The Influence Of Online Social Media Use On The Loneliness Of "Empty Nest Youth"

With the development of society,a large and growing group of "empty-nest youth" has emerged in our country under the interaction of various factors."Empty-nest youth" refers to those young people who separated from family,worked in a foreign land,lacked family life and emotional sustenance.They face freedom and risks at the same time.On the one hand,it means that they can work hard to realize their dreams,obtain good personal development and have the freedom to choose their own way of life.On the other hand,it means that they will also face cold interpersonal relationships and smaller social circles and the risk of spiritual emptiness.The loneliness of "empty nest youth" is the focus of this article.With the development of the Internet and the upgrading of mobile electronic devices,different types of online social media gradually integrated into people’s daily life.Online social media not only provides convenience for people’s daily communication,but also provides a better way for people to communicate with each other.It provides window support for learning external information and the latest news.However,the Internet brings convenience and entertainment to people’s daily life,does it actually help alleviate negative emotions?This has caused discussion in the academic circle.Some scholars believe that the use of online social media can alleviate individual loneliness,while others believe that the use of online social media has no significant effect on alleviating loneliness.The isolation of the individual from the real world increases the user’s sense of loneliness because of structural loneliness and idiotypic loneliness,social support,online social capital,sense of meaning in life and extraversion were introduced to explore the relationship between them.This study uses questionnaire survey and data analysis to investigate the situation of"empty nest youth" from different dimensions,including the use of online social media,the level of loneliness,social support,online social capital,level of meaning in life and extraversion,while investigating the singleness and residence status of "empty-nest youth".According to the survey,"empty-nest youths" in the age group of 20-25 has the highest proportion,which means that young people who have just left campus life are the most likely to become "empty-nest youths".The education level is generally relatively high,mainly undergraduates and masters.Most of the "empty-nest youth"choose to live with classmates and friends.The average daily use of online social media is about 4 hours,WeChat is the most frequently used,followed by blog social networking sites and live video social networking sites.SPSS software and Smart-PLS software were used for data analysis.The study found that among six different types of online social media,the use of social media for communication was significantly negatively correlated with loneliness.Instant messaging apps such as Wechat and QQ enabled them to communicate and contact with their parents and friends at any time and obtain emotional support.At the same time,sense of life meaning,social support and online social capital play an important moderating and mediating role in this process.Empty-nesters with higher sense of life meaning will show lower loneliness when using online social media.Social support can provide encouragement and support for"empty-nester youth".Social support enables"empty-nester youth" to obtain more positive feedback in positive interpersonal communication and increase social adaptability,which can effectively alleviate loneliness in real life.The increase of online social capital represents the increase of weak connection.Therefore,the increase of online social capital will increase the loneliness of "empty-nest youth".The empty-nester youth with a higher sense of life meaning have a lower degree of loneliness.If the empty-nest youth can actively search for the meaning of life and find the meaning of their own life,their loneliness can also be effectively alleviated.The study concluded that "empty nest youth" should take the initiative to increase social activities,At the same time,avoid being overly indulged in the online world and can’t try to relieve loneliness by relying on Weibo,Dou-yin short video APP,etc."Empty-nest youth"should actively expand their social life and engage in high-quality social interactions.It is also necessary to formulate ideal goals that meet their own needs and improve their sense of meaning in life.The government and society should provide support,improve the security system and objectively reduce the living cost and living pressure of "empty nest youth",so that "empty nest youth"can achieve "empty nest" but not hollow.The contribution of this study is to supplement the studies of "empty nest" youth loneliness,this article from the perspective of structural loneliness and trait loneliness research network on the use of social media’s influence on the young "empty nest" loneliness and the mechanism of action,at the same time,social support,the online social capital,the meaning of life sense and extraversion factors into consideration,more unique angle of view,It can also provide some value for the follow-up research.