Social Media Use And“Alone Together" ——A Study On The Psychological Conditions And Behavior Of "Post-90s" And "Post-00s" Sina Weibo Users

The rise of social media has enabled users to communicate anywhere at any time,yet their relationships with others have not become closer despite convenience in communication.On the contrary,their socializing skills are declining as a result of over-dependence on social media.They feel they are even lonelier when they are with or among others,a phenomenon that Sherry Turkle calls "Alone Together".This study selects "post-90s" and "post-00s" Sina Weibo users as a research object to investigate the impact of social media use on the psychological and mental state of the Chinese youth and to see to what extent social media use can affect their state of being"alone together",especially their sense of connections with other people in both the virtual world and the real world.The study aims to answer two questions:Does the use of Sina Weibo,one of the most popular social media platforms in China,an equivalent to Twitter in the U.S.,contribute to the sense of loneliness among Chinese "post-90s" and "post-00s"?If so,how does the use of this social media platform intensify such a sense of loneliness among "post-90s" and"post-00s" Weibo users?Based on E.Katz's Uses and Gratifications theoretical model,this study uses questionnaires and interviews to collect demographic information about "post-90s" and"post-00s" Weibo users as well as information about their uses of Weibo,their perceptions of their uses of Weibo,their behavior tendencies,and their sense of "loneliness" in real life.The information is collected under four categories:social and psychological factors,media expectation,media exposure,and demand satisfaction.Data from interviews is used to tell about the social and psychological factors of "post-90s" and "post-00s" Weibo users' use of Weibo,while data from the questionnaire survey is used to explain the dimensions of media expectation,media exposure,and demand satisfaction of "post-90s" and "post-00s"Weibo users and their sense of "loneliness" in real life.In this study,linear regression analysis is conducted respectively to examine the relationship between the dimensions of media expectation,media exposure and demand satisfaction and the sense of "loneliness"in real life of young people,exploring the relationship between "post-90s" and "post-00s"users'use of Weibo and their sense of being "alone together".Finally,in order to obtain more specific and credible results,this study is supplemented by further interviews.A total of 306 participants,with 85 men(27.78%)and 221 women(72.22%),filled out the questionnaire.All the participants were born between 1990 and 2009,and their education level ranges from "high school and below" to "Ph.D.and above".More than half have been using Weibo for six years or more,185(60.46%)people in total.In terms of the average time spent on Weibo,167(54.58%)people spent more than 2 hours a day on average.Getting information,entertainment,getting away from the real-life socializing environment,and self-presentation are the main reasons why people use Weibo.A majority of people only browse information or interact with others when using Weibo,while some also like posting their own content.On Weibo,178(58.17%)people play the role of"audience",12(3.92%)people play the role of "producer" and 116(37.91%)people play both roles.Besides,141(46.08%)people mainly interact with celebrities,official Weibo accounts,and other unfamiliar groups,73(23.86%)people interact with friends whom they know on the Internet without meeting in real life,and 92(30.07%)people interact with real-life acquaintances on Weibo.To deepen the exploration,20 of the 306 were selected to do the further interview.The study finds that the use of Weibo indeed contributes to the state of being "alone together" among Chinese "post-90s" and "post-00s".The study reveals the following findings:the use of Weibo has significantly affected the psychological and mental state of"post-90s" and "post-00s" Weibo users.Firstly,in terms of media expectation,the greater"post-90s" and "post-00s" users expect the media,the stronger their sense of being alone and lonely.Secondly,in terms of media exposure,the more "post-90s" and "post-00s"users are exposed to the media,the stronger their sense of being alone and feeling lonely.Thirdly,the more "post-90s" and "post-00s" users have their needs satisfied when using Weibo,the more likely they are to use Weibo even more,which makes them feel even lonelier.In response to the third finding,this study uses the "pseudo-environment" and Dramaturgical Theory to explain the results:the use of Weibo only satisfies the needs of"post-90s" and "post-00s" users for information,self-presentation,and entertainment.However,it cannot satisfy their higher-level needs to "fill the psychological gap" caused by switching back and forth between the virtual world and the real world.