The Relationship between different types of Social Media Use and Theory of Mind Performance

Abstract

There is some limited research showing that social media usage may be related to Theory of Mind (ToM) abilities in young adults. ToM is the concept that people can have viewpoints, beliefs, and emotions that are distinct from our own. However, further study is needed to elucidate the relationship between social media and ToM performance, and also to determine the type of social media usage (active vs. passive) that may be related to ToM. The current study explored the relationship between passive and active media use and ToM abilities for a sample of 51 college students. Social media engagement was measured through a series of questions about levels of frequency and agreement with their social media habits. ToM was assessed using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET), the Interpersonal Reactivity Inventory (IRI), and Faux Pax test. Results overall found no correlation between frequency of social media use and ToM performance, along with no significant findings that active social media use enhanced ToM scores. However, our study did present a trend where passive social media use was positively linked with Interpersonal Reactivity Inventory Test (IRI) scores. Implications for further research are discussed.

Keywords: Theory of Mind, Fictional Engagement, Social Media use, Active vs Passive