The recent study by the Emerging Technologies Lab at Tampere University examines how social media identity bubbles affect addictive internet use. The research provides strong evidence that identity-based internet use predisposes individuals to excessive internet use, which can develop into addiction. This phenomenon was consistent across different European countries.<\/p>\n
\u201cInternet and social media platforms bring together similar people, enabling the formation of identity-based bubbles. This phenomenon also occurs in culturally diverse countries. The results support the idea that bubble formation is a universal phenomenon that can lead to psychological and emotional dependence on one\u2019s online communities,\u201d says Senior Research Fellow Iina Savolainen<\/strong> from Tampere University.<\/p>\n The study highlights internet addiction as a well-being issue. It is associated with, for example, psychological distress and other subjective well-being problems. The research shows that online identity bubbles reinforce addiction, especially in individuals with psychological distress.<\/p>\n Psychological well-being is a protective factor against addiction. According to the study, happy people are less prone to addictive behaviours, even if they operate within social media identity bubbles.<\/p>\n The research consists of two separate studies; the first examined the phenomenon in six European countries (Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Poland) in 2022, and the second was a three-year longitudinal study conducted in Finland from 2021 to 2023.<\/p>\n Study<\/p>\n