Strizhevsky K.A., Martsynkovskaya T.D. The relationship between the level of loneliness and the manifestation of cyberostracism
Kirill K. Strizhevsky , master of psychology, Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow, Russia; bld. 6, Miusskaya square, Moscow, Russia, 125047; imstrizh@gmail.com
Tatyana D. Martsinkovskaya , Sc.D. (Psychology), Associate professor, Federal Scientific Center for Psychological and Interdisciplinary Research, Moscow, Russia; bld. 9–4, Mokhovaya str., Moscow, Russia, 125009; Moscow Institute of Psychoanalysis, Moscow, Russia; bld. 14–34, Kutuzovskiy prospect, Moscow, Russia, 121170; Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow, Russia; bld. 6, Miusskaya square, Moscow, Russia, 125047; martsynkovskaya-td@inpsycho.ru
The contemporary society is characterized by a high level of digitalization, which significantly alters the nature of social interactions. Social networks and messengers have become fundamental for the formation and maintenance of social connections, but they also serve as sources of negative phenomena such as cyberostracism. The impact of cyberostracism on mental health, especially in the context of loneliness, remains underexplored, underscoring the relevance of this study.
The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the features of experiencing cyberostracism among social media users with varying personality traits and levels of loneliness, as well as to analyze the relationship between these phenomena.
Methods included the Cyberostracism Scale, the Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI), the short version of the Differential Loneliness Experience Questionnaire (DLEQ-3), and an original survey on social media usage. Statistical analysis of the data involved correlation analysis and the application of the Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests. The study involved 172 participants (138 women and 34 men) aged 18 to 72 years, selected through simple random sampling.
The results revealed that young individuals (18–25 years old) are more likely to experience loneliness when encountering cyberostracism, whereas in older age groups (41 years and older), the impact of cyberostracism on loneliness manifests differently. Personality traits such as extraversion and emotional stability also significantly influence the perception and experience of cyberostracism. Specifically, the findings indicate that extraverts and emotionally stable individuals are less susceptible to the effects of cyberostracism and feelings of loneliness.
The study confirms a close relationship between cyberostracism and levels of loneliness, with age and personality traits significantly affecting the intensity of this experience.
Key words: cyberostracism, loneliness, social networks, digital society, personality factors, digital communication, social isolation
For citation: Strizhevsky, K.A., Martsynkovskaya, T.D. (2024). The relationship between the level of loneliness and the manifestation of cyberostracism. New Psychological Research, No. 3, 241–268. DOI:10.51217/npsyresearch_2024_04_03_11
Keywords: cyberostracism loneliness social networks digital society personality factors digital communication social isolation
Received: 07th october 2024
Published: 07th october 2024