Media Use for Strong and Weak Ties: A Configural Examination of Personal Media System and Well-Being

IF 4.9 1区文学 Q1 COMMUNICATION

Communication Research Pub Date : 2026-09-28 DOI:10.1177/00936502261487784

Ceciley X. Zhang, Ronald E. Rice

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Taking a configural approach to personal media use, this study examined how strong- and weak-tie media configuration relate to digital stress and well-being. Using a sample of 1,197 U.S. adults (analytic N = 1,143), we explored how media configuration attributes (size, density, and centralization by tie strength, and homogeneity) are associated with well-being, directly and indirectly through five dimensions of digital stress (overconnectivity, communication overload, deficient self-regulation, self-presentation pressure, and technological frustration). Our results highlight the importance of maintaining a larger, more interconnected, and centralized weak-tie configuration, and overall, a more uniform configuration, for well-being benefits (direct and indirect). Notably, larger weak-tie configuration is indirectly associated with lower well-being through greater technological frustration, while larger strong-tie configuration is indirectly associated with higher well-being through lower technological frustration. These findings emphasize the relational context of communication media use and suggest tie-specific strategies for managing communication flows and supporting well-being.

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媒介对强与弱关系的使用：个人媒介系统与幸福感的构形检验

本研究采用个人媒体使用的配置方法，研究了强联系和弱联系媒体配置与数字压力和幸福感之间的关系。以1197名美国成年人为样本（分析N = 1143），我们通过数字压力的五个维度（过度连接、通信过载、自我调节不足、自我表现压力和技术挫折），探索了媒体配置属性（大小、密度、集中化程度和同质性）如何直接或间接地与幸福感相关。我们的研究结果强调了维持一个更大、更相互联系、更集中的弱联系结构的重要性，总体而言，一个更统一的配置，对于福祉利益（直接和间接）。值得注意的是，更大的弱联系配置通过更大的技术挫折与更低的幸福感间接相关，而更大的强联系配置通过更低的技术挫折与更高的幸福感间接相关。这些发现强调了传播媒体使用的关系背景，并提出了管理传播流和支持幸福感的特定策略。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Communication Research COMMUNICATION-

CiteScore

17.10

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Empirical research in communication began in the 20th century, and there are more researchers pursuing answers to communication questions today than at any other time. The editorial goal of Communication Research is to offer a special opportunity for reflection and change in the new millennium. To qualify for publication, research should, first, be explicitly tied to some form of communication; second, be theoretically driven with results that inform theory; third, use the most rigorous empirical methods; and fourth, be directly linked to the most important problems and issues facing humankind. Critieria do not privilege any particular context; indeed, we believe that the key problems facing humankind occur in close relationships, groups, organiations, and cultures.