The rich social world of mobile and social media: Four pathways toward satisfying the need to belong

Abstract

This study outlines four pathways toward satisfying the need to belong through media use: relational remembrance, mediated social interaction, connection with content or target, and shared human experience. In study 1, participants (N = 292) described moments of connection while using social media, and social interactions with existing relationship partners were most common. In study 2, participants (N = 188) screenshotted moments (n = 551) when they experienced social presence through media in daily life. Participants reported the degree to which they had an established relationship or a social interaction with the target, connected with the content or target absent any pre-existing relationship, and felt a shared experience. Multilevel models found all pathways were associated with social presence and perceived change in connection. Although social interactions within established relationships constitute most experiences of belongingness and social presence, a sense of identification, parasocial relationships, and online communities are other meaningful pathways.