Lost in a crowded room: A correlational study of Facebook & social anxiety

Abstract

Social Phobia is characterized by fear of embarrassment and judgment in social and/or performance situations. In turn, individuals with social phobia often avoid these situations, thus limiting social contact. However, the Internet and social networking sites, such as Facebook, have eliminated the face-to-face component of communication while still allowing for social interaction. The researcher hypothesized that a positive relationship would exist between time spent on Facebook and social anxiety, as well as between perceived ease of online communication and social anxiety. A correlational study between social anxiety and use of Facebook was conducted. A significant correlation was found between social anxiety and both time spent on Facebook, as well as perceived ease of online communication.