Tell me why are you using social media (SM)! Relationship between reasons for use of SM, SM flow, daily stress, depression, anxiety, and addictive SM use – An exploratory investigation of young adults in Germany

Social media (SM) such as Facebook and Instagram are daily used by many people. The current study investigated the reasons for social media use (SMU), as well as their relationships with daily stress, depression and anxiety symptoms, experience of flow during the usage process and tendencies of addictive SMU. In a sample of 485 users of different social platforms (age: M (SD) = 24.75 (6.24), range: 18–58), five main categories of usage reasons were identified by an inductive qualitative content analysis: “Search for Information and Inspiration”, “Search for Social Interaction”, “Beat of Boredom and Pastimes”, “Escape from Negative Emotions”, and “Search for Positive Emotions”. Flow experiences positively predicted the categories “Escape from Negative Emotions” and “Search for Positive Emotions”. The last one was additionally predicted by less depression symptoms. Only the category “Escape from Negative Emotions” positively predicted tendencies of addictive SMU. Present findings contribute to the understanding of the development of addictive online behavior. They should be considered when assessing individuals at risk for problematic use of SM like Facebook and Instagram and when developing intervention programs to deal with it.