Current literature suggests problematic social media use (PSMU) predicts
reduced social and psychological well-being. Lonely people are more
prone to experience the negative outcomes of PSMU, but only few studies
have focused explicitly on how loneliness affects the relationship
between PSMU and subjective well-being experiences. In this paper, we
examine if loneliness influences the association between PSMU and life
satisfaction. We used nationally representative cross-sectional data
from Finnish social media users (N = 2991) and follow-up panel data
(N = 2021). First, we tested if PSMU affects satisfaction with life
indirectly through loneliness while controlling for a set of background
variables. Next, we examined whether changes in PSMU and loneliness
affect life satisfaction over time. First analyses showed that PSMU was
associated with life satisfaction negatively, but the effect was largely
confounded by loneliness. Longitudinal analysis revealed increased PSMU
did not predict decreased satisfaction with life within individuals,
but increased PSMU predicted increased loneliness, and increased
loneliness predicted decreased satisfaction with life. The analyses
indicate that loneliness is a crucial element that contributes to the
relationship between PSMU and life satisfaction. In addition, earlier
observations that PSMU might increase loneliness over time were
confirmed.