How objectively measured Twitter and Instagram use relate to self-reported personality and tendencies toward Internet/Smartphone Use Disorder

Abstract

Mounting evidence suggests meaningful relationships between personality and tendencies toward Internet Use Disorder (IUD), Smartphone Use Disorder (SmUD) and Social Networks Use Disorder (SNUD). Results of past research vary not only depending on methods applied, but also with respect to data and platforms investigated. With the present work, we aimed to examine links between objectively measured use of Twitter/Instagram and personality in a sample of N = 331 participants. We further investigated the relationship between actual social media usage and self-reported tendencies toward IUD/SmUD. We observed that active social media usage (number of posts) was negatively correlated with IUD/SmUD levels. Other users' reactions to one's posts (Likes and comments) on the other hand were positively associated with SmUD severity. Thus, our work contradicts the sometimes prevailing view that greater activity on social media in general predicts greater SmUD. Finally, we replicated most prior findings by showing that greater Extraversion, Conscientiousness, and Agreeableness were associated with more activity on social media (e.g. more posts on Twitter). Based on our results, some types of social media use seem to be beneficial to the individual and thus do not contribute to the development or maintenance of problematic tendencies in the context of social media applications.