Examination of the relationships between social media addiction, happiness, and interpersonal sensitivity levels among the elderly

The aim of this study is to examine the relationships between social media addiction, interpersonal sensitivity, and happiness levels among elderly individuals aged 60 and above, and to evaluate the effects of these factors on happiness. The study also aims to investigate whether these three main variables differ according to demographic factors such as gender, age, educational level, and perceived income level. The research was conducted on a total of 147 elderly individuals aged 60 and over residing in İnci and Taner Altınmakas Nursing Home, İzzet Şadi Sayarel Nursing Home, which are affiliated with Nilüfer Municipality, and Hasan Öztimur Nursing Home under the Bursa Provincial Directorate of Family and Social Services. The study was designed with a quantitative approach and conducted using a comparative relational survey model. This method is suitable for understanding the relationships between different variables and the effects of these variables. During the data collection process, the Social Media Addiction-Adult Form Scale, the Interpersonal Sensitivity Scale, the Oxford Happiness Short Form Scale, and an Information Collection Form to gather demographic data were utilized. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS for Windows software package, and relationships between variables were evaluated using statistical methods such as multiple regression analyses and ANOVA tests. The findings indicate that there are significant relationships between the happiness levels of elderly individuals and the sub-dimensions of interpersonal sensitivity (anxiety and dependency) as well as social media addiction levels. Specifically, it was found that social media addiction and interpersonal sensitivity levels significantly affect happiness levels and explain 9% of the variance in happiness. Analyses conducted according to demographic variables revealed that social media addiction and interpersonal sensitivity levels did not show significant differences in terms of gender, age, and perceived income. However, in terms of educational level, significant differences were found between happiness and social media addiction levels. Notably, it was observed that as educational level increases, the levels of happiness and social media addiction vary. The results of the study were discussed by comparing them with the existing findings in the literature on the relationship between social media use, interpersonal sensitivity, and happiness. These results provide important insights into understanding the impact of social media use and interpersonal relationships on the happiness of elderly individuals. The study contributes to the literature in this field and serves as a fundamental reference for future research.