Sutcliffe, Sebastian Thomas;
(2025)
Understanding What Makes an Online Social Networking Service Experience ‘Positive’
or ‘Negative’ for Emerging Adults to Inform and Update a Novel Cognitive-Behavioural
Model of Social Media Use: A Qualitative Study.
Doctoral thesis (D.Clin.Psy), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
The thesis aims to develop an understanding of how emerging adults (aged 18–29 years) define what makes their use of a social networking site (SNS) a ‘positive’ or a ‘negative’ experience for them. Its purpose is to inform and update current conceptualisations of social media use among this population. Specifically, a novel cognitive-behavioural conceptualisation for social media use has recently been published (Tibber & Silver, 2022) and offers a contextual model of how everyday social media experiences among adolescents and emerging adults may serve positive or negative functions. To date it has not received qualitative empirical research to support its assertions and work to fulfil that need is the focus of the current thesis. Part 1 is a conceptual introduction offering a review of the literature on the risks and opportunities afforded by social media in emerging adulthood. This paper offers support for the need of a cognitive-behavioural conceptualisation of social media use in this population and provides a rationale for how the conceptualisation can be further investigated in the empirical study using qualitative methods. Part 2 is a qualitative study exploring how emerging adults describe specific examples of everyday positive and negative SNS experiences. This analysis discovered seven themes (3 for positive SNS experiences and 4 for negative SNS experiences) which have implications for Tibber and Silver’s cognitive-behavioural conceptualisation. Suggested amendments to the conceptualisation are offered in the empirical paper. Finally, Part 3 provides a critical analysis of the challenges faced during the research process and the strategies employed to overcome them. Reflexivity served as a guiding framework to explore and address these issues.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | D.Clin.Psy |
| Title: | Understanding What Makes an Online Social Networking Service Experience ‘Positive’ or ‘Negative’ for Emerging Adults to Inform and Update a Novel Cognitive-Behavioural Model of Social Media Use: A Qualitative Study |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2025. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10214625 |
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