Digital consumption and psychological well-being in young Spaniards

group "Youth in transition"

 

Today, a whole generation is coming of age, after years of unlimited access to the internet and social media. Evidence is beginning to emerge linking this with psychological effects, ranging from the rejection of adult responsibilities or fear of failure, to difficulty in establishing interpersonal relationships, to a greater tendency to develop anxiety and depression.

The existing literature on these issues offers contradictory results: while some experts highlight positive effects, such as socialisation, others report negative effects on mental health.

This research project aims to explore the impact of technology on psychological well-being. It aims, for the first time for a sample group of young Spaniards aged 18 to 22, to carry out a longitudinal follow-up over four years of three variables core topic: motivations in the use of the internet and social networks, how these are associated with certain personality traits and to what extent they lead to greater or lesser psychological well-being.