A meta-analysis of Social Network Site use and social support

Current scholarship knows little about what forms of social support are the major benefits of Social Network Sites (SNSs) use. To solve this problem, this study examined the association of SNSs use and social support by meta-analyzing 73 effects from 31 studies. We also examined several important moderators such as age, gender, and culture. The findings revealed that generic SNS use may be helpful for informational and emotional support, but not for tangible and esteem support. Further moderation analysis demonstrated that SNSs are better set up for online social support, but it also provides offline support benefits. The analyses also showed differences between users who engage in active SNS activities and those who passive consume online content. Moreover, Asians were found to receive more social support via SNS presentation than Europeans and Americans. Older and female students were found to be able to acquire more social support from SNS use.