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Scandinavian J Psychology - 2025 - Allen - Metacognition Desire Thinking and Problematic Social Media Use Investigating564.00 kB
Published Version (Advanced Access)CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Metacognition, Desire Thinking, and Problematic Social Media Use: Investigating Effects of Active and Passive Engagement in Facebook and Instagram Users
Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, Vol.66(5), pp.766-778
2025
PMID: 40302543
Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs
Abstract
The current study aimed to improve the understanding of cognitive and metacognitive processes underlying problematic social media use (PSMU) by comparing active and passive user engagement and contrasting Facebook and Instagram users. The metacognitive model of desire thinking (MCMDT) was utilized to explore these distinctions within a community sample of 337 participants (64% female, Mage = 36.10). Participants completed self-report measures to assess their metacognitive processes, desire thinking patterns, and social media engagement. The MCMDT demonstrated robust fit across all scenarios, with the most optimal fit for Instagram (χ2(3) = 0.850, p = 0.838, CFI = 1.000, RMSEA = 0.000, SRMR = 0.0062, variance explained 59.4%), and the least optimal fit for passive users (χ2(3) = 1.151, p = 0.765, CFI = 1.000, RMSEA = 0.000, SRMR = 0.0206, variance explained 45.9%). The initiation and elaboration stages of the MCMDT were supported, but the pathological amplification stage was not. As expected, active users showed better model fit than passive users, and Facebook users had more pronounced verbal perseveration (VP) activation during the elaboration stage. Contrary to expectations, Instagram did not display more pronounced imaginal prefiguration (IP) activation than Facebook. These results enhance understanding of the cognitive and metacognitive processes driving PSMU, which may contribute to developing targeted interventions. Future research should investigate how VP and IP interact with and influence the later stages of the MCMDT of desire thinking across various populations and contexts.
Details
- Title
- Metacognition, Desire Thinking, and Problematic Social Media Use: Investigating Effects of Active and Passive Engagement in Facebook and Instagram Users
- Authors
- Andrew Allen (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - PsychologyGeraldine Sanders-Westerhof - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of HealthAzin Khodadadi - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of HealthLee Kannis-Dymand - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Psychology
- Publication details
- Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, Vol.66(5), pp.766-778
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
- Date published
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1111/sjop.13119
- ISSN
- 1467-9450; 0036-5564
- PMID
- 40302543
- Copyright note
- © 2025 The Author(s). Scandinavian Journal of Psychology published by Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
- Data Availability
- The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Health; School of Health - Psychology; Sexual Violence Research and Prevention Unit; School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy; Sustainability Research Cluster
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991125599802621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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- Psychology, Multidisciplinary
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