Paper Number
1214
Paper Type
Complete Research Paper
Abstract
Extensive research shows that social media offers benefits and drawbacks simultaneously, depending, amongst others, on the way an individual uses the platform. With meta-analytical reviews detailing the negative effect of social media use on the well-being of individuals, the question remains: what options do users have within their control to shift the outcome towards positive aspects? Building on the perspective of effective use, we report findings from an exploratory study of 252 social media users and show the beneficial giving and receiving behaviors. Our results further highlight an imbalance with prosocial behavior being more common offline and with users giving more help than they receive online. Nurturing prosocial behaviors allows restoring social media as a place for positivity, which elevates the entire social media community. Ultimately, our study shows that prosocial helping contributes to the effective use of such platforms and attaining the goal of well-being.
Recommended Citation
Baumann, Annika; Matook, Sabine; Previte, Josephine; and Krasnova, Hanna, "Prosocial Helping Behaviors for Effective Use of Social Media" (2024). ECIS 2024 Proceedings. 1.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2024/track09_coghbis/track09_coghbis/1
Prosocial Helping Behaviors for Effective Use of Social Media
Extensive research shows that social media offers benefits and drawbacks simultaneously, depending, amongst others, on the way an individual uses the platform. With meta-analytical reviews detailing the negative effect of social media use on the well-being of individuals, the question remains: what options do users have within their control to shift the outcome towards positive aspects? Building on the perspective of effective use, we report findings from an exploratory study of 252 social media users and show the beneficial giving and receiving behaviors. Our results further highlight an imbalance with prosocial behavior being more common offline and with users giving more help than they receive online. Nurturing prosocial behaviors allows restoring social media as a place for positivity, which elevates the entire social media community. Ultimately, our study shows that prosocial helping contributes to the effective use of such platforms and attaining the goal of well-being.
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