The Elderly's Self-Presentation on Social Media: An Examination of How it Influences Subjective Well-Being
Abstract
The widespread adoption of social media has created new avenues for self-presentation. Advances in digital technology and the widespread adoption of smartphones have significantly increased the convenience of online social interaction. With the aging of China's population, an increasing number of the elderly are using social media platforms to enhance their social engagement and well-being. A widely accepted study by Korean scholars Kim and Lee on the relationship between online self-presentation and subjective well-being primarily examined the impact of positive and honest self-presentation, number of friends, and perceived social support on the subjective well-being of American college students. Based on the existing literature, this paper examines whether the original influencing factors have a positive impact on subjective well-being from different target groups and social media platforms. This study used this as a framework to examine whether these factors also apply to older users. Furthermore, positive self-presentation indirectly influenced well-being through perceived social support, with perceived social support serving as a mediator of this relationship. Honest self-presentation reflects authentic needs and promotes inner coherence, while a larger social network provides social capital and support, further enhancing well-being. These insights contribute to understanding how digital self-presentation strategies support healthy aging and offer practical implications for designing social media features tailored to the health needs of older users.
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PDFDOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/ebangi.2025.2204.21
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