Essay Example on Social Media: A Crucial Part of Life

Introduction

In current society, social media plays a crucial part in the lives of many people. There are numerous social media sites for different purposes, with the most significant reason being to interact with other individuals (Ventola, 2014). Approximately 69% of individuals in the US utilize social media sites or platforms daily (Pew Research Center, 2018). Ventola (2014) describes social media as web-based services that enable people to create either public or semi-public profiles in a bounded system and decide users who they want to connect with. Initially, they were developed for use by younger adults. Recently, however, Greenwood et al. (2016) showed that older adults are increasingly adopting and using a social media platform such as Twitter and Facebook. The rate at which the Americans are now using them, specifically those aged above 65 years, escalated from 27% to 34% in 2013 and 2016, respectively (Greenwood et al., 2016). Whereas Twitter and Facebook may be the most widely used social media platforms, there are many others available in the US, such as Snapchat, LinkedIn, Google+, WhatsApp, and Instagram. They enable people to connect with their family, friends, and other individuals globally.

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Furthermore, as individuals become old, their social networks evolve. Previous studies have pointed out a negative correlation between social size and age (Bruine de Bruin et al., 2019). People tend to be selective in their social circle as they become old. Social media platforms may enable them to communicate or maintain communication with individuals after relocation or retirements (Ventola, 2014). Bruine de Bruin et al. (2019) argue that though there are exceptions, current studies show that majority of social media platforms mainly back the pre-existing social relationships. For older adults, using them is essential to maintain social ties with other people. Nevertheless, their study reveals that there exists no significant increase in emotions in close relations. Social media tend to offer an avenue for social connectedness amongst the older people that decreases anxiety and depression and enhances life satisfaction. Thus, as the older population continues to use it, it is vital to comprehend how this affects their happiness.

Different societies and people highly value happiness. Ventola (2014) revealed that happiness could be utilized as a sole indicator of well-being in health research and social science. It can be experienced either over a short or a longer time. Besides, the effect of social media on happiness has been studied in the past. For instance, Brooks (2015), found that its users appear to link with other users with the same happiness levels. The main aim of this research is to determine whether the amount of time consumed on the internet and the number of social media sites utilized by a person are linked to their overall happiness.

Problem Statement

This research addresses the existing gap in the literature about the utilization of social media among adults aged over 45 years in the US. Although most studies have been performed on this subject, they have been undertaken in other countries such as Finland, Thailand, Netherlands, and Australia (Quinn, 2018). The majority of them also focus on younger adults, and only a few have concentrated on the use of social media among the older population. They have also focused on the subject of mental health on younger adults, but they fail to concentrate on people aged 45 years and above. Only a few surveys have examined both social media and the internet and how the presence of online is associated with happiness. Brooks (2015) suggests that there is a significant requirement to make a comparison of older and younger social media users. Older and middle-aged individuals are underrepresented in this part of the study, and it is essential to comprehend the effects of the use of social media. Most findings tend to contradict one another. While there is also no clear path on how the use of the internet or social media may affect happiness, it is significant to comprehend the subject from different perspectives. Thus, this study has developed the following research question.

Research Questions

Is there a connection between the use of social media sites and happiness among adults aged 45 years and above?

Hypothesis

H1: People who use social media platforms are happier than those who utilize them.

H0: People who do not use social media platforms are happier than those who utilize them.

Independent and Dependent Variables

Social Media Use

It is the independent variable in this survey. The respondents were asked, “Do you use any social media platform? The answer options were either “yes” or “no.” The question was utilized as a filter to separate the experimental group from the control group. Where they answered “no,” they were sent to the next section on happiness questionnaires.

Happiness

It was the dependent variable in this study. It was measured using the Oxford Happiness Questionnaires. Participants were asked a total of 29 questions. They were later scored to determine the average score of each participant.

Data Collection

The data used for this survey was collected from the participants aged 45 years and above who are community-dwelling adults living in the United States. They included 20 adults and were selected through the subjective sampling technique. They represented two groups, that is those who use and do not use social media platforms. Data were collected via structured interviews based on demographic factors and Oxford Happiness Level Questions. Furthermore, the responses were collected and analyzed using google forms. The questions were formulated and a link generated and sent through emails and different social media platforms to the selected participants. The respondents completed the questions and submitted them through the same link provided in the appendix.

Data Analysis

Demographic Data

The survey involved 20 participants, where half of them comprised of the experimental group and the half made up the control group. In general, 12 were males representing 45%, while females were 55%. In terms of age, participants aged 50-54 years represented the highest percentage at 55%, followed by those above 65 years while those aged between 45-49, 55-59, and 60-64 years were each 10%. They were no participants aged below 45 years. Most of the respondents were married, representing 60%, while the remaining 40% were single. On the question of the social media platforms used, WhatsApp and Facebook were the most widely utilized at 70% and 60%, respectively. Other platforms such as Twitter represented 50%, Instagram 40%, Google+ 40%, Snapchat 40%, Vine 30%, and Classmates and LinkedIn each denoted 20%.