«IZVESTIYA IRKUTSKOGO GOSUDARSTVENNOGO UNIVERSITETA». SERIYA «PSICHOLOGIYA»
«THE BULLETIN OF IRKUTSK STATE UNIVERSITY». SERIES «PSYCHOLOGY»
ISSN 2304-1226 (Print)

List of issues > Series «Psychology». 2025. Vol 53

Comprehensive Analysis of Loneliness in Young Social Media Users

Author(s)

I. N. Ergulovich1

Tyumen State University, Tyumen, Russian Federation 

Abstract
The issue of loneliness among youth has become acute considering increasing digitalization of communication. The purpose of the study is to reveal specific influence of social media on the level of loneliness of young people aged between 18 and 26 years. The sample included 172 respondents; the self-report survey was administered online. It assessed the level of general, emotional, and social loneliness depending on the parameters of digital activity, age, and gender. It has been found that regular group communication reduces the level of emotional and general loneliness; prolonged social networking is ambivalent in nature: it has a direct correlation with increase of social and general loneliness, and at the same time with decrease of emotional one. Despite being very digitally active, women demonstrate higher levels of emotional and general loneliness.
About the Authors
Ergulovich Inga Nikolaevna, Intern, Research and Design Center, University of Tyumen, 6, Volodarskogo st., Tyumen, 625003, Russian Federation, e-mail: ergulovich.in@yandex.ru
For citation
Ergulovich I.N. Comprehensive Analysis of Loneliness in Young Social Media Users. The Bulletin of Irkutsk State University. Series Psychology, 2025, vol. 53, pp. 29-45. https://doi.org/10.26516/2304-1226.2025.53.29 (in Russian)
Keywords
Keywords: loneliness, social loneliness, emotional loneliness, social media, social networks, regressive analysis, statistical analysis.
UDC
159.9.072.43
DOI
https://doi.org/10.26516/2304-1226.2025.53.29
References
  1. Bushuev I.V. Virtualnaya realnost i odinochestvo [Virtual reality and loneliness]. Vestnik nauki [Bulletin of Science], 2024, no. 12 (81), pp. 1249-1253. (in Russian) 
  2. Kryukova T.L., Ekimchik O.A., Opekina T.P. Psikhologiya sovladaniya s trudnostyami v blizkikh (mezhlichnostnykh) otnosheniyakh [Psychology of coping with difficulties in close (interpersonal) relationships]. Kostroma, KSU Publ., 2019, 339 p. (in Russian) 
  3. Luchinkina A.I., Luchinkina I.S. Osobennosti odinochestva v seti [Features of loneliness on the web]. Gumanitarnye nauki [Humanities], 2023, no. 1 (61), pp. 152-157. (in Russian) 
  4. Lyubyakin A.A., Sokolov V.A. Issledovanie sub"ektivnogo oshchushcheniya odinochestva i psikhologicheskoi zavisimosti ot interneta i sotsial'nykh setei u studentov [A study of the subjective feeling of loneliness and psychological dependence on the Internet and social networks among students]. Izvestiya Ural'skogo federal'nogo universiteta [Proceedings of the Ural Federal University], 2021, no. 27 (2), pp. 169-177. (in Russian) 
  5. Milovanova A.E. Sub"ektivnoe oshchushchenie odinochestva na fone psikhologicheskoi zavisimosti ot interneta i sotsial'nykh setei u molodezhi [Subjective feeling of loneliness against the background of psychological dependence on the Internet and social networks among young people]. Tribuna uchenogo [Tribune of the Scientist], 2022, no. 9, pp. 133-138. (in Russian) 
  6. Orestova V.R., Tkachenko D.P., Sokolova A.A. Perezhivanie odinochestva pol'zovatelyami razlichnykh sotsial'nykh setei: vozrastnoi kontekst [The experience of loneliness by users of various social networks: age context]. Vestnik RGGU [RGGU Bulletin], 2020, no. 2, pp. 31-53. (in Russian) 
  7. Salakhunov A.A. Sotsial'nye seti: vliyanie na mezhlichnostnye otnosheniya i psikhologicheskoe blagopoluchie [Social networks: influence on interpersonal relationships and psychological well-being]. Vestnik nauki [Bulletin of Science], 2023, no. 7 (64), pp. 157-161. (in Russian) 
  8. Tokareva M.N. Teoreticheskie osnovy izucheniya problemy odinochestva i ee vzaimosvyaz' s obshcheniem v sotsial'nykh setyakh [Theoretical foundations of studying the problem of loneliness and its relationship with communication in social networks]. Vestnik Baltiiskogo federal'nogo universiteta im. I. Kanta [Bulletin of the Baltic Federal University named after I. Kant.], 2015, no. 11, pp. 129-135. (in Russian) 
  9. Khalafyan A.A. STATISTICA 6. Statisticheskii analiz dannykh [STATISTICA 6. Statistical data analysis]. Moscow, Binom-Press Publ., 2007, 512 p. (in Russian) 
  10. Chudova N.V. Osobennosti obraza “Ya” zhitelya interneta [Features of the “I” image of an Internet resident]. Psikhologicheskii zhurnal [Psychological Journal], 2002, no. 1, pp. 113-117. (in Russian) 
  11. De Jong-Gierveld J., Kamphuls F. The development of a Rasch-type loneliness scale. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1985, vol. 9, pp. 289-299. 
  12. Maese E. Almost a quarter of the world feels lonely. 2023. Available at: https://news.gallup.com/opinion/gallup/512618/almosy-quarter-world-feels-lonlely.aspx (date of access: 26.04.2025). 
  13. Mao J., Fu G.X., Huang J.J. The double-edged sword effects of active social media use on loneliness: the roles of interpersonal satisfaction and fear of missing out. Frontiers in Psychology, 2023, pp. 1-10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1108467
  14. Roberts J.A., Young P.D., David M.E. The epidemic of loneliness: a 9-year longitudinal study of the impact of passive and active social media use on loneliness. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2024, pp. 1-15. 
  15. Primack B.A. et al. Social media use and perceived social isolation among young adults in the U. S. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2017, vol. 53, pp. 1-8. 
  16. Surkalim D.L. et al. The prevalence of loneliness across 113 countries: systematic review and meta-analysis. British Medical Journal, 2022, vol. 376, pp. 1-17.

Full text (russian)