and Korean college students. A sample of 349 undergrad students from the southwestern

university in the USA and 240 undergrad students from five different universities in metropolitan
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 13

areas in Korea were recruited for the study. The participants recruited from USA universities

were between 18-24 years-old's; 75% of these participants were female, and 24.9 % were male.

Participants recruited from Korean universities were between 18-28-years-old, 54.6% were male,

and 45.4% were female. The uses-and-gratification theory studied the differences between the

USA and Korean college students and their motives for SNS usage. The study also examined the

differences in relationships of motives for using SNS to the usage patterns and American and

Korean students' attitudes towards SNS. The results indicated that Facebook (83.4%) was the

most popular SNS that Americans used, followed by MySpace (9.7%), Youtube (4.3%), and the

other SNS (2.6%); most used SNS among Korean participants were Cyworld (89.6%), followed

by NateOn (3.8), Daum Planet (3.3%) and others (3.3%). This study also identified five

motivations - seeking friends, social support, information, entertainment, and convince- as

primary reasons for using SNS among college students in both countries. Although the

motivation across the two countries was identical, the patterns of SNS usage were remarkably

different. American student's online social networks were five times larger than Korean students.

The results also indicated that both American and Korean participants showed similar

daily use of SNS of their choice: American participants reported using their favorite SNS for

1.5h, and Korean participants used SNS for 1.4 hours per day. The results also found that Korean

participants have used SNS for over since 2007, whereas American participants reported using it

since 2008. The results also suggested that American students had more friends in their SNS to

get social support, information, and entertainment. Korean students have more friends in their

networks to fulfill the need to seek new friends. These findings also highlight the cultural

differences in attitude towards SNS based on the motives of social relationships. The SNS users'

individualistic low-context cultures (such as USA) have more positive attitudes towards SNS's
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 14

when they seek new friends in a fun and convenient way; collective, high-context culture (such

as Korea) has a favorable attitude toward the SNS in seeking social support. The findings around

the cultural differences in attitudes towards using SNSs among individualistic and collectivistic

cultures are noteworthy. These findings are apt for social media impacts on individuals, but its

usage or excessive social media usage on individuals' relationships is not to be found.

Theories Guiding Conceptualization

Bowlby’s (1998) Attachment Theory. The current research examined the impact of

excessive social media usage on a) parent-child relationship, b) among sibling relationships, and

c) among romantic partner relationships. Understanding the attachment styles among

relationships would be an influential factor in understanding the positive and negative impacts

social media usage has on the above relationships. The early attachment relationships between

the caregiver and the child are essential to the child's development of adaptive internalized

working models (IWMs), which are the key to the quality and nature of the future relationships

(Bowlby, 1988). The early attachment relationship influences future expectations and beliefs

about the self, others, and relationships between self and others, all of which impact individuals'

future relationships (Bowlby, 1988). The nature of this attachment and its fostered and cared for

then influence the nature of the attachment to romantic partners later in our life. When securely

attached children become adults, they are more likely to become independent and to have help-

seeking abilities (Bowlby, 1969, 1973, 1980).

Bartholomew and Horowitz (1991) proposed four types of attachment: secure,

preoccupied, dismissive-avoidant, and fearful. Secure attachment occurs when people view

themselves and others positively and are satisfied with their relationships while feeling secure

and connected. Dismissive-avoidant attachment occurs when people view themselves positively
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 15

and others negatively. People who view themselves negatively and others positively, who feel

desperate for love and affection, are preoccupied. Fearful attachment is when people consider

themselves another negatively; they tend to avoid their feelings and get easily overwhelmed,

abrupt mood swings, fear of getting hurt in relationships. People with this attachment have

difficulty forming and maintain meaningful and healthy relationships (Bodner, Bergman, and

Fridel, 2013; Firestone, 2013).

While attachment style doesn't explain everything about individuals' relationships, it will

explain a great deal of why relations succeed or fail in the manner they do. It also explains why

people get attracted to others, the nature of the relationship problems that replay. A web-based

survey examined whether people differ in internet addiction tendencies regarding their

attachment style (Eichenberg, Schott, Decker, and Sindelar, 2017). Ninety-three percent of the

participants reported using the Internet for an average of 4.3 hours each day. Participants with

insecure attachment and ambivalent attachment styles were more likely to develop a mental

illness than participants with secure attachment styles. This study identified that lack of

anonymity, emotional support, escapism, and social compensation were participants' motives for

the excessive use of the Internet (Eichenberg, Schott, Decker, and Sindelar, 2017). Interestingly,

this study did not provide any information regarding the positive or negative impact of social

media. Hence it would be beneficial to understand the social platforms individuals are using and

whether there is a correlation between the social platforms and excessive social media usage.

Liu and Ma (2019) further explored whether online social support and fear of missing out

(FOMO) mediates the relationship between insecure attachment and social networking site

(SNS) addiction among college students. This research identified that participants with avoidant

attachment styles were more prone to have SNS addiction. In contrast, participants with anxious
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 16

attachment styles were associated with SNS addiction and seeking online social support. The

study also found that FOMO and the need for online social support parallel mediate the

relationship between anxious attachment and SNS addiction.

Katz’s (1970) Uses and Gratification Theory. The current research also examined the

role of culture and gender in social media usage and its impact on relationships. Elihu Katz

fabricated Uses and Gratification theory to understand how people utilize media to their benefit

(Katz, Blumler and Gurevitch, 1973), which was later developed by Jay Blumler and Michael

Gurevitch. This theory identifies individual’s communication on social media platforms

(Korhaan and Ersoy, 2016). This theory also studies how social media are utilized to fulfill

individual users' needs with different goals. There are five important assumptions of U&G (Liu,

2016; Christensen, 2018; Katz et al. 1973). a) People are active participants who purposively

select their media content, their motivations, and past media gratifications influence selection. b)

People choose to take the initiative in linking need gratification with a specific medium, c) the

media/medium compete with other resources for need satisfaction. d) people have enough self -

awareness of their media use, interest, and motives to support their usage and e) people are more

influential than media in the media effects process. Motivation and individual activity are

identified as the main elements based on these assumptions. Motivations influence how we seek

and use media, its gratifications, and potential media effects, based on which people from

expectations. An Individual's activity is the utility, intentionality, selectivity, and involvement

with media (e.g., sharing, discussing content) (Liu, 2016; Christensen, 2018; Katz et al. 1973).

A meta-analysis used 24 studies to examine the Facebook addiction research and

Facebook-related uses and gratification research and identified that uses and gratification

research reveals that relationship maintaining, passing the time, entertainment, and
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 17

companionship were important motives for Facebook use. Facebook addiction research indicated

that it could become habitual, excessive, and be used as an escape from negative moods (Ryan,

Chester, Reece, and Xenos, 2014). An observational study used the four types of YouTube

gratification factors that impact the satisfaction level of YouTube experience (content

gratification, social gratification, process gratification, and technology gratification). The study

also analyzed the relationship between content viewing, content creation, and YouTube addiction

in a survey of 410 Indian-student (16-35 years old; 59% male and 40% female) YouTube users.

The study identified that content gratification and social gratification are related to YouTube

content creation inclination; social gratification and process gratification are associated with

content creation and content viewing (Balakrishna and Griffiths, 2017).

Relationships and Social Media Usage

Parent-Child Relationships and Social Media Usage

Excessive social media use also affects the quality of the parent-child relationship and

can have a persuasive influence on children from an early age. This influence can affect a child's

cognitive and social development. Sampasa-Kanyinga, Goldfeild, Kingsburg, Claiborne, and

Colman (2020) were one of the first to provide evidence of parents and children's sex-specific

differences in the relationships between social media use and total screen time. The quality of the

parent-child relationship sex results further indicated that the relationship between social media

use with specific parent-child relationship quality did not differ by age.

Sampasa-Kanyinga and his colleagues (2020) examined the relationships between social

media use and total screen time with parent-child relationship quality and further examined

potential sex differences. They conducted cross-sectional research with 9732 students in Ontario,

aged 11-20 years; about 48.4 % of the study participants were female. The study hypothesized
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 18

that (a) heavy use of social media would be associated with negative parent-child relationships,

which would differ between mother and father, and between girls and boys, and (b) the

association between heavy social media use and parent-child relationships would be independent

of total screen time. Results indicated that social media's heavy use was associated with negative

parent-child relationships, which differed between boys and girls and between mothers and

fathers. Heavy social media use was associated with greater odds of negative relationships

between mothers and daughters, fathers and daughters, and fathers and sons, but not between

mothers and sons. The study also identified that total screen time was associated with greater

odds of negative parent-child relationships only among opposite-sex parent-child pairs (i.e.,

mother-son and father-daughter pairs).

Increased hours of social media are more likely to correlate with parents use of physical

discipline, yelling, criticizing, or scolding, threats, consequences, or timeouts with little

explanation to their children (Ante-Contreras, 2016). A quantitative study conducted by Ante-

Contreras (2016) studied the correlation between excessive parental usage of social media and its

impact on parent-child attachment and parenting style. This study recruited participants through

various social media sites and online parenting communities; and conducted an online survey for

new mothers and fathers with children less than four years of age. This study had 223

respondents, out of which 167 surveys were completed. Nearly 83.8% of the parent participants

were Caucasian, 1.2% were African American, 10.8% were Hispanic, 1.8% were Asian, 0.6%

were Native American; 83.2% reported Married, 1.2% reported Divorced, 0.6% reported

Separated, 3.6% were in a domestic partnership, 9.6% were single and cohabiting with a partner

and 1.8% reported as single and never married. Nearly 41% of the parents reported as college
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 19

graduates. Among the children’s participants, 49.1% of them were male, and 49.7% were

female.

The study hypothesized that parents using excessive social media would experience

distracted parenting and less likely to develop a strong attachment with their child. A similar

parenting technique of balanced or authoritative parenting style was observed in the completed

surveys by parents. This study also found that a) parents who reported lower educational levels

reported using higher social media hours per day. Another observation based on the findings was

parents who reported higher levels of social media usage per day received higher scores (89%)

on authoritarian parenting styles (Ante-Contreras, 2016). The findings indicated that 93% of

parents used Facebook, 47% used Instagram, 66% used Pinterest, 10 % used Snapchat, 5% used

Tumblr, 11% used Twitter, and 6% reported using other social media websites. The findings also

indicated that 75% of parents reported using social media websites at least three times a day

while caring for their child, and 2 % of parents claimed never using social media in the presence

of children.

Meeus, Coenen, Eggermont, and Beullens (2020) examined preadolescents' (9-13 years

old) perceptions of their parent's technoference. Meeus and colleagues (2020) also focus on three

aspects that indicate the quality of parent-child relationships: companionship (having fun

together), emotional support (expression of care, intimacy, feelings of trust and acceptance), and

conflict. Meeus et al. (2020) used a convenience sample of 742 primary school children in

Flanders and Belgium, out of which 50.9% are girls). The study also hypothesized that a) parent

technoference is negatively associated with preadolescents satisfaction with family life via

decreased levels of companionship; b) Parent technoference is negatively related to

preadolescents' satisfaction with family life via decreased levels of emotional support, and c)
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 20

Parent technoference is negatively related to preadolescents' satisfaction with family life via

increased levels of parent-child conflict. Meeus and colleagues (2020) conducted a structural

model to test the hypothesis of a, b, and c. The results indicated that both maternal and paternal

mobile device distractions were associated with decreased companionship and increased

conflicts. Emotional support was, however, found in maternal device distractions.

Similar findings were identified with phubbing and parent-child relationships. A

quantitative study conducted by Niu, Yao, Wu, Tian, Xu, and Sun (2020) identified that the

parent-child association partially mediates parental phubbing and problematic or excessive phone

use behavior among Chinese adolescents. Another quantitative study was conducted to study the

impact of technoference on mother-child attachment and social skills (Zayia, 2019). Zayia, 2019

also examined parental technology use, child attachment style, maternal insularity, and children's

social skills development. 80 mother-child dyads, including 40 male children and 40 female

children, were recruited through the child participant pool in the psychological department at

Illinois University and sending out flyers in schools and community agencies. Out of 80 mother-

child dyads, 72.3% of mothers were Euro-American, 25.3% classified their race as other, 1.2%

African American, and 1.2% Hispanic/Latinx. 90.4% reported being married, 2.4% reported

being divorced, and 7.2% reported never married. 59% of mothers reported their SES as Middle

Class, 20.5% reporting as Middle-Upper Class, 19.3% as Working Class, and 1.2% as at Poverty;

51.8% of mother's reported working full-time, 22.9% reported working part-time, 2.4% had

seasonal employment, 19.3% unemployed, and 3.6% were a full-time student. The child's

average age was 8.04 years; 65.1% of child participants were Euro-American, 26.5% classified

their race as other, 7.2% were Multiracial, and 1.2% were African American.
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 21

The data was collected through online surveys completed in one of two ways depending

on the participant's preference. These ways were either mother completing the survey at home

and the child completing at school or the mother and child completing the survey at school. This

research aimed to identify four research questions and had four hypotheses. Frist research

question sought to answer the association between technoference and different attachment style

levels and hypothesized that there would be a negative correlation between technoference rates

and attachment security. The second research question focuses on identifying the association

between children's social skills and rates of technoference in the mother-child relationships and

hypothesized that mothers with lower rates of technoference would report high levels of social

skills in their children. The third research question aimed to examine the association between

maternal insularity and rates of technoference in mother-child relationships and hypothesized

that there would be a positive correlation between maternal insularity and technoference. And the

fourth research question aimed to identify if attachment security moderates the relationship

between technoference in the mother-child relationship and children's social skills after

controlling the maternal insularity. The fourth research question hypothesized that higher levels

of attachment security are expected to buffer the impact of high rates of technoference on

children's development of social skills. In contrast, lower levels of attachment security are

expected to exacerbate it.

The results partially supported the first hypothesis, ratings of technoference using the

DISRUPT scale did not significantly predict mother's lower levels of attachment security with

their child. The results, however, indicated lower levels of attachment security with mothers, as

rated by the children. The findings supported the second hypothesis and identified that DISRUPT

scale was significantly associated with mother's ratings of their child's social skills. Another
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 22

result indicated that mother who reported higher rates of technoference on the DISRUPT scale

rated their child as having less developed social skills; child's ratings of their own social skills

were not associated with mother's ratings (Zayia, 2019). This finding also indicates that

technoference also talks about the emotional void among mother and child relationships. The

third hypothesis and aim showed that mothers are using technology to receive social and

emotional support from others differently. These findings did not support the third hypothesis.

Zayia interpreted these findings as mothers potentially using technology to interact with others

socially and feel supported and might be more connected to others in general. The results did not

support the fourth hypothesis; none of the moderation models identified a significant change.

Zayia further interpreted this finding as the attachment style does not impact the relationship

between technoference and development of social skills; instead, the negative impact

technoference has on social skills development is more salient than mother-child attachment.

This study had several limitations; it did not address if there was any decline or

improvement of the mother-child relationship before the technoference. Technoference in this

study can be understood as parents spending more time on electronic devices such as phones,

TV, laptop, desktop voice speakers (such as amazon, google play, echo), smartwatches, for either

work, radio/CD/DVD players. Zayia's quantitative study did not address the study mode of

electronic device used by mothers; it did not address if mothers were using any social media

platforms while using phone, laptop, or desktop. Another drawback of Zayia's study was that it

only focused on the mother-child relationship. Implications of technoference or phubbing among

father-child relationships is still unidentified. However, this research talks about the parent-child

relationship's negative outcomes or implications when parents cannot spend quality time with
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 23

their children. The current study used a qualitative approach to identify the impact and individual

perceptions of excessive online social media usage on the parent-child relationship.

Sibling Relationships and Social Media Usage

The literature on the effects of excessive social media on siblings' relationships is

inconclusive. A quantitative study examined (Micah and Collen, 2013) the nature of television

(TV), video game, and social media use in children (aged 8-18) with autism spectrum (ASD) and

compared with their typically developed (TD) siblings. 202 ASD children (166 male, 31 female)

and 179 TD children (88 male and 90 female) were recruited Kennedy Institute, Baltimore;

parents of ASD children completed the demographics, information of the child and family

variables, number of siblings, household income and diagnostic information about the ASD

child. Micah et al. (2013) studied a) patterns of TV and video game use, b) problematic video

gameplay, and c) social media and socially interactive gameplay among children with ASD and

TD siblings. When comparing time spent playing video games in ASD versus TD groups, the

results indicated that the effect sizes ranged from medium (among boys) to large (among girls).

The amount of time girls with ASD spent playing video games was similar to typically

developing boys. Both groups were reported to spend a relatively large amount of time on this

activity, and significant differences were only observed when comparing girls with and without

ASD (Micah and Collen, 2013). This study found that children with ASD showed a significantly

higher level of problematic use of video games than TD children; these findings were consistent

for male and female genders. Although Micah and his colleague identified that children with

ASD reported spending very little time (0.2 h per day) using social media (including email,

social media websites, or sending text messages), which was less than their TD siblings (1 h per

day). This research did not address the quality and nature of the relationships. These findings
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 24

cannot claim social media usage is affecting sibling relationships; instead, it addresses the

amount of social media usage among siblings. This current study aims to contribute an in-depth

insight into the impact the sibling's relationships caused by social media usage.

Davies and Gentile (2012) used family developmental theory to understand the media

usage among families and recruited two independent samples- a nationally representative

national sample and a national convenience sample. The study recruited a random national

sample of 527 parents of children living at home between ages 2-17. The national convince

sample of 1257 was recruited by conducting MediaWise training at churches, workplaces, and

other venues, and these participants were grouped into three stages of family life. The first stage

is childbearing families or families with preschool-aged children (2-6 years); the second stage

involved families with at least one school age (7-12 years), and the third involved families with

at least one teen child (13-17 years). Participants were asked to complete a MediaQuotient

questionnaire with five subscales: media use, alternative activities, monitoring, consistency, and

media effects (Davies and Gentile 2012).

Davies and his colleagues used both nationally representative national sample and

national convenience to examine seven hypotheses. H1-H4 were a decreasing linear trend in (1)

alternative activities to media use; (2) healthy media usage; (3) parental monitoring of children's

media use and (4) consistency with which parents apply media use rules. H5 was an increase in

linear trend in resistance to media effects; H6 focused on the interaction between the family

stage and siblings' presence for alternative activities, media monitoring, consistency, use, and

resistance to media effects; and H7 focused on the interaction between the family stage and the

age gap of siblings for alternative activities, media monitoring, consistent media use, and media

effects (Davies and Gentile 2012).

EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 25

H1- H4 predicted the decreasing means in the national sample's media indices compared

families with preschoolers, school-aged children, and adolescents. The results indicated that

parents with school-aged children reported the highest monitoring and consistency; the

differences between preschoolers and school-age children were not statistically significant for

consistency. For the H5, families with adolescents (13-17 years) reported having a greater ability

to resist media influences than families with younger children. The H1- H5 results among the

convenience sample were consistent with the national sample. These results also indicated that

parents of teens (13-17 years) have expectations around their child's social media engagement

habits.

H6, which examined the interaction between the family and siblings was conducted on

both the national sample and the convenience sample. The results were consistent for both

samples, H6 pointed out that a) families with more than one child participate in more alternative

activities to screen media than families with one child do; b) parents in families where teens have

siblings reported more consistently in media use rules than parents with teen single child

families; this was consistent among national, and convenience sample; c) parents in families with

siblings regularly reported more monitoring of children's media use than parents in a single

child's families; this was observed among the national sample; d) families with siblings report

more healthy uses of media than families with an only child; this was constant across national

and convenience samples. e) parents with only children report less vulnerability to effects than

parents of siblings. Davies and his colleagues also identified that siblings' presence complicates

matters: families with siblings consistently report more healthy media habits than families with

only one child. Despite healthier media habits, however, families with siblings also experience

greater vulnerability to media influence. Children with siblings have additional social modeling
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 26

influence. Older children who model media behaviors validate their younger siblings' behaviors,

who may be most susceptible to media influences. In families with an only child, an older

sibling's validating influence would not be present (Davies and Gentile 2012).

H7, which examined the interaction between family and sibling spacing, was also

conducted on both the national sample and the convenience sample. H7 results indicated, a) the

large gap between siblings is associated with more alternative activities when the family is in the

adolescent stage, but fewer alternative activities when the family is in the school-age stage; b)

larger age gaps were associated with healthier media use habits in families with teens; and c)

across all family stages, parents of siblings reported greater resistance to media effects with

smaller age gaps than by parents of siblings with larger age gaps. Davies and his colleagues

interpreted that families with adolescents have markedly different media responses than families

with younger children. The results also indicated that healthier media habits among families with

an age gap of more than six years between siblings, especially for teens with younger siblings

more than six years apart). The large age gaps were also associated with less resistance to media

effects (Davies and Gentile 2012).

LeBouef and Dworkin (n.d.; Retrieved Dec 20) currently study the sibling's relationship

and social media communication. Their study aims to understand the relationship between social

networking communication and sibling closeness, further understand the emerging adult-sibling

relationships and explore the relationship between sibling closeness and individual well-being.

For this study, LeBouef and Dworkin recruited 233 participants via MTurk to complete an online

survey. They reported an analysis revealing a significant positive correlation between social

media communication and sibling closeness. While there is research about siblings' relationships

across the lifespan, research on communication between siblings is rare. With new technologies
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 27

and high rates of use among emerging adults, it is essential to explore these technologies' role in

siblings' relationships.

The findings from the above research suggest that certain families may be more

susceptible to media influences. Still, it is unclear exactly why this is so, especially considering

that the least resistant families to media effects also demonstrated the healthiest media habits.

The above research did not address or discuss the impact of using social media on siblings'

relationships, the kind of social media platforms used, and any phubbing or technoference

behaviors among siblings and social media usage. It is also uncertain how a family with multiple

children spanning more than a single-family stage should approach media. The current research

hopes to identify and strengthen the correlation between social media usage and its impact on

sibling relations and identify if phubbing or technoference behaviors also influence

relationships.

Romantic Partner Relationships and Social Media Usage

Social media is already changing the way we interact with each other; it also fosters

romantic relationships. The perception of being ignored due to phubbing or being phubbed

brings negative feelings towards partners and can trigger conflicts that damage romantic

relationships eventually. The intrudes of technology such as phubbing or technoference on

romantic relationships is identified in various studies. Kerkhof et al. (2011) found that

compulsive Internet users were lonelier and more depressed; generally, they exhibited more

deficient social skills than non-compulsive Internet users, indicating their overuse of the Internet

these negative characteristics. McDaniel, Galovan, and Drouin (2020) examined individual's

own, their partner's, and shared technological use during couple times across the 10 days, and the

potential impacts on couple-time satisfaction and relationship quality. This research examined
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 28

four hypotheses, H1 was that technology use in all forms (own use, partners use, and shared use)

would occur during couple time on the majority of 10 days. H2 looked into a) technology used

by self and partner's use would predict lower satisfaction with time spent together and b) shared

technology use will predict greater satisfaction with time spent together for 10 days. H3 also

looked into, a) technology used by self and partner would predict conflict during time spent

together, and b) shared technology use would predict lower conflict during time spent together.

H4 focused on a) satisfaction with the time spent together and b) conflict during time spent

together would mediate the technological use and impact daily relationship quality.

McDaniel et al. (2020) recruited 145 heterosexual couples residing in the USA and been

together for atelast 6 months through local community and professional organizations'

announcements. Out of 145 heterosexual couples, 144 were women, and 142 were men.

Participants used an online link to complete a baseline survey which included demographics and

then used the same link to complete another survey 2 weeks after completing the baseline survey.

The participants completed the survey on the same nights, using the same link, and sometimes

completed it shortly before bedtime for 10 days; the researchers sent a text message reminding

the participant of the survey.

The findings supported H1; participants reported technology used during couples' times

occurred more often on 67% of days for own use, 67% of days for partners use, 60% of days for

shared use. McDaniel et al. (2020) also supported H2, self, and partner's use of technology to

predict leisure satisfaction at the within-person level. On days when technology was used more

than average among self and partner, there was a lower satisfaction with time spent together.

Greater satisfaction with time spent together was associated with more shared use of technology.

The same study's findings partially supported H3; greater conflict was experienced on days when
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 29

individuals perceived partners using more than average technology time, while shared

technology use resulted in less conflict. The results also identified that leisure satisfaction was

linked to daily relationship quality; on days when individuals were satisfied with the time spent

together, they were also satisfied with their relationship.

Gull, Iqbal, Al-Qahtani, Alassaf, and Kamaleldin (2019) conducted a quantitative study

to examine the impact of social media usage on a Middle East couple's marital life. Gull and

colleagues designed a survey questionnaire and targeted 287 married individuals in the middle

east; these participants were married for more than 1-25 years. WhatsApp was indicated as the

most popular social media platform, followed by Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and Youtube

among Middle East couples. The study hypothesized a) positive association between social

media usage and negative vibes on relationship, b) associating between social media usage and

loneliness, and c) negative association between social media usage and trust in social activities.

The results indicated that more social media usage leads to negative outcomes such as arguments

over social media usage, feeling ignored by partners, inappropriate posts. The results also

indicated that a high level of social media usage associated with loneliness and less social

intimacy among couples reduced the quality time spent among couples. The results also showed

reduced face-to-face communication among couples. However, the results did not indicate any

adverse outcomes related to social media usage and couples trusting each other.

In the same study, Gull, and colleagues (2019) also identified that 68% of the partners

reported not being curious about partners' online activities; most partners responded that having

relationship status online, jealousy doesn't affect their relationship. The study identified that out

of the 287 participants, 227 couple reported using social media for 1-3 h per day, 49 reported

using 4-6 h per day, 5 reported using 7-9 h per day, 4 reported using 10-12 h per day and 2
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 30

reported using social media for more than 12 h per day. This study helps to understand the

excessive usage of social media impacting martial relationships. Middle Eastern culture is more

collectivistic, and the previous research on collectivistic cultured indicated less usage of social

media than individualistic cultures. It would be helpful to identify the role of social media among

Middle Eastern cultures.

Studies have negatively impacted romantic relationships due to increased social media

usage for various reasons, including jealousy (Saslow, Muise, Impett, and Dubin, 2012; Yacoub,

Spoede, Cutting, and Hawley, 2018). Excessive social media use can damage the quality of

interpersonal interactions that individuals develop with other people in real life. Another

quantitative study examined the impact of social media use while being with a partner on the

perception of relationship problems experienced by the other partner. Nongpong and

Charoensukmongkol (2016) recruited both married and single individuals in love relationships

using the snowball sampling technique in Thailand. Out of 256 completed online surveys, 72

were male, and 184 were female; 78 reported being single, and 178 reported married; 69 reported

living with a partner, and 187 reported not living with a partner. Among all married participants,

most of them reported being in a relationship for more than 10 years. Participants were then

asked to self-evaluate the extend they used social media compared to their partners. Lack of

caring, loneliness, and jealousy was measured by asking the participants to evaluate how they

felt partner's social media use affected the relationship.

Nongpong and Charoensukmongkol (2016) examined three hypotheses. H1:partners

social media positively associates loneliness, lack of caring, and jealousy. H2: loneliness, lack of

caring, and jealousy that the participant experienced will positively associate with break up. And

H3: there is an association between partner's use of social media and the perception of loneliness,
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 31

lack of caring, and jealousy, in which participant's experiences will be lower, and the

participant's usage of social media will high be compared to their partner. Nongpong and his

colleague (2016) used a partial least square and identified that social med ia use positively

associated with loneliness, lack of caring, and jealousy. The findings supported the H2,

indicating a positive association between intention to break up due to lack of caring and jealousy.

The results, however, revealed a negative association between breakup and loneliness. The

findings for H3 indicated a positive effect of partner's social media usage on loneliness, lack of

caring, and jealousy, and participants would be less positive if they used excessive social media

compared to their partners. The present study did not examine the online relationships in-depth;

instead, it is more interested in understanding how and to what extent excessive social media

usage impacts their offline romantic relationships.

Identifying Satisfaction Among Relationships

Life satisfaction is a cognitive component of subjective well-being, reflecting global and

personal assessments of individuals regarding their quality of life. Recently, life satisfaction has

gained much attention as an indicator of optimal performance among adolescents. It may be

considered as the psychological strength which helps adolescents to deal with different risks and

challenges. Many studies have addressed the relationship between family social capital and life

satisfaction. Geraee, Eslami, and Soltani (2019) conducted a cross-sectional study investigating

the relationships between family social capital, social media use, and life satisfaction and test the

assumption that if social media may mediate the association between family social capital and

life satisfaction use among adolescents. Gerace et al. (2019) recruited 835 adolescents aged

between 12-19 years old's studying in six high schools of Isfahan, Iran; these participants were

selected via simple random sampling & compete for a pencil-and-paper questionnaire.
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 32

The results indicated social media use to be a statistically significant variable in the

associations between family social capital and life satisfaction; lower perceived family social

capital was correlated with higher social media use. Higher social media use was correlated with

lower life satisfaction in adolescents. The results also indicate family social capital associated

with life satisfaction was stronger than those between social media use and life satisfaction.

These results indicate family cohesion and family interactions had the strongest relationship with

life satisfaction in adolescents. The study results also explained a negative relationship between

family social capital and social media use in adolescents (i.e., the lower the reported family

social capital of adolescents, the higher the social media use) (Gerace et al. 2019). However, this

study did not investigate many possible variables, including gender, age, socioeconomic status,

mental and physical health, etc. Such variables could play different roles in the model, including

confounding, mediating, or moderating, requiring further investigations in future studies.

Relationship and Marital Satisfaction is understood as the degree to which spouses

positive that the partners meet their needs and desires. Researchers identified stable and healthy

relationships being a cornerstone of happy individuals and well—Adjusted families. Coyne et al.

(2011) identified interpersonal interaction between partners as one of the several significant

predictors of relationship satisfaction. Phubbing is a portmanteau of the words "Phone" And

"Snubbing." Partner phubbing (Phubbing) is the extent to which a romantic partner uses or is

distracted by his/her cell phone while in the significant other's company. Roberts and David

(2016) conducted an experimental design study to investigate whether Phubbing impacts

relationship satisfaction and individual well-being, and also romantic relationships. They also

focused on the impact of cell phone usage on relationship satisfaction. This is the first study

investigating the oft-occurring Behavior of Phubbing and its effect on relationship satisfaction
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 33

and personal well-being. This research studied four hypotheses- a) as Phubbing increases,

reported relationship satisfaction levels would decrease. The relationship between- b) Phubbing

and relationship Satisfaction would be mediated by cell phone conflict, c) Phubbing and cell

phone conflict would be moderated by attachment anxiety. d) Phubbing will have an indirect

negative impact on an individual's well-being. David and Roberts (2016) conducted two studies

to test the hypothesis.

David and Roberts (2016) designed the first study as a pre-test to examine the

measurement properties, including the reliability and validity of our 9-item measure of partner

phubbing (Phubbing). A total of 308 (46% female) USA adults were recruited for the pre-test

survey from Mtruck. These participants responded to the 10-item personal involvement measure,

a 7-item measure of cell phone conflict, a 3-item measure of cell phone addiction created for this

study, and a 4-item measure of relationship satisfaction. The results indicated that Phubbing has

a significant and positive effect on cell phone conflict. Also, cell phone conflict has a significant

and negative effect on relationship satisfaction. The results show support for mediation.

Specifically, the indirect effect of Phubbing on relationship satisfaction is significant. Overall,

study 1 showed that the Phubbing construct and its measurement instrument could increase

significantly further our understanding of the use of cell phones and their effects on interpersonal

relationships.

David and Roberts (2016) designed the second study to test the hypotheses presented

between the first and fourth hypotheses. It recruited 145 USA adults (55% females) from Mturk,

and these participants responded to the 9-item measure of Phubbing and responded to the 7-item

cell-phone conflict measure 4-item relationship satisfaction measure from study 1. Participant's

life satisfaction was measured using a 7-point Likert scale; depression was measured using PHQ-
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 34

4; interpersonal attachment style was measured using 5-item of attachment anxiety and

avoidance. Study 2 also tested the hypothesis that Pphubbing increases cell phone conflict, and

that attachment anxiety moderates this relationship. The results indicate that cell phone conflict

mediates the relationship between Pphubbing and relationship Satisfaction, and the mediating

effect of cell phone conflict is stronger among anxiously attached individuals. The results

indicate that relationship satisfaction has a significant and positive effect on life satisfaction, and

life satisfaction has a significant and negative effect on depression. However, this study had

some limitations. Although the samples used were the adequate size and represented a broad

swath of both women and men of all ages, future research in this area would benefit from

studying both partners in romantic relationships.

Gender and Social Media Usage

While there are no current research studies which examined gender’s role and impact on

social media usage, most of the literature used in this study identified female tend to use social

media. Pew Research Center (2019) indicated female social media usage is higher 78%

compared to male social media users 65%. For literature that identified social media usage

among parent-child relationships, researchers did not indicate the gender for parent or child and

instead introduced participants as parents. To address this gap in the literature, the current study

also focused on the role gender plays in social media usage and identify if social media usage

highly impacts a particular gender.

Rural Americans tend to be older, less educated, less wealthy, and less mobile than urban

Americans. Seniors account for 22% of the rural population, whereas 15% of the urban and

suburban populations. As of 2010, 60% of rural people and 71% of urban people can access the

internet (Horrigan and Murray, 2006). Horrigan and Murray (2006) expressed that some rural
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 35

leaders see the internet and online communities as tools for ensuring their communities' viability.

Gilbert, Karahalios, and Sandvig (2008) conducted a quantitative empirical analysis to

understand the behavioral differences between rural and urban social media users in America.

Gilbert et al. (2008) used social capital theory and used a convenience sample of 2000 rural and

2000 urban MySpace users from 4000 different zip codes in the USA between May 11th and

May 15th, 2007. The location was the independent variable.

The same study used 16 dependent variables from MySpace users, classified into four

categories: primary SNS usage, gender, privacy, and physical distance. The researchers initially

reviewed the demographics of rural America and then outlined historical precedents for social

technologies in rural communities. They studied if rural and urban users articulate a different

number of friends or messaging. They also studied whether rural and urban users view privacy

and visibility differently; they also studied gender distributions. The researchers also studied if

rural people prefer strong ties over weak ones in an online social network. The results indicated

that, when compared to urban users, rural users have roughly 1:3 as many friends and profiles.

The privacy settings' findings represent a larger proportion of rural SNS users than urban SNS

users. Rural users, particularly women, set their profiles private at higher rates than urban users.

Gilbert et al. (2008) also identified that rural user's friends live significantly closer than urban

user friends. The results also indicate that rural users preferred having stronger ties over weak

ones in online networks. This study, however, only studied only MySpace social platform and

over a small duration. The findings from this research on MySpace can pertain to similar SNS.

However, the purpose of using other social sites such as Facebook, Twitter, etc., might differ.

However, this study did not briefly explain SNS users' behaviors, and future research can focus

on the behaviors of SNS users and how it affects their relationships.

EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 36

Summary and Purpose of the Study

Summary

Previous research indicated an increase in users of social media. A common theme

identified through the literature was the positive impact of social media usage overpowering its

negative impact. Helping individuals maintain and sustain long-distance relationships, offline

relationships (Daniell, 2020; Williams and Merten, 2011; Yacoub, Spoede, Cutting, and Hawley,

2018; Sawyer and Chen, 2012) can be some positive impact of social media usage or SNSs. At

the same time, the adverse effects of feeling lonely, lack of caring, FOMO, reducing face-to-face

interactions have been identified (Chotpitayasunondh and Douglas, 2016; Dwyer, Kushlev, &

Dunn, 2018). Social media usage has shown a high prevalence of impacting individuals at

various age groups, such as negative impacts on children, adolescents, and adults. Phubbing and

technoference are one of the main reasons which affect relationships even while using social

media.

Hofstede (1997) identified the cultural differences between individualistic and

collectivistic cultures. These cultural variations are based on the strength and breadth of an

individual's emotional bonds in relationship with their in-person and societal relations. Eastern

cultures were often identified with collectivists, and western cultures such as USA are identified

with individualistic cultures. Some studies identified positive attitudes around social media usage

in western cultures are significantly high when compared with eastern cultures. These studies

addressed social media usage impacting at an individual level rather than at a relational level.

Similar findings were identified with literature around the role of gender in social media usage.

In some studies, the male participants outweighed the female participants and vice-versa. Due to

this discrepancy among the gender of the participants, the role of gender has not been studied.
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 37

While other studies identified that among 12-25 age group, females were using social media

more often than men; vice-versa was found in another study on students.

Studies that focused on social media usage among parent-child relationships identified an

association with increased parental conflict, distracted parenting, and decreased emotional

support (Meeus et al., 2020; Ante-Contreras, 2016). However, these studies did not study

parent's and children's in-depth experiences while using excessive social media usage. Most of

this research used a quantitative approach in understanding excessive social media's impact on

parent-child relationships among Italian parents, school children in Belgium, adolescents in

China, which failed to address the cultural impact of excessive social media usage. Most of the

previous research conducted a quantitative approach to identify social media's impact on these

relationships. The excessive use of social media affects a particular relationship, and individuals'

experiences in determining the implications are also unclear. This observation was similar to the

literature reviews around romantic relationships. A considerable amount of literature talks about

excessive Facebook usage leads to jealousy-related suspicions and surveillance behaviors among

romantic relationships (Gull et al. 2019). Similar to the quantitative research findings among

parent-child relationships, the previous quantitative research among romantic relationships also

did not address the in-depth experiences before and after the effects of excessive social media

usage. It would be difficult to ascertain these findings appears similar across individualistic and

collectivistic cultures.

Hence, the current research suggests a subjective understanding of motivations,

experiences romantic relationships endure with excessive social media usage and probing the

cultural influence of excessive social media usage and its impact on these relationships. None of

the previous studies examined the excessive social media usage impacting relationships. The
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 38

only way to understand any impact of excessive social media usage was among sibling

relationships by understanding the impact on individuals' relations effecting their parents and

other family members. The current research review suggested a study was need ed to understand

the motivations, perspectives, and experiences individuals face while excessive social media

usage among their relationships.

Purpose of the study

The current study aims to focus on the impact that excessive social media usage has on

relationships. The study used a qualitative approach, wherein a semi-structured interview were

conducted. The study also used the phenomenological approach to study the data and identify the

themes and findings. This study focused on the following research questions: How does spending

a lot of social media time impact an individual's a) parent-child relationship, b) romantic

relationship, and c) sibling relationship? I also identified the positive and negative impacts of

excessive social media on these above relationships and individuals' perceptions of these impacts

with the first purpose. The second research question would be: Does culture play a role in social

media usage? For this, I examined individual's cultural values, patterns, attitudes, and

perspectives of social media usage. I examined individuals from individualistic and collectivistic

cultural ethnicities. For this, I examined the participants from three cultures: African American,

Caucasian, and Asian American. I also identified if excessive social media usage is seen as more

prevalent or less prevalent among these cultures. The third research question: Does gender play a

role in excessive social media usage? With the third purpose, I identified if gender is positively

or negatively associated with social media usage among the cultures mentioned above.
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 39

Chapter III: Methods

Description of the Research

The current study grew from the inconclusive research on understanding the impact and

experiences that relationships face while using excessive social media platforms. Although

previous research on the excessive usage of social media among parent-child relationships

identified an association with decreased emotional support, increased parent-child conflicts, and

distracted parenting (Meeus et al., 2020; Ante-Contreras, 2016). However, these studies did not

study parent's and children's in-depth experiences while using excessive social media usage.

Most of this research used a quantitative approach in understanding excessive social media's

impact on parent-child relationships among Italian parents, school children in Belgium,

adolescents in China, which failed to address the cultural impact of excessive social media usage.

These research findings cannot be allegorized with excessive social media usage among Asian

Americans, African Americans, and Caucasian because of the differences between collectivistic

and individualistic cultural values and perspectives. The current research review suggested a

study was needed to understand the motivations, perspective, and experiences parent and child’s

relationships are undergoing while excessive social media usage among parent or the child.

The findings of excessive social media usage correlating with loneliness, lack of caring

and jealousy, was found among romantic relationships (McDaniel et al. 2020; Gull et al. 2019;

Nongpong et al. 2016; Kerkhof et al. 2011). Similar to the quantitative research findings among

parent-child relationships, the previous quantitative research among romantic relationships did

not address the in-depth experiences before and after the effects of excessive social media usage.

It would be difficult to ascertain these findings appears similar across individualistic and

collectivistic cultures. Hence, the current research suggests a subjective understanding of

EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 40

motivations, experiences romantic relationships endure with excessive social media usage and

probing the cultural influence of excessive social media usage and its impact on these

relationships.

None of the previous studies examined the excessive social media usage impacting

sibling relationships. The only way to understand any impact of excessive social media usage

among sibling relationships was by understanding the impact on individuals' relationships with

their parents and other family members. Due to this very reason, the current research suggested a

study was needed in understanding influence, motivations, and experiences of excessive social

media usage among sibling relationships. There has also been minimal literature identifying the

role of gender in excessive usage of social media among a) parent-child relationships, b)

romantic relationships, and c) sibling relationships. Additionally, there is also deficient literature

around the impact or influence of different cultures on the usage or excessive usage of social

media. The impact and influence of social media usage among relationships was the focus of this

qualitative study. Through this study, an understand what these relationships believe to be

important of using or excessively using social media during their personal or face-to-face

interactions within their relationships was attained. The current study also identified the cultural

influences, similarities, and differences of social media usage among these relationships; and

also determined the role gender plays in usage or excessive usage of social media.

Participants

The participants recruited in this study comprised Asian Americans, African Americans

and Caucasians who were active in social media use. The criteria for inclusion of participants

included (a) individuals aged between 18 and 55 years old, (b) residing in the USA, (c) with oral

and written fluency in the English language, (d) using social media either through smartphones,
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 41

tablets or laptops for leisure or entertainment purposes for more than half hour a day, and (e) in a

romantic relationship, or has sibling or child relationship. Most of the literature on social media

usage among romantic partners recruited participants in relationships for a minimum of 6

months. A six-month milestone in a relationship is often considered a honeymoon phase, and this

process makes the individuals more comfortable and authentic in the relationship. Bult,

Backhaus, Heussler, Woisetschlager, Evanschitzky, and Ahlert (2011) point out that the

honeymoon period in the initial phase of the relationship often results in a commitment to the

relationship. The inclusion criteria considered the individuals who have all three relationships

that are mentioned above. This study's exclusion criteria are the participants who use social

media on a regular basis, either for work or business-related; participants who are in long-

distance relationships. Participants who relocated to the USA within the past one year; spend less

than a half-hour on a daily basis using social media were also be excluded.

Measures

Demographics. Part 1 consisted of thirteen questions related to demographics and background

information of the individual participating in the study. The demographic survey was completed

before the beginning of the interview (see Appendix A).

Semi-Structured Interview Questions. A semi-structured interview protocol was developed

based on the primary research questions and the literature review (see Appendix B-C). The

interview questions have been designed to gather the information relevant to the themes around

excessive social media usage revealed in the literature review and the primary research

questions. These questions also addressed the information about personal experiences and social

media usage narratives on relationships. The qualitative semi-structured interview questions

were organized into six categories: I- Introduction; II- The role of social media in their personal
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 42

and professional life; III- using social media interfering with their relationships with either their

children, romantic partners, or siblings; IV- time spent on social media on a regular basis; V-

discrepancies in relationships from before and after social media usage; and VI- the cultural

perspective of social media usage.

Before starting the interview, the researcher provided an explanation about the study,

social media usage, culture, and relationships, so that the participants can use them as a reference

throughout the interview. Each interview was conducted in the same way and allow the

individuals to reflect on the experiences and responses of social media usage among their

relationships naturally. A brief overview of the six categories is explained as follows:

Section I- Introduction. The introduction section focused on providing the participant

with information of the study, social media usage, culture, and relationships for the participants

to use a reference throughout the interview (See Appendix B).

Section II- The role of social media in their personal and professional life. The role of

social media in their personal and professional life section focused on understanding social

media's role in their life. Examples of the questions (See Appendix C) in this section are, “Do

you spend a lot of time thinking or planning of using social media?” and “How important is

regular social media usage in your personal or professional life? What are the impacts of not

using it?”

Section III- Using social-media impacting with their relationships, either with their

children, romantic partners, or siblings. This section explores individual's experiences and

narratives around social media usage and their relationships. The examples of questions (See

Appendix C) in this section are, “How do you see using social media is impacting your

relationship with your a) children, b) romantic partner, and c) sibling?” and “What significant
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 43

changes did you ever notice in your attitudes, responses, or approach towards others (or the

relationships) while using social media?”

Section IV- Time spent on social media on a regular basis. This section examines the

amount of time individuals spend on social media, which they extract from their personal time

with their relationships. The examples of the questions (See Appendix C) in this section are,

“How much time do you spend daily or weekly on social media? Which platform do you often

use and why?” and “What motivates you to spend time on social media?”

Section V- Discrepancies in relationships from before and after social media usage.

This section explores their social media motivations, learned patterns of use, narratives of their

relationships with and without social media usage. The example of the questions (See Appendix

C) in this section are, “How do you think using social media for less than an hour daily will

impact your relationships?” and “How did you develop the habit of using social media

excessively? Is this an addiction for you?”

Section VI- Cultural Perspective on Social Media Usage. This section of the interview

is focused on the individual's ideas, beliefs, and thoughts about their culture and its influence and

impact on using social media. The examples of the questions (See Appendix C) are, “What are

your cultural values and attitudes around social media, and how is it impacting?” and “Is 'social

media interference' seen more in one particular relationship when compared to others?”

The final part of the interview focused on information not gathered in previous

categories. An example of the question (See Appendix C) in this section is, “Is there anything

else you feel or want to share about social media usage and its impact that we didn’t address?
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 44

Procedure

Recruitment and Data Collection Process. Participants were recruited through various

methods such as through flyers on social media pages (Facebook, LinkedIn), word of mouth,

community centers, support groups, and others. Flyers were provided through email or through

message format. The flyers have the contact information (email and phone number) to inquire

about the research study before participating. When the participant expresses interest through

any mode of recruitment, the researcher contacted the participant and have a brief conversation

to determine if the participant meets the study's inclusion criteria. When the participants do not

answer, the researcher left a voice message and be instructed to leave their name, number, and

best time to be contacted. When participants do not fit the inclusion criteria, the researcher

thanked them for their time and interest by phone or email. The participants who met the

inclusion criteria were provided a detailed explanation of the study and an overview of the in-

depth interview questions. The researcher also addressed any questions or concerns.

The researcher conducted the interview in a two-step process. The first step included

talking on the phone, assessing inclusion/exclusion criteria (See Appendix D), providing a brief

introduction (See Appendix D), and emailing the demographic questionnaire (See Appendix A)

to the participant prior to the interview date and time. The interviews occurred either in-person or

through video conference, depending on the participant's preference and convenience. In the

second step, prior to starting the interview, consent forms and confidentiality were discussed.

The participants were also informed that the interview would be recorded for accuracy, and

direct quotes may be used in the research study. Still, identifiable information would be excluded

in an attempt to protect confidentiality. The participants were reminded of the approximate

duration of the interview ad that they are allowed to take breaks whenever. They are also
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 45

reminded that they could even refuse to answer a specific question for whatever reason and could

withdraw from the study at any point of time during the interview. The interview lasted for

approximately 45 min, with a range of 30 minutes to 60 minutes. Thank you, letters were sent

out to the participants after each interview (See Appendix E).

Data Analysis

Cilesiz (2010) suggested that the phenomenological approach is highly suitable while

studying human experiences with technology. The Interpretative Phenomenological Approach

(IPA) enlightens the process or relationship of socio-cultural individuals with their experiences

(Eatough and Smith, 2008 pg3). IPA intends to grasp the texture and quality of the lived

experiences (Eatough and Smith, 2008 pg3). Groenewald (2004) provides another way of

understanding IPA. It explores the essential 'truths' of lived experiences and individual's

knowledge of their own social and psychological phenomena from their perspective and through

which they make a specific meaning from their experiences (Groenewald, 2004). Besides, it also

seeks reality in individuals’ narratives and feeling of their experiences and a particular

phenomenon to produce an in-depth description of these phenomena (Cilesiz, 2010), which

allows the shared elements from a) parent-child, b) romantic partners, and c) sibling,

relationships with excessive social media usage to be identified. The prime objective of IPA is to

illustrate what experience of excessive social media influence means. Given the lack of research

in this area and its focus on personal experience and narrative, it seemed an appropriate

qualitative method for this study.

The data in the study were collected through an in-depth, semi-structured interview and

demographic information. Data were gathered using open-ended questions, categorized into six

categories. The demographic data from the interviews were treated descriptively. The
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 46

participant's responses to the interview questions provided the raw data which were needed for

analysis. Each question was numbered for easy retrieval or convenience. Each interview was

transcribed, and the transcription have the participant's initials and interviewer initials. All the

research material, recordings, transcriptions was placed confidentially. Due to the IPA approach's

nature, it would be necessary for the researcher to acknowledge and understand their own

potential assumptions and possible biases of the interview process and conceptualize the data.

The data were analyzed in three phases, as explained below.

The first phase was to review and transcribe the recorded data for each participant, using

their initials. The researcher then read and reread the transcripts to take notes around significant

themes. This process allowed for more familiarity with the information. The researcher then

created a list of emergent themes and finding connections between the themes. The researcher

used thematic analysis (Fugard and Potts, 2015), which helped to elicit participants' perceptual

experience and how they make sense of this experience. Once familiarized with the information,

notes were analyzed for thematic grouping and were categorized into meaningful units, later

were summarized into smaller parts.

In the second phase of analysis, I created a list of the emerged themes and finding

connections between those themes. After emerging these connections, themes were clustered

together, and secondary themes were identified and later clustered. The researcher repeated this

process for each transcript. The table of themes were created to capture participant's responses to

each research question. All the data were coded by two people, the researcher, and another

colleague, to ensure trustworthiness.

In the last phase of analysis, outlined thematic codes was used to describe the

participant's overall experience. The themes were then be translated into narrative accounts with
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 47

the thematic tables, which describe the participant's experience of how social media impacts their

relationships.
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 48

Chapter IV: Results

The amount of time spent on social media platforms influences individuals' relationships

(Bonsaksen et al., 2023; Wu et al., 2024). The purpose of this study was to understand how

excessive social media usage impacts individuals' relationships (among parent-child, romantic

partner, and sibling relationships) and to identify if culture plays a role in excessive social media

usage. Three research questions guided this study (a) How does spending a lot of social media

time impact an individual's (i) parent-child relationship, (ii) romantic relationship, and (iii)

sibling relationship? (b) Does culture play a role in social media usage? and (c) Does gender play

a role in excessive social media usage? This chapter begin by presenting the demographics of the

participants, followed by the order of the planned research question and the explanation of the

dissemination of the themes that have evolved in support of each research question.

Participants’ Demographics:

A total of 17 individuals aged between 22 and 47 years participated in this study. The

majority of the participants were females (n = 11, 64.7%). Also, most of the participants were

Caucasians (n = 7, 41.2%), followed by Asian Americans (n = 5, 29.4%) and African Americans

(n = 5, 29.4%). The participants expressed different types of relationships, including romantic,

sibling, and parent-child relationships. Also, the participants had different years in romantic

relationships, ranging from nine months to 17 years. Participants were given pseud o names to

protect their confidentiality, such as Participant 1 (P1). A summary of participants’

demographics is shown in Table 1.

EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 49

Table 1

Participants’ Demographics

ID Age Gender Ethnicity Type of Relationship Years of Relationship

Raj 26 Male Asian Romantic and Sibling 3 years relationship; 19-
American Relationships year-old sister
Aja 26 Female African Romantic and Sibling 9 months relationship with
American Relationships boyfriend; 19-year-old
sister
Abana 28 Female African Romantic and Sibling 3 years relationship
American Relationships
Baina 26 Female African Romantic and Sibling 2 years relationship
American Relationships
Colin 32 Male Caucasian Romantic and Sibling Married for 6 years
Relationships
Amy 43 Female Caucasian Romantic and Parent- Married for 18 years; 16-
Child Relationships year-old daughter
Lily 38 Female Caucasian Parent-Child 18-year-old son
Relationship
Nico 29 Male Asian Romantic Relationship 6 years relationship
American
Mish 39 Female Caucasian Parent-Child Married for 17 years; 15-
Relationship and year-old son; 11-year-old
Romantic Relationship daughter
Carol 23 Female Caucasian Romantic Relationship Married for 3 years
Bill 22 Male Caucasian Romantic Relationship 2 years relationship
Eun 27 Female Asian Romantic and Sibling 3 years relationship; 24-
American Relationships year-old sister
Avy 38 Male Asian Romantic and Parent- Married for 17 years; 16-
American Child Relationships year-old daughter; 14-
year-old son
Jin 47 Female Asian Romantic and Parent- Married for 22 years; 18-
American Child Relationships year-old son; 16-year-old
daughter
Ramy 32 Male African Romantic Relationship 4 years relationship
American
Kecia 38 Female Asian Parent-Child 14-year-old daughter
American Relationship
Clara 32 Female Caucasian Romantic Relationship 2.5 years relationship
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 50

RQ1: How does spending a lot of time on Social Media impact relationships (i) Parent-

Child Relationship, (ii) Romantic Relationship, and (iii) Sibling Relationship?

The first research question was used to understand the impacts of excessive social media

use on parent-child, romantic, and sibling relationships. The themes that emerged supporting the

first research question were (a) increasing misunderstanding and communication breakdown, (b)

creating feeling of negligence, (c) decrease quality of time, (d) social media is used as an escape

mechanism, and (e) improves partners’ and parent-child communications and causes

disagreements on excessive usage time. and (f) causes disagreements on excessive usage time.

Table 2 shows a summary of themes supporting the first research question.

Table 2:

Themes identified for the First Research Question

Themes Parent- Romantic Sibling

Child Relationship Relationship
Relationship
1. Increasing misunderstanding and 4 11 3
communication breakdown
2. Creating feeling of negligence 3 8 2
3. Decrease quality of time 4 10
4. Social media is used as an escape 0 2 0
mechanism
5. Improves partners’ and parent- 5 6 0
child communications

Theme 1: Increasing Misunderstanding and Communication Breakdown

The first theme that was identified by participants was misunderstanding and

communication breakdown (Parent- child relationship = 4, romantic relationship 11, sibling

relationship = 3). The participants described that the misinterpretations could occur on social

networking platforms because of a lack of nonverbal indicators and context, resulting in

EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 51

disagreements and strained relationships. Furthermore, the swiftness and shortness of online

contacts impede deep, meaningful conversation, aggravating misconceptions and extending the

divide between people. The patterns that supported this theme included getting upset, hard time

about being on my phone, exacerbating our disagreements, she gets upset on me again, and

irritated whenever she interrupts me. Eleven participants identified social media usage as

hindering their communication in relationships, leading to misunderstandings, unresolved

conflicts, and emotional distance between partners. Participants also identified misinterpreting

partners social media activities, leading to jealousy, distrust, arguments over likes, comments,

and interactions with others on social media. For example, Colin indicated that his wife usually

uses social media to sends him some reels that normally leads to their disagreements. Colin

supported his argument by stating, “Adding to the mix, my wife often sends me reels depicting

husbands as perpetually at fault, exacerbating our disagreements”. Colin further added that

resolving to use social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram after disagreement further

exacerbate their misunderstanding. Colin stated, “This disconnect often leads to us hanging up

on each other during calls. I end up watching TikTok or Instagram and she gets upset on me

again”.

Excessive use of social media also appeared to be the cause of misunderstanding among

partners when Carol acknowledged that she cannot avoid using it despite her boyfriend asking

her to avoid it. Carol stated, “My boyfriend says I need to get off, I just can’t. It’s hard for me”.

Carol continued, “My boyfriend thinks I have no control on anything. He tells me “one thing

happens, and you flip babe”. I don’t care about it much; my post has to be perfect. I think I get

angry and anxious but not violent as my boyfriend thinks.” Additionally, Carol also indicated she

becomes suspicious of her boyfriend’s fidelity when he does not comment on her social media
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 52

post, contributing to conflicts and misunderstanding. Carol added, “Sometimes when my

boyfriend doesn’t comment on our post or pic, I feel like he is cheating on me.” Avy described

his agitation and resentment from excessive use of social media by his children and wife by

stating, “I get irritated when my kids and wife talk about peoples’ posts and comments. I get

bored. I tell them “why do you keep on watching others posts”. Sometimes my kids say, “dad

you are very boring, come on dad’”.

Relationship conflicts resulting from excessive use of social media was not only evident

among the romantic partner but also between parent and children. For example, Amy reported

that their children gets upset when they try to limit them from using social media. Amy

supported his argument by stating, “They're quick to get all riled up, especially when we try to

get them off those phones. But the others, it's like they're in their own little worlds, hardly even

talking to each other. And don't even get me started on trying to get them to do anything outside

of their chores – it's like pulling teeth”. Amy added their children gets frustrated when they

restricted the use of phone during dinner. Amy stated, “However, we do enforce a no-phone

policy during dinner, although it's not always easy to stick to, especially when the kids get a bit

cranky and restless”.

Theme 2: Creating a Feeling of Negligence

The second theme described by the participants was the feeling of negligence. Excessive

social media usage is observed diminish the quality of time invested in relationships. When

partners prioritize scrolling through their feeds over engaging with each other, meaningful

interaction becomes scarce. Another impact of excessive use of social media on relationship was

creating the feeling of negligence among the partners and parents. Some participants reported

feeling neglected when they need attention when their significant others are engaging in
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 53

phubbing. Partners feel neglected and unimportant when their significant others prioritize social

media over spending quality time together, leading to resentment and emotional withdrawal.

Also, phubbing behaviors signal emotional unavailability and lack of engagement in the

relationship, causing partners to feel disconnected and emotionally unsupported. For example,

Aja expressed that her boyfriend demonstrates feeling of being neglected when she is busy on

social media while he is driving. Specifically, Aja indicated that her boyfriend normally ask for

attention by stating, “Sometimes he gets upset when I’m looking at insta while he is driving. He

is like ‘babe you never talk to me, you are always on your phone, I need your attention too’”.

Similar to Aja, Eun reported that her boyfriend normally complaints that she does not give him

attention when she is in social media. Also, Eun acknowledge that she does not give required

attention to her younger brother because of excessive social media use, making him feel lonely.

Eun supported her arguments by stating, “I think my baby brother feels lonely at times when I’m

not asking him about his day or talk to him when he is stressed out. My bf gets cranky

sometimes. He needs more attention”. Ramy acknowledged that he tries to avoid her girlfriend

when she get upset because of his excessive use of social media. Ramy stated, “I get avoidant at

times when she is cranky. I get upset, I cannot walk around her all the time, she is doing her

work, I’m in the living room. She tells me I am getting different; I go talk to her later when I feel

calm. Sometimes I sleep over things also”. Ramy further implied avoiding her girlfriend to create

his time to unwind in social media after a he come back from work by stating, “I think it’s when

I need me-time because I am also tired when I come back from work, I cannot listen to all my

girlfriend’s office drama each day”.

EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 54

Theme 3: Decrease Quality of Time

The third described by the participants was decreased quality of time. Some of the

participants reported that excessive use of social media reduces their quality of time they spent

with their romantic partners and children. The codes that supported the theme include, needing

your attention, getting upset, taking away some time, hard time, some vibes messing, without

much conversation, and quality time for each other. The theme was supported based on

participants arguments that excessive social media usage interfere with meaningful interactions

and reduce the quality of bonding and emotional connection between partners. Also, some

participants indicated that the use of social media leads to fewer shared experiences and activities

between partners, diminishing opportunities for bonding and strengthening their relationships.

For example, Colin acknowledged that they have poor quality with his wife because of social

media by stating, “As I reflect on things, it's clear my wife and I struggle to carve out qualit y

time for each other”. Similarly, Baina argued that excessive use of social media normally

distracts their conversation with their boyfriend when they are together. Baina supported her

argument by stating, “We'll sit side by side on the couch, each immersed in our own screens,

without much conversation between us. It's something I'm unsure about, as it seems we both

struggle to engage with each other when we're tired and distracted by technology”.

Similar to Colin, Abana acknowledged that excessive use of social media has been

interfering with the intimate attention of their romantic relationship by decreasing the quality of

time they spent together. Abana stated, “I'm starting to notice some vibes messing with our

quality time. It's like one of us is always stuck on the phone, while the other's just waiting around

or zoned out in front of the TV. We got to get back to really connecting”.
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 55

Theme 4: Social Media is Used as an Escape Mechanism

Another theme that emerged to support the first research question was use of social media

as an escape mechanism during argument and disagreements resulting among partners.

Participants supported the theme by arguing that they seek console from social media after

disagreement with their partners. For example, Abana reported that she intensify using social

media when she get upset because of disagreements with her boyfriend. Abana stated, “And

when things get rocky with my boyfriend or I'm feeling upset, I find myself glued to it even

more”. Similar to Abana, Colin indicated that he resolve to using social media when argument

arise with her wife by stating, “But after our talks, especially when they turn into arguments, I

find myself scrolling through TikTok”. Colin acknowledged that excessive use of social media is

negatively impacting their relationship with his wife by using it to avoid confronting issues,

making it harder for them to reconcile. Colin stated, “Yes, it's definitely impacting my

relationship with my wife. We're using social media as a way to avoid confronting our issues,

which is making it harder for us to reconcile”.

Colin acknowledged that resolving to spent time on social media as a refuge after

argument with her wife undermines their communication efforts and problem-solving abilities.

Colin stated, “This issue tends to spark frustration, prompting me to seek refuge in TikTok or

Instagram reels to unwind. Yet, I've come to realize this habit may be undermining our

communication efforts and problem-solving abilities”. Colin regretted he could have used the

time wasted on social media to improve his connections with his wife who is living away from

him. Colin supported his argument by stating, “Reflecting on my personal life, I realize that I

could use this time to connect with my wife, who is working in Florida. While we sometimes

share TikTok videos, we avoid talking during work hours to prevent potential arguments”.
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 56

Theme 5: Improved Partners’ and Parent-Child Communications

The theme that emerged as a positive impact of social media use on individual

relationships was improving communication among parents and children. Participants identified

social media as an effective platform for communicating and bonding with their child ren and

family members. The codes that supported the theme include easier to connect, talk to me

whenever he wants, and the only way to connect with my family. For example, Lily argued that

her son is fond of social media, and she leverages it to easily connect with him. Lily supported

her argument by stating, “And with my son always glued to his phone, it's just easier to connect

with him through Snapchat”. Additionally, Mish, who was a military spouse and indicated that

he is mostly away from the family, argued that social media is the only way to connect with his

family. Specifically, Mish indicated that his son is obsessed with using social media to

communicate with him to the extent he does not even answer calls in preference to Snapchat.

Mish gave a comprehensive response supporting his argument stating:

That’s the only way I connect with family. I have Facebook. I use messenger a lot. My

daughter has Facebook messenger. My son is 15-year-old, he is all on day long on social

media- snap chat, Instagram, things I haven’t heard of. I had to install snapchat just to talk

to him, otherwise he doesn’t even answer my call. All his friends on are snapchat. It’s their

only way to connect with each other.

Also, Avy reported constantly using social media to constantly communicate with her

family, including with her daughter who prefer using social media over regular texts. Avy stated,

“I spend about an hour or so on social media, primarily on YouTube and Facebook, where family

calls often occur via Messenger. I find myself using Snapchat as well since my daughter is more

responsive there than to regular texts”.

EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 57

RQ 2: Does Culture Play a Role in Social Media Usage?

The second research question was used to explore the role of culture in the use of social

media. The themes that emerged supporting the second research question includes (a) cultural

norms and rules, (b) generational difference and cultural adaptation, and (c) use of social media

to gain resources (see Table 3). Each of them is described in the subsequent section.

Table 3

Themes identified for the Second Research Question

Theme African Asian American Caucasian

American
1. Cultural norms and rules 6 5 5

2. Generational difference and 2 4 5

cultural adaptation

Theme 1: Cultural Norms and Rules

Cultural norms and rules was the first theme the emerged supporting the second research

question. The theme was supported based on participants expression of different family practices

and rules set by their parents. However, the participants in the study didn’t highlight specific

cultural values related to social media use; instead, they focused on family norms. Many

participants explained that they were expected to adhere to particular family norms, including a

‘no-phone policy’ at dinner, spending time together doing activities like cleaning or watching

TV, and even attending online church as a family. For example, Baina stated, ‘It is understood

that when we are watching movies as a family or during church time, we do not mess with our

phones. It is something that my mother makes sure of. Her job is to gather our mobile devices

and place them on the table till we have finished watching the movie or receiving the service.’

Kecia also shared, ‘We have a family rule where we don’t use any electronics while we have
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 58

food, we don’t even watch TV or listen to anything. We generally talk to each other during this

time. The same goes for during our weekend TV time or game nights on Saturdays.’

The implementation of the “no-phone policy” at dinner has proven to be difficult for

Caucasian participants, particularly for Amy, who recount the dissatisfaction that their family has

with the restriction. According to Amy, “We had to establish certain ground rules, such as no

phones at the dinner table, but the children aren’t thrilled about it.” They are really disruptive

during meals. They don’t communicate with each other or with us very much; they try to eat

their food as fast as possible, and then they either go to their different rooms or sit on the couch

and scroll through their phones.” Interestingly, among Asian American and African American

families, cultural practices were observed in sharing social media habits, like implementing no-

phone policies during meals. This practice prioritized face-to-face interaction and strengthened

familial bonds, especially between parents and children.

Theme 2: Generational Differences and Cultural Adaptation

Another notable theme that emerged was the generational difference and cultural

adaptation. The theme was expressed based on participants expression of the observed changes

on the use of technology over time. Participants acknowledge the pivotal role of younger

generations in shaping social media culture and the necessity of adapting to these changes. They

recognize that understanding and adapting to their children’s or partners’ social media culture is

crucial for maintaining relationships with their adolescent children and comprehending the

dynamics of the digital world. For instance, Avy shares, ‘There were strict rules on not using

mobiles when I was a kid…things are changed now for better, we follow trends, in fact, my kids

tell me who to follow and who not to…(laughs), times have changed even since pandemic’. Mish

underscores the need to familiarize herself with social media jargon to connect with her child.
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 59

She stresses that using certain terms, like ‘HMU’ (meaning ‘hit me up’), is essential for effective

communication, and not using them may lead to being perceived as uncool. ‘With my son, you

can only reply in particular ways or say specific things. I have to learn terms like HMU (which

means ‘hit me up’) because else you are not hip. He calls me cringe and thinks mom is uncool.

So, I had to download the Netlingo app so I could relate to him.’

Theme 3: Use of Social Media to Gain Resources

Based on the synthesized data, social media was also used as a source of resources. The

them was expressed based on participant argument that social media enable them to access

resources that could otherwise be challenging to access. One of the participants shared their use

of various social media platforms to engage with their community. They disclosed that they

employ Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook as tools to delve deeper into understanding gay

culture. Bill articulated, “I utilize these platforms to connect with my cultural identity. The

visibility of gay culture is limited here, so these platforms allow me to forge connections with

individuals who share similar experiences and identities. It reassures me that I’m not alone in my

journey. During my upbringing, I seldom encountered representations of people like me in my

surroundings.” This example highlights the positive role of social media in providing a platform

for individuals to connect and share their cultural experiences.

RQ3 Does Gender Play a Role in Excessive Social Media Usage?

The third research was used to assess if there is variation in excessive social media usage

across gender and racial groups. Out of 11 participants who indicated excessive use of social

media, eight were females, indicating a prevalence of 72.2% of excessive social media use

among females. Also, out of participants who indicated excessive social media use, the majority

(n= 5, 45.5%) were Caucasians, three were Asian Americans (27.3%) and three were African
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 60

Americans (27.3%). Overall, a sample of 17 participants were interviews in this study. The

majority were females (n = 11, 64.7%) and only six (35.3%) were males. All female participants

reported different negative impacts of excessive social media use on their relationship with their

partners and husbands, though to different extends. Most of the female participants (9 out of 11,

81.8%) expressed that their boyfriends complains that they are not getting the required attention

because of excessive social medial use by their female partners. For example, Aja indicated that

her boyfriend normally complains about little attention he gets by stating, “Sometimes he gets

upset when I’m looking at insta while he is driving. He is like ‘babe you never talk to me, you

are always on your phone, I need your attention too’”. Also, Carol reported that she gets upset

when her brother does not react to her social media posts. Carol stated, “But, I admit, I get a bit

miffed when my boyfriend doesn't react to my posts or when my brother doesn’t tag me in his

stories. It's the little things that bug me sometimes”. Additionally, one female participant

reported that her boyfriend tried to limit her social media usage time by setting screen time on

her phone, a practice that was not observed among female partners who complained about

excessive use by the male partners. Clara reported that her boyfriend tries to limit her social

media usage time by stating, “My boyfriend doesn’t like it whenever I miss tracking how long

I’ve been using. He turned on the screen time mode, if I am spending more than an hour, my

phone says that, and I have to stop. At times I just stop it and continue”. Out of 17 participants,

only six were married. Most of the married participants were expressive negative impacts of

excessive use of social media on their relationship with their children. For example, four married

participants reported that social media is negatively impacting their relationship with their

children that with their romantic partners. However, participants who were not married expressed

the negative impacts of excessive social media use on their romantic partners. Only two
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 61

unmarried participants expressed the negative impacts of excessive social media use with their

siblings.

Other themes identified:

The following themes which emerged during the analysis did not identify with any of the

research questions in terms of how its impacting participants relationships. These themes

however identified the role of social media in participants life which could impact themselves.

The themes includes (a) unintentional usage but deliberate engagement, (b) strong emotional

attachment on social media, (c) fulfilment of psychological needs, and (d) coping with boredom

and tiredness (see Table 4). Each of them is described in the subsequent section.

Table 4

Other identified themes

Theme Number of Participants

Supporting the Theme
1. Unintentional usage but deliberate engagement 9
2. Strong emotional attachment on social media 5
3. Fulfilment of psychological needs 2
4. Coping with boredom and tiredness. 6

Theme 1: Unintentional Usage but Deliberate Engagement

The majority of the participants acknowledged that their use of social media was

frequently spontaneous and unplanned. The theme was supported based on participants’

expression of obsession with social media. Responses from several participants, including Amy,

Mish, and Clara, highlighted this lack of deliberate intent: "I don't really plan for it." This trend

was consistent across African American, Asian American, and Caucasian cultures, as indicated
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 62

by the responses of Eun, Baina, Jin, Colin, and Kecia, who stated they "don't consciously plan

for it" or "don't even think of using it."

However, participants also identified instances where they intentionally planned their

social media interactions. This deliberate engagement encompassed activities such as monitoring

notifications, consuming specific content from followed accounts, staying updated with platform

changes, and actively participating in social media during social gatherings. For instance, Carol

elaborated on their intentional approach: "Of course, I consider social media throughout my

workday, planning my posts and deciding which platforms to browse during breaks. I check all

notifications before the day ends, and I use Snoop report app to track the most active times of my

connections."

Theme 2: Strong Emotional Attachment and Dependent on Social Media

Another notable theme that emerged was strong emotional attachment and dependent on

social media. The majority of the participants expressed considerable emotional attachment and

reliance on social media platforms, reporting feelings of fear of missing out (FOMO), anxiety,

and emptiness when not using them. Carol and Bill described experiencing FOMO, while Eun

indicated, “it's beyond FOMO, almost like I am losing my breath…I can’t even imagine a day

without seeing Instagram or TikTok notifications”. Additionally, participants expressed

discomfort at the idea of being without access to social media, emphasizing the depth of their

reliance on these platforms. For instance, P 8 shared, “couldn’t find internet in Italy, I couldn’t

post pictures. It was way irritating, didn’t feel myself anymore…like something was missing.”

Furthermore, participants identified withdrawal symptoms and anxiety when unable to

access social media, suggesting a dependency on online interactions and validation for their

emotional well-being. For example, P 10 shared, “I cannot see myself not using it. I will go
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 63

crazy, wanting to do something. It’s like when you are trying to get Pokémon, and you almost

lose them. I feel I need to do it right now; if not, I will have so much anxiety, FOMO. if I don’t

do it now, no one will see my post, it won’t get the likes and views it deserves… I just can’t. It’s

hard for me. If I miss a message on Snapchat, I freak out; sometimes I have mental breakdowns.

I feel I’m missing.

Theme 3: Fulfillment of Psychological Needs

Fulfillment of psychological needs was another notable theme supporting the use of

social media. The theme was expressed based on participants’ arguments that social media

facilitate fulfilment of psychological needs by connecting interacting with others. Participants

stated that utilizing social media allows them to express themselves while also feeling valued.

They stressed that social media platforms facilitate self-expression and identity discovery by

allowing users to share their opinions, experiences, and interests with others. Eun tells us that

“want people to know me—post regularly and keep my stories updated to share snippets of my

life—Sharing moments —share candid nature shots”. The validation provided by likes,

comments, and shares was noticed as crucial, contributing to users’ sense of value and

recognition. Carol emphasized this by saying, “My post has to be perfect... If I didn’t like a

friend’s post, I wouldn’t comment, like or talk to them much.... Likes and views make a huge

difference.”

Theme 4: Coping with Boredom and Tiredness

Social media emerged as a coping method used by participants to deal with emotions of

loneliness, boredom, and exhaustion. Some of the participants also expressed that they use social

media to relax and unwind after stressful day. For example, during "me-time," social media acted

as a tool for personal relaxation and rejuvenation, reducing stress, relaxing, and offering a break
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 64

from everyday responsibilities. These patterns remained consistent across the three cultural

groups. Baina, Raj, Jin, and Kecia identified using Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and Twitter

helps “get out of boredom…or after a long stressful workday”. Ramy, and Eun identified using

social media sites more as a “me-time” routine, utilizing it to unwind and recharge.
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 65

Chapter V: Discussion

There has been increase in the use of social media among different populations. The

amount of time spent on social media can have different impacts on individual’s relationships

(Bonsaksen et al., 2023; Wu et al., 2024). According to Al-Saggaf and MacCulloch (2019),

individuals are more likely to phub family members, friends, and strangers than people at work.

Also, Al-Saggaf and MacCulloch (2019) found that parents, children, and partners are more

likely to be phubbed among family relations. Although social media may foster relationships, it

can also pose challenges to romantic relationships (Arikewuyo et al, 2022). The purpose of this

study was to understand how excessive social media usage impacts individuals' relationships

(among parent-child, romantic partner, and sibling relationships) and to identify if culture plays a

role in excessive social media usage. The findings that answered the first research question were

(a) increasing misunderstanding and communication breakdown, (b) creating feeling of

negligence, (c) decrease quality of time, (d) social media is used as an escape mechanism, and

(e) improves partners’ and parent-child communications. The findings supporting the second

research question were (a) cultural norms and rules and (b) generational differences and cultural

adaptation. For the third research question, females expressed excessive use of social medial than

males and most of the married participants expressed negative impacts of social media use on

their children than with their romantic relationship.

The findings of this study that excessive social media use reduce the quality of time

among romantic partners aligns with those reported in the literature. According to Bouffard et al.

(2021), there is sufficient evidence that excessive social media use can result in adverse impacts

on romantic relationship dynamics. These adverse impacts occur majorly due to reduced time

and attention for relationship partners (Bouffard et al., 2021). Although Arikewuyo et al. (2022)
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 66

acknowledged that conflicts in romantic relationship is a natural phenomenon, the researcher

argued that the use of social media has been identified to escalate such battles. In their study to

investigate the effects of social media use on conflicts in romantic relationships through the

mediating variable of infidelity, jealousy, and monitoring, Arikewuyo et al. (2022) found an

association between the use of social media and conflicts in romantic relationships. Although

Arikewuyo et al. (2022) study was quantitative, their findings affirms the results of this study

that excessive use of social media triggers conflicts and misunderstanding among romantic

partners. In addition, Arikewuyo et al. (2022) found that jealousy, infidelity, and monitoring

romantic partners are significant mediators between conflict in romantic relationship and social

media use.

Similar to Arikewuyo et al. (2022) findings, the results of this study revealed that

monitoring the use of social media of a romantic partner triggers conflicts and misunderstanding.

For example, one participant in this study reported that she dismissed time setting that regulate

her use of social media that was set by her boyfriend, a practice that normally upset him and

cause misunderstanding. Similar to Arikewuyo et al.’s (2022) findings, Konlan et al. (2023)

found that excessive use of social media resulted in increased suspicion, monitoring of partner,

mistrust between couples, and jealousy. Another notable finding of Arikewuyo et al. (2022)

study was that the use of social media was not a significant predictor of infidelity in romantic

relationships. However, there were no infidelity issues associated with excessive social media

used reported by the participants in this study.

In romantic relationships, conflicts are reflected in the existence of dialectic opinions,

beliefs, views, and ideologies that may generate disagreements among the romantic partners

(Arikewuyo et al., 2022). The use of social media may create the feelings of suspicion and
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 67

doubts between the romantic partners (Arikewuyo et al., 2022). Arikewuyo et al. (2022) argued

that communication is an essential part of romantic relationships because it can either enhance or

deprive effective bonding and connections. In this study, the argument was supported in that

some participants reported that their excessive use of social media impede communication with

their partners, leading to conflicts and misunderstandings due to the feelings of being neglected

and decreased quality if time spent together due to phubbing. For example, one participant

reported that he uses social media to avoid potential arguments with her wife, which further

exacerbate their disagreement because it undermines problem solving and decision-making.

The use of social media has improved the bonding and romantic relationships among

long-distance partners by facilitating ease in interaction and communication among partners

(Arikewuyo et al., 2022). However, some participants in this study reported contrary perspective;

some argued that their reliance on social media to communicate with their partners and sibling

inhibits their efforts to effectively communicate and bond, unlike they could during f ace-to-face

communication. For example, one participant regretted he could have utilized the time spent in

social media to bond visit his wife and bond with his son. Similarly, other participants argued

that they could have use the time spent in social media to visit her younger brother, create more

time for their children, partners, and bond with family members, especially during family

gatherings such as during family dinner.

Other researchers have reported positive impacts of social media use on romantic

relationships. For example, public display of affection and increased communications among

romantic partners through social media use is associated with several positive outcomes such as

greater expression of affections, higher relationship satisfaction, and facilitate maintenance of

relationships, especially among the long-distance partners (Emond et al., 2023). However, some
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 68

participants in this study expressed some negative impacts associated with public display of

affection through social media. For example, some participant reported that their partners get

upset when they post much of their pictures together online using social media. Also, some

participants reported that they get upset when they do not get validations from their partners

when they post on social media, such as tagging, liking, and commenting on their partners posts.

One participant reported that she feels that her boyfriend is cheating on her when he does not

comment on her social media post. Therefore, public display of affection has potentials for

negative impacts such as triggering conflicts among romantic partners through unconsented posts

and invalidation.

According to Emond et al. (2023), there are evidence that the use of social media

exacerbate existing offline conflicts and results in new sources of discord among romantic

partners. The most common issues associated with the use of social media that causes conflicts

are jealousy, electronic partner surveillance, and cyber infidelity (Emond et al., 2023). Social

media can trigger the feeling of jealousy by providing a centralized place to access information

about partner’s behavior and social connection, facilitating contact with both former and

potential romantic partners, and by causing misinterpretation of information due to lack of

context (Emond et al., 2023). These findings support this study’s theme of increased

misunderstanding and communication breakdown due to excessive social media use.

According to González-Rivera and Hernández-Gato (2019), the use of social media

platforms such as Facebook can facilitate the establishment of new relationships and maintaining

of the current ones. However, excessive use of social media can generate conflicts, discussion,

disagreements, and jealousy in romantic relationships (González-Rivera & Hernández-Gato,

2019). Excessive use of social media is associated with low-self-esteem, depression, fear of
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 69

rejection, and intense desire to be accepted (González-Rivera & Hernández-Gato, 2019).

Excessive use of social media triggers conflicts, negatively affecting communication among

partners and impacting their emotional well-being when sharing quality time (González-Rivera

& Hernández-Gato, 2019). In this study, excessive social media use was found to trigger

conflicts by causing disagreements on excessive usage time.

Satici et al. (2023) found statistically significant associations between social media

addiction, romantic relationships, depression, stress, and anxiety. In addition, Satici et al. (2023)

found that stress, depression, and anxiety mediated the impact of social media addition on

romantic relationships. Based on their findings, Satici et al. (2023) concluded that reducing

social media use can be beneficial in addressing romantic dissatisfaction, thereby avoiding

depression, stress, and anxiety. In this study, some participants reported using social media as an

escape mechanism during romantic disagreement and for entertainment purposes.

Despite the negative impacts, social media has facilitated the development of social

relationships. Social media is used to attained different purposes, including communication,

obtaining information, playing games, entertainment, and sharing photos, musing, and videos

(Satici et al., 2023). In this study, participants expressed using social media for different purpose,

but mostly for entertainment. The majority of the participants reported that they use social media

to consume entertainment contents such was watching reels to unwind and relax. Most of the

participants expressed using social media to communicate with family members, children, and

romantic partners. Other participants reported using social media for social connections with

friends and peers.

Social media addiction is associated with physical and emotional infidelity, decline in

the quality of romantic relationship, romantic separation, and dissatisfaction with the relationship
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 70

(Satici et al., 2023). Excessive social media use can decrease the quality of romantic

relationships by providing online alternatives centers for attraction, spending of time, and

investment of emotion outside the bilateral relationship (Satici et al., 2023).

There are three characteristic of social media that influence relationships. First, social

media sites increase the amount of information that can romantic partners receive about their

significant others (Wilkerson, 2017). For example, for example social media site may contains

information such as user profile and updates based on user’s place and activities based in the

information posted. Second, social media makes it easy to monitor partners (Wilkerson, 2017).

For example, Facebook makes +it simple and anonymous for a user to spy their partners without

them knowing (Wilkerson, 2017). Third, social media sites publicly displays to peers the

information about and relevant to romantic relationship (Wilkerson, 2017).

With the increasing use of social media, there has been an increase in the number of

people using the platform to seek gratification of their social and emotional needs (Konlan et al.,

2023). Indeed, the findings of this study affirmed the use of social media for gratification among

the participants. For example, one female participant reported that she feel fulfilled with the

validation she receives from social media. Another female participant reported that she likes the

impressions she creates using social media.

The use of social media has bridge communication gap between romantic partners

because it allows connection between work hours through sharing of test, photos, videos, and

afford each other emotional support (Konlan et al., 2023). In this study, it was evident that

romantic partners uses social media to facilitate effective communication and binding, for

example, through sharing of videos and photos. Also, some participants indicated that they are

using social media to increase connection with family members. However, a few participants
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 71

reported the potential negative impacts of sharing material using social media, especially among

the partners. For example, one female participant indicated that her boyfriend does not like her

posting their pictures and photos on social media. Similarly, one married female indicated that

her husband does not like reels she occasionally sends to him. Therefore, these findings implies

that sharing of photos and videos on social media can be effective when both partners are

interested in sharing.

According to Konlan et al. (2023), the use of social media enable couples to feel closer

because it facilitate conversation and resoling of arguments that would be difficult to address in

person. However, one male participant in this study acknowledged that their overreliance on

social media to communicate with his wife is undermining their communication efforts and

problem-solving abilities when they have arguments. Therefore, social media can be optimized

for effective communication among partners by sparing the time for face-to-face communication

to avoid over-reliance on the platform.

In the United States, up to 16% of the couples indicated Facebook as a source of jealousy,

25% reported weekly arguments due to the use of Facebook, and 14% have contemplated

divorce because of their partner’s social media activities (Tandon et al., 2023). In addition, 34%

of the United States young adults in romantic relationship (between 18 and 29 years) and 26% of

older adult’s reports jealousy or insecurity due to their partners’ activities in social media

(Tandon et al., 2023). Therefore, the findings in the literature indicates high prevalence of the

feeling of jealousy among romantic partners resulting from social media use. In this study,

although the focus was not exploring jealousy among romantic partners, it was evident based on

participant’s expression. For example, one female participant reported that she feels that her

boyfriend is cheating on her when he fails to comment on her social media posts.
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 72

There was a rapid increase in the use of social medial after the onset of the Coronavirus

disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic (Zoppolat et al., 2022). During the pandemic, many

individuals resolved to using social media to improve their social connections, gather and share

information, and remediate the missing in-person interactions (Zoppolat et al., 2022). Indeed,

these findings are supported that the results of this study. For example, some participants

reported that they started using social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, some

reported that they were using social media before the pandemic by the intensify their usage after

the pandemic.

According to Fabris eta al. (2020), fear of missing out (FOMO) is associated with

decreased emotional well-being among the adolescents. Adolescents with high FOMO

experiences high stress resulting from neglect among the online social media peers (Fabris eta

al., 2020). Through FOMO, individuals feel constant desire to use social media because they

worry about missed opportunities when they are offline (Trong Dam et al., 2023). In addition,

Fabris eta al. (2020) found that FOMO is associated with increased sensitivity to stress due to

experience of neglect and negative reaction by social media peers. According to Pepper et al.

(2023), individuals use social media to regularly confirm their roles and positions in friendships

groups. One participant in this study expressed his frustrations when he notices that his friends

post others excluding him in their social medial posts. In this study, participants expressed

different forms of FOMO. For example, one female participant reported that she occasionally

gets upset and curious when she receives negative reactions for her posts online. To overcome

the feeling, the participant indicated that she strives to make her post more impressive. In

addition, a male participant reported that his daughter gets upset to an extend that she cries when

her friends give her negative reactions to her social media posts. Also, some participants reported
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 73

that are always eager to know what is trending and what their friends are doing, compelling them

to constantly use social media to keep up with updates. Most of the participants reported that the

first thing they do in the morning after waking up is to check updates and notification from social

media.

Keskin et al. (2023) conducted a study to evaluate the potential of sharenting on child

abuse and neglect. Sharenting is a process by which parents relates, or caregivers share

information about their children on online platforms (Keskin et al., 2023). Out of 427

participants, 86.9% reported that sharing children’s photos and videos on social media by

parents, caregivers, and relatives is considered as neglect and abuse (Keskin et al., 2023). In this

study, a female participant supported Keskin et al. (2023) findings by reporting that her son does

not like her sharing his photos on social media. However, one male participant reported that her

daughter make fun of him online by sharing his photos.

According to Zubair et al. (2023), over reliance on social media is associated with some

negative consequences such as low self-esteem and self-image through undesired feedback, not

receiving enough social validation, and unhealthy competition and comparison. Zubair et al.’s

(2023) findings are supported by the results of this study. For example, some participants

expressed their frustrations and negative feelings when do not achieve desired validation from

social media and when they receive negative comments on their posts.

Childhood emotional neglect, referring to failure of parents or caregivers to meet child’s

care, support, a sense of belonging, and emotional needs, can be exacerbated by excessive use of

social media (Wang et al., 2022). In this study, some participants acknowledged that their

excessive use of social media is compromising the quality of time they should be spending with

their children. As a result of parental neglect, children may resolve to using social media as
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 74

compensatory response to alleviate negative emotions and restoring emotional connections

(Wang et al., 2022). Specifically, neglected children uses social media to obtain emotional

support from their friends online and as an outlet for the negative emotions caused by being

neglected by parents (Wang et al., 2022). Indeed, Wang et al.’s (2022) argument was supported

by the findings in this study. One female participant who acknowledged not giving adequate

attention to her child reported that the child resolved to using social media because of the feeling

of loneliness. Children feel neglected when their parents spent more time on social media instead

of bonding with them.

According to Musetti et al. (2021), social media plays crucial roles in providing social

support for positive developmental trajectories and affirmation of identities. In this study, some

participants expressed the positive impacts of social media use in their social support and

affirmation of their identifies. For example, one participant indicate that he uses social media to

connect with his gay peers to affirm their identities.

According to O’Day and Heimberg (2020), younger generation spent much of their time

in different social media platforms, which was evident in this study. Unlike older generation,

younger generation are exposed to technology, including increased social media use in their

younger ages (Abdelaziz & Saleh, 2023). Different generations, including the silent, Baby

Boomers, Generation, X, Generation Y, and Generation Z have different level of exposure to

technology (Tutgun-Ünal, 2021; Hu & Cheong, 2021; Hu et al., 2022). In this study, some

parents acknowledge that their increased use of social media were compelled by their children

who preferred using social media to communicate with them instead of traditional forms. For

example, two parents reported that their children don not reply to texts message as they compel

them to use social media platform such as snapchat to communicate. Twenge et al. (2019)
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 75

reported that there has been increase in the use social media per population born between 1976

and 2016. The iGen adolescents born in 2010 spent significantly less time on print media

movies, and television compared to the adolescents in the previous decad es (Twenge et al.,

2019). Twenge et al. (2019) finding is supported by the result of this study; one participant

reported that her daughter does not like watching television in preferences of social media.

According to Gaitán-Aguilar et al. (2022), social media is a crucial platform for socio-

cultural adaptation by facilitating rapid and synchronous interpersonal communication among

individuals from different cultures. Also, social medial has facilitated acculturation by providing

access to social support and relevant information for international experiences (Gaitán-Aguilar et

al., 2022). In this study, some participants acknowledged that the use of social media has enabled

them to adapt to new cultures. Beside adapting to new culture, some participants reported that

they use social medial to maintain and connect to the cultural roots. For example, one participant

reported that she uses social media to follow cultural Korean drama. As such, social media has

become invaluable in maintaining cultural ties and learning and adapting to new cultures.

Bouffard et al (2021) studied the interplay of social media usage among romantic

relationships aiming to shed light on how increased social media use can negatively impact

relationship dynamics and potentially lead to addiction. Bouffard et al.’s (2021) findings

indicated increased Instagram usage correlates with reduced relationship satisfaction, leading to

heightened conflicts and negative outcomes, and ultimately triggering addictive behavior. These

results were consistent with the findings of the current research which highlights a concerning

trend where partners resort to social media as an escape from conversations, resulting in rifts and

emotional distance within romantic relationships. This behavior underscores the detrimental

impact of excessive social media usage on interpersonal communication and relationship

EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 76

dynamics. This research however identified participants specific choice of social media platform

was not associated with escaping form conversations or rifts in relationships. In this study, it was

found that social media usage is disrupting both relationship dynamics and quality time

allocation through reduced attention and time for bonding among romantic partners. These

findings is supported by Bouffardard et al.’s (2021) who argued that although social media may

foster relationship, excessive use may pose adverse effects on relationship dynamics, especially

through reduced time and attention.

This study's exploration of participants turning to social media platforms when their

loved ones are emotionally unavailable, possibly seeking connection or distraction, further

elucidates Bouffardard et al.’s (2021) second research question, which was used to understand

whether the increase in social media usage and negative relationship consequences collectively

trigger social media addiction. By shedding light on how individuals may turn to social media as

a coping mechanism in response to relational challenges, this study provides insights into the

potential pathways leading to addictive behaviors. This understanding contributes to the broader

discourse on the relationship between social media usage, relationship dynamics, and addictive

tendencies, offering valuable implications for both research and practice in addressing

problematic technology use within romantic relationships. Additionally, social media serves as

an escape from the pressures and stresses of everyday life through engaging with entertaining

content. These findings underscore the multifaceted role of social media in individuals' coping

mechanisms and highlight its potential impact on relationship dynamics. Interestingly, this study

found that participants' specific choice of social media platform was not associated with their

tendency to escape from conversations or experience rifts in relationships. Regardless of the

platform, individuals who exhibited behaviors of escaping and emotional distance while using
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 77

social media chose various platforms. This suggests that the underlying motivations and

mechanisms driving social media usage in response to relational challenges may transcend

platform preferences.

Similar to the findings of this study, Arikewuyo et al. (2022) found a significant

association between social media use and conflicts in romantic relationship. In this study,

participants also reported obsession with social media use through uncontrolled usage leading to

dependence and addiction. Similar to the findings of this study, Zhao et al. (2022) and Pellegrino

et al. (2022) argued that immoderate and habitual use of social media may leads to addiction

through uncontrolled desire to browse through social media pages.

In this study, females portrayed more excessive use addition to social media than males,

the finding supported by Reyes et al. (2022) who found that gender alters the way how

individuals use social media. Also, Karatsoli and Nathanail (2020) argued that gender may

influence how individuals share information on social media and how they use it to make

decisions. Interestingly, females reported becoming upset when they did not get validations they

were expecting from social media, which were not reported by males in this study. This finding

is ported by Svensson et al. (2020) who found that chatting and self-presentation (posting

information about themselves) were positively associated with internalizing symptoms among

girls only. Similarly, Twenge and Martin (2020) found that adolescent girls spend more time on

social media and the association between moderate to severe social media use and poor

psychological well-being and mental issues was higher in girls than boys. Extending this study’s

findings and that of Twenge and Martin (2020), Ma (2021) found that females had higher social

media use than males. Therefore, gender difference should be considered when designing

interventions to address the negative consequences of excessive social media use.

EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 78

Implications

According to Zubair et al. (2023), the use of social media is the second leading cause of

disability among the psychiatric disorders. Specifically, social media used is strongly correlated

with the development of anxiety, insomnia, depression, stress, decrease subjective happiness, and

a sense of mental deprivation (Zubair et al., 2023). In this study, it was evident that participants

had excessive use of social media. Therefore, these findings highlight the need for integrative

approaches of optimizing the positive impacts of social media while decreasing the potential

negative consequences such as psychiatric disorders.

According to Bloemen and De Coninck, D. (2020), family structure, the quality of

parental relationships, and parental styles influence adolescent’s use of social media, which can

influence FOMO. Specifically, fathers parenting style, perceived high quality relationship with

parents, and being part of non-intact family are protective factors of FOMO (Bloemen & De

Coninck, 2020). In this study, most of the young adults and children demonstrated different

forms of FOMO, which increased their need to use social media. According to Bloemen and De

Coninck, D. (2020), FOMO is both a trait and predictor of social media addition. As such,

adopting appropriate parenting style and developing high quality relationships with children may

help in decreasing the negative impacts associated with excessive social media use, especially

among children.

Limitations

Among the limitation of this study relates to the design used and data collection and

analysis. The qualitative design does not allow for investigating the causal relationships among

the variables of interest in quantifiable figures. Qualitative data were collected, which are

subjective and maybe associated bias. However, qualitative data provides a more nuanced
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 79

understanding of the question, which was appropriate for this research. Also, there were potential

introduction bias during coding and development of themes. However, the researcher used

inductive coding to ensure objective development of codes based on participants responses.

Another limitation of this study relates to the sample used. Most of the participants were females

and not married, however, it was anticipated that individuals with balanced gender and marital

statuses would participate in the study. Excessive use of social media may have different

influence on participants based on their gender and marital status.

Also, there was a low recruitment response rate, which constitute the limitation of this

study. There a disproportionate sample sizes representing identified cultures, types of

relationships, and gender. Therefore, the conclusion of the impacts of social media use compared

across these cultures, gender, and types of relationship based on this study is not warranted.

Also, a sample was not representative of United States. The participants were from California,

Texas, and Missouri, most working from cities and a few from rural areas. There might be

difference in social media usage among urban and rural residents because of different factors,

including access to social gatherings and social interactions.

Recommendations for Future Research

The participants of this study constituted married and unmarried partners, whose

experiences of using social media may vary. Therefore, future research can explore and contrast

the impacts of excessive social media use on married and unmarried romantic partners. Also,

there was gender imbalance in this study as there were more females that males. It is therefore

recommended that future researchers consider conducting studies with gender-balanced sample

and comparing the impacts of excessive social media use on relationships among males and
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 80

females. It is also recommended that future researchers compare the impacts of excessive social

media use and addictive substances on how brain release dopamine.

Conclusion

The increased use of social media is associated with positive impacts on relationships

such as improving communication among romantic partners, patent-child communication,

bonding, and social connections. However, excessive use of social media can result in undesired

outcomes on relationship such as jealousy, conflicts, and mistrust among romantic partners.

Also, excessive social media use decreases the quality of time for bonding among romantic

partners and between parents and children. Besides the negative impacts on relationship,

excessive use of social media can also result in negative outcomes on individual well-being, such

as psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, stress, and depression. The purpose of this study was to

explore the impacts of excessive social media usage on romantic, parent-child, and sibling

relationships.

The findings revealed that excessive use of social media is associated with increased

misunderstanding and communication breakdown, feeling of negligence, and decreased quality

of time spent by romantic partners. In addition, the findings revealed that social medial is used as

an escape mechanism during romantic arguments, improves partners’ and parent-child

communications, and causes disagreements on excessive usage time. The findings of this study

also indicated that social media is used to promote cultural norms and rules, improve cultural

adaptation, and acquire resources among specific groups. The findings of this study highlight the

need for more balanced strategies to optimize the positive impacts of social media on

relationships while minimizing the associated negative impacts. In future, researchers can
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 81

explore whether impacts of excessive use of social media vary based on gender and marital

status.

Overall, social medial is associated with both positive and negative outcomes on the

types of relationships. However, the undesired outcomes outweigh positive impacts on most of

the relationships. Avoiding social media is not a viable solution because it has facilitated

connection with self, peers, families, and communities. The associated negative impacts of social

media use can be addressed by creating awareness among users on how to leverage positive

aspects while preventing or minimizing the associated negative impacts. The education should

include the associated benefits, negative outcomes, threats, and how optimize positive outcomes

while decreasing the associated negative impacts.

EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 82

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Appendix A:

Demographic Questionnaire

1. Your Age: __________

2. Gender: ________

3. Current Relationship Status: ___Single____Married___Divorced___Separated___Widowed

(Check mark the appropriate space)

4. Your Ethnicity: ___________

5. Romantic Partner’s Ethnicity: ___________

6. How long have you been in your current relationship: __________

7. Number of children: __________

8. Gender of Children: __________

9. Do you have siblings: ________ number of siblings: ______________

10. You are an ____Elder sibling, ___Younger sibling, ____Middle Sibling.

(Check mark the appropriate space)

11. Current area of residence: _____________

12. Mailing address:

13: Email ID:

EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 100

Appendix B:

Semi-Structured Interview Part I

Script

Part I- Interview Script

Before we start, I want to explain to you more about the study, Social Media Usage, Culture,

relationships.

I will give you this card with the definitions so that you can use it as a reference when answering

the questions. These terms were used throughout this interview. I will also define these words for

you; please let me know if you need further clarification or have any questions regarding these

terms.

Culture: In this study, culture is defined as beliefs, values, patterns, and characteristics of a

particular social group.

Social Media Usage: In this study, social media usage is defined as flicking through social

media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and other social media

sites, using smartphones or laptops or tablets. This definition only focused on using these social

media sites for leisure or entertainment purposes.

Relationships: In this study, relationships are defined as the emotional connection you have with

either your children or your romantic partner, or your sibling

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Appendix C:

Semi-Structured Interview Part II

Interview Questions

Part II- Interview Questions

Role of social media in their personal and professional life:

A) Do you spend a lot of time thinking or planning of using social media?

B) How important is regular social media usage in your personal or professional life? What are

the impacts of not using it?

Using social media impacts an individual’s relationships with either their children (11-18

years), romantic partner (currently in a relationship for more than 6 months), or siblings

(emotionally connected) relationships.

A) How do you see using social media is impacting your relationship with your a) children, b)

romantic partner, and c) sibling?

B) What significant changes did you ever notice in your attitudes, responses, or approach

towards others (or the relationships) while using social media?

Time spent on a regular basis on social media

A) How much time do you spend daily or weekly on social media? Which platform do you often

use and why?

B) What motivates you to spend time on social media?

Discrepancies in relationships from before and after usage of social media

EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 102

A) How do you think using social media for less than an hour daily will impact your

relationships?

B) How did you develop the habit of using social media excessively? Is this an addiction for

you?

Cultural perspective of social media usage

A) What are your cultural values and attitudes around social media, and how is it impacting?

B) Is 'social media interference' seen more in one particular relationship when compared to

others?

Final Question

A) Is there anything else you feel or want to share about social media usage and its impact, that

was not discussed?

EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 103

Appendix D:

Participants Screening

Thank you for your interest in my study on identifying the impact of excessive online social

media usage on relationships.

Who am I: I am a second-year Clinical Psychology doctoral student at California School of

Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, located in Emeryville, CA.

What am I doing: I am studying the impact of excessive online social media usage on

relationships (among parent-child, romantic partner, sibling relationships). I am also exploring

the cultural effects on excessive online social media usage on the above relationships. This study

will include one in-person semi-structured interview with questions about your social media

usage and your perception of its impact on your relationships (among parent-child, romantic

partner, sibling relationships).

What can you expect as a participant: This study consists of you completing zoom interview,

which will take approximately 1hours. You will be given a 15$ gift certificate in appreciation for

your time and generosity. The in-person interview, the gift card will be given to the participant

after the interview will be completed. For participants who participated in interviews through

video conference, the gift certificate will be emailed to your provided email address or mailed to

the address you provided.

EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 104

Why is this study has been conducted: The purpose of this study is to understand how

excessive social media usage impacts individuals' relationships (among parent-child, romantic

partner, sibling relationships) and to identify if culture plays a role in excessive social media

usage. There are minimal knowledge and research in understanding individuals' experiences

being affected by excessive social media usage.

Please note that I will be writing down your answers for research purposes, whether you are

eligible or ineligible for the study. Your identity and responses will be kept completely

confidential.

Screening Questions:

Do you use social media for more than half-hour on a daily basis?

Do you have either two or three of these relationships currently: a) a parent to an adolescent

child (11-18 years) b) currently in a romantic relationship for more than 6 months, and c) have a

sibling with whom you are emotionally connected?

How do you identify your ethnic background as?

Are you currently residing in USA?

If the participant is eligible, you are eligible to participate in this study based on your answers to

my questions. If you agree to participate, then, for the next step, we would be setting up a date

and time for the appointment. The appointment would be either an in-person or an online (video)

appointment. The interview will take approximately of two hours and can be conducted in a quiet

location that will be convenient for you. When would be a good time and location for the

interview?
EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 105

On the day of the interview, I will have you fill out a brief demographic questionnaire and some

consent forms. Do you have any questions? Is it ok if I call you a day or two before the

appointment to remind you about the study? Can I leave you a voice message if you don't

answer? Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions or conners. I look

forward for our interview.

If the participant is not eligible to continue participating in the study: thank you for being patient

and answering my questions. Based on your answers, you are not eligible to participate in this

research study. Thank you for your time and interest. If you know anyone who spends more than

a half-hour on a daily basis for leisure purposes on social media, please feel free to pass along

my contact information. Thank you.

EXCESSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND IMPACT ON RELATIONSHIPS 106

Appendix E:

Participant Thank You Letter

Dear (Participant Name),

I want to thank you for being patient and allowing me to interview you for my study. The

generosity of your time and the information you provided to me is greatly appreciated. Suppose

you have requested for me to share the final results and findings of this study. However, please

be aware that due to the nature of the research, it may take anywhere between six to nine months

after the study has been completed, you will be able to receive these results. I hope that the

experience of the interview process was a positive one overall. Once again, thank you for your

time and for sharing your experiences and perspectives with me.

Best Wishes,

Kalyani Akula
 ProQuest Number: 31563449

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