Facebook in context(s): Measuring emotional responses across time and space

Abstract

This article advances a contextual approach to understanding the emotional and social outcomes of Facebook use. In doing so, we address the ambiguity of previously reported relationships between Facebook use and well-being. We test temporal (shorter vs longer time spans) and spatial (at home vs away from home) dimensions of Facebook activity using an innovative approach. By triggering smartphone surveys in response to users’ naturalistic Facebook posting, we captured the immediate context of both mobile and desktop activities during daily life. Findings indicated positive—yet fleeting—emotional experiences up to 10 minutes after active posting and higher arousal for 30 minutes following posting at home. Nonetheless, Facebook activities predicted no changes in aggregate mood over 2 weeks, despite showing positive relationships to bridging social capital during the same period. Our results call attention to fleeting experiences (vs enduring consequences) and encourage future research to specify temporal and spatial boundaries.