Belonging in the Digital World: A Conceptual Framework and a Systematic Review of the inter-generational impact of Social Media on ‘Belonging’ in Adolescents and Older Adults

Abstract

Social connectedness in human beings has been found to impact clinical indicators of physical and mental health. In the present age, digital technology adoption including the use of social media or social networking sites is being normalized for creating or maintaining social relationships. However, the pace and pattern of such adoption and its influence on social health may vary intergenerationally. We outline present evidence and research gaps in the current understanding of the impact of social media on social health. We then rationalize and conceptualize a multi-dimensional analytical framework for the assessment of ‘Belonging’ in the digital world, specifically in the context of social media use (SMU). Using PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) guidelines, and collated data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental studies, we examine and compare recent evidence on the impact of social media on ‘Belonging’ in adolescents and older adults. Finally, we recommend potential opportunities for future research and policy to contribute to a more nuanced perspective on the role played by SMU in inter-generational belonging.

Presenters:

 

Kim Samuel is a Visiting Scholar at the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, where she studies the relationship between social isolation and multidimensional poverty as well as the broader link between human belonging and well-being. She is the founder of the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness and an academic lecturer at institutions including Oxford, Harvard, and McGill universities.  Kim is the author of On Belonging: Finding Connection in an Age of Isolation (Abrams Press: September 2022) and serves as the first-ever Fulbright Canada ambassador for diversity and social connectedness.

 

Prenika Anand is a Leslie Kirkley Visitor at the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing. Prenika has completed an MSc in Applied Digital Health from the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford. She holds a Masters degree in Health Administration from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, and a Bachelor’s degree in Dental Surgery. Her professional experience includes product management and consulting for preventive health, workplace well-being, economic incentives for healthy behaviors and digital health management ecosystem.