Influence of Social Media use on the Psychological well-being of the youths in Nakuru East Sub-County, Nakuru County, Kenya

Abstract

Modern social media powered by web-based technology, has enabled individuals from across the globe and diverse social backgrounds to interact. Majority (56%) of adult population in the world use social media. In Kenya, social media is used by 47% of the adult population, thrusting the country as second highest in social media use in the continent. Although adults use social media, 7 in every 10 social media users are aged 18-35 years. Studies focusing on the effect of social media use on the youths have focused more on the negative consequences. This study examined the influence of social media use on the psychological well-being of the youths in Nakuru East Sub-County, Nakuru County, Kenya. The study specifically established the types of social media used, motivations for the use of social media and the time at which social media is used on one hand, and the psychological well-being of youths on the other hand. The study was guided by Theory of Planned Behaviour by Icek Ajzen (1985) and Theory of the Uses and Gratification by Blumler and Katz (1974). The study used the cross-sectional survey design, which engaged 244 respondents selected through stratified random sampling and purposeful sampling methods. The study used both qualitative and quantitative procedures of data collection, with questionnaires being the main instrument for collecting quantitative data. Qualitative data was collected through in-depth interviews. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the aid of Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS version 24). The study found that use of Twitter and Facebook were generally beneficial to the psychological well-being of the youth. However, the use of WhatsApp, YouTube and Video games were found to be detrimental to the psychological well-being of the youths. The study also established that use of social media for religious purposes, seeking information on health, posting personal photographs and connecting with intimate friends were generally beneficial to the psychological well-being of the youth. On the contrary, the use of social media to connect with friends was found to have negligible benefit to the psychological well-being of the youth. Regarding time of social media use, the study established that the use of social media in the morning, and in the presence of friends enhanced psychological well-being of the youth. However, the psychological well-being of the youth was undermined by the use of social media. The study recommends that the government, counselors, psychologists and other scholars guide the youth on appropriate type, motive and time of use of social media.