Elsevier

Computers in Human Behavior

Volume 39, October 2014, Pages 376-386
Computers in Human Behavior

The interplay of intrinsic need satisfaction and Facebook specific motives in explaining addictive behavior on Facebook

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.05.047Get rights and content

Highlights

  • We conducted an online survey with 581 SNS users.

  • We developed a scale measuring SNS addiction.

  • SNS specific motives mediate the effect of intrinsic needs on SNS addiction.

  • People try to compensate thwarted intrinsic needs with gratifications from SNS use.

  • Gratifications sought from SNS use can cause addictive SNS usage patterns.

Abstract

The present paper aims at exploring the new phenomenon of social network site (SNS) addiction and at identifying predictors of problematic SNS use. For this purpose, a scale measuring addictive behavior specifically with regard to SNS use was developed. The effects of intrinsic need satisfaction in the offline context and of SNS-specific motives on SNS addiction were tested in an online-survey among 581 SNS users in Germany. It was hypothesized that motives mediate the influence of thwarted intrinsic need satisfaction on addictive behavior on SNSs. More precisely, we assumed that a lack of autonomy leads to a higher motivation to use SNSs for self-presentation and escapism, a lack of competence predicts the motive to use SNSs for acquiring information and self-presentation, and a lack of relatedness fosters users’ motives to use SNSs for self-presentation and meeting new people. These motives, in turn, were predicted to be associated with higher levels of SNS addiction. All proposed mediation models were supported by the data. The results emphasize the importance of incorporating both offline need satisfaction and gratifications sought through the use of SNS to provide a comprehensive perspective on addictive behavior on SNSs.

Introduction

Using social network sites (SNSs) has become an integral part of the daily routine for many people around the world. Through these platforms, users are offered a variety of possibilities to post and share information, photos, and videos about themselves, others, their feelings, and their interests. At the same time, SNSs enable users to communicate via status updates, wall posts, or private messages and to seek a wide range of gratifications (Joinson, 2008, Papacharissi and Mendelsohn, 2011, Smock et al., 2011). Results of a recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center (2013) demonstrate that the use of SNSs has continuously increased since 2005. By now, almost three quarters of American adults use some type of SNS. The same usage pattern can be seen in other countries. In Germany for example, 78% of the Internet users between 12 and 19 years use platforms such as Facebook on a daily basis (MPFS, 2012). Just recently, Facebook reported to have more than one billion active users (Facebook, 2013), hence making it the largest SNS worldwide. As more and more people register on these platforms, a growing number of researchers have started to address the question whether originally unproblematic forms of SNSs usage may eventually become compulsive. As Greenfield (1999) denotes, the Internet and its applications may particularly enhance addictive behaviors as “the combination of stimulating content, ease of access, convenience, low cost, visual stimulation, autonomy (…) all contribute to a highly psychoactive experience” (p. 2). Until now, however, research on addictive behavior on SNSs has remained scarce. So far, most scholars in this field have investigated the somewhat broader and unspecific phenomenon of Internet addiction (Beard and Wolf, 2001, Caplan, 2002, Davies et al., 2002, Hahn and Jerusalem, 2010, Kim and Haridakis, 2009, Meerkerk et al., 2009, Young, 1996, Young, 1998, Young, 2009). As Griffiths (1999) has criticized, however, the concept of Internet addiction does not determine a clear object of the addiction. It remains unclear whether an individual classified as an ‘Internet addict’ is addicted to the medium of communication, the information obtained or to specific applications or contents (Griffiths, 1999). Looking at the variety of possible Internet activities and applications today, there is a need for more specific concepts when examining online addictions. Reliable instruments to measure these diverse online addictions are still lacking.

The research presented here aims at complementing existing attempts to conceptualize addictive behavior on SNSs. Due to the interactive dynamics of the social web and the corresponding possibilities to satisfy specific needs such as self-presentation, entertainment, socializing, or escapism (Papacharissi & Mendelsohn, 2011) SNS users might be particularly at risk of becoming addicted (Kuss & Griffiths, 2011). Accordingly, our first goal was to develop a psychometrically sound scale to measure addictive SNS usage. However, scales assessing addictive behavior only measure the existence of specific addiction symptoms and enable researchers to classify users in terms of their addiction level. They cannot explain which factors may enhance or reduce addictive behavior. Based on prior research, two theory-based approaches can be differentiated. Some studies have found a strong impact of specific motives on addictive behavior on the Internet, suggesting that people become addicted because they seek specific gratifications through the use of the respective medium (Chen and Kim, 2013, Kim and Haridakis, 2009, Song et al., 2004). Other scholars have investigated the relationship between offline well-being, represented for example by intrinsic need satisfaction, and obsessive behavior (Przybylski et al., 2009, Ryan et al., 2006, Sheldon et al., 2011). A theoretical link between both approaches has not yet been established. In the current paper, we postulate that the interplay of both intrinsic need satisfaction in the offline domain and gratifications sought online through the use of SNSs might explain why some users become addicted to SNSs. We argue that people try to compensate thwarted intrinsic needs in their offline lives through the use of Facebook by gratifying corresponding needs online. The rewarding experience of obtaining these gratifications in the SNS context, in turn, might become compulsive and cause SNS addiction. More specifically, we assume that motives of SNS use mediate the influence of intrinsic need satisfaction on SNS addiction. The present study thus extends prior research by incorporating both offline need satisfaction and gratifications sought in the online context to provide a comprehensive theoretical understanding of addictive behavior on SNSs. For consistency, we have limited the focus of the present study on the use of Facebook, as it is the most popular SNS both in Germany (Statista, 2013) and in many countries around the world (Statista, 2012).

Section snippets

Addictive behavior online

With the growing relevance of the Internet as an omnipresent tool for interaction, communication, and knowledge acquisition, scholars have shaped the term ‘Internet addiction’ (Griffiths, 1999, Young, 1996, Young, 1998) to describe problematic forms of Internet use, arguing that some forms of behavioral addictions do not necessarily include substance abuse (Greenfield, 1999, Griffiths, 1999, Young, 1996). Contrary to substance-related addictions and some behavioral disorders (e.g., pathological

Sample and procedure

The data presented here was collected in an online survey conducted in Germany in July 2012. The study’s link was distributed via e-mail to the Socio-Scientific Panel (Leiner, 2012), a panel of German Internet users who volunteered to take part in scientific online-surveys. A total of N = 806 participants responded to the survey. 225 participants had to be excluded, either due to missing data or because the respondents did not have a Facebook account. The analyses reported below are based on the

Correlative analysis

In a first step, we computed zero-order correlations between all relevant variables (Table 2). The results show that the satisfaction of all three intrinsic needs in daily life is negatively associated with Facebook addiction. The strongest significant correlation was found between the perceived level of competence in daily life and Facebook addiction (r = −.22, p < .001). In contrast, all motives of Facebook use were strongly and positively related to Facebook addiction. High correlations where

Discussion

The first goal of the present study was to develop a reliable and valid measure of SNS addiction. Although we limited the focus of our study to Facebook, it is highly plausible that the scale can be used for any SNS. We conceptualized SNS addiction by focusing on five different symptoms of general addictive behavior: loss of control, tolerance, withdrawal syndrome, negative consequences for social relations and negative consequences for work and performance. We used the well validated Internet

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