The Relationships That Matter: Social Network Site Use and Social Well-Being Among Older Adults in the United States

• In Event: Social Support via Social Media #2

Abstract

An increasing number of middle-aged and older Americans are using social network sites (SNSs), but little research has addressed health outcomes associated with SNS use in this population. Using a nationally representative sample of Americans aged 50 or older from the 2012 Health and Retirement Study (HRS), we examined the relationship between older adults’ SNS use and social well-being associated with kin and non-kin relations and how these associations differ across relatively younger (52–69) and older (70+) age groups. Results of ordinary least square (OLS) regression analysis suggest that SNS use was associated with increased non-kin relation-based social well-being—perceived support from friends and feelings of connectedness, but was not associated with kin relation-based social well-being. The disaggregated analysis further shows that the association between SNS use and perceived support from friends was significant for younger-old adults, whereas the link between SNS use and feelings of connectedness was significant for older-old adults only. As older people engage with an increasingly smaller and narrower network with a greater proportion of kin contacts, our results suggest that SNS use may help older adults’ access the differential social benefits associated with non-kin relations across later-life stages.

Authors

• Rebecca Ping Yu, University of Michigan

• Nicole Ellison, School of Information

• Ryan McCammon, U of Michigan

• Ken Langa, U of Michigan