How to fight loneliness: The importance of networked friendship quality and self-esteem differs with age

Abstract

Loneliness has increased dramatically in the United States, with young Americans being the loneliest. They spend more time on the Internet than previous generations, which is argued to have displaced interpersonal contact and connections. This socioemotional isolation can damage self-esteem, so research has begun to consider the potential for networked social living to improve how users feel about themselves, and how they connect with others. The present study contributes to this literature by weighing the influence of networked friendship quality—or developing a sense of closeness with other people when social networking—on trait self-esteem and loneliness. A web survey was conducted in September 2022 and matched to U.S. Census percentages for sex, race, ethnicity, age, and region of residence (N = 1500), followed by a second wave of the survey six weeks later, to create a two-wave panel (N = 752). In both the cross-sectional sample and the panel, networked friendship quality contributed to self-esteem, and gains in self-esteem led to reductions in loneliness. This indirect association was the largest for the youngest users surveyed, who base more of their self-perception on becoming close with other users social networking. This allows networked friendship quality to offer a potent means of addressing loneliness for them, albeit indirectly.