Conclusion
stress reduction
The current study supports previous findings showing that the use of social networks, like Facebook, and reading non-digital magazines can decrease subjective stress after stress induction. This may indicate that both are adaptive coping strategies when dealing with potential subjectively perceived stress. Interindividual differences, however, are important to consider when making conclusions about the effectiveness of using social networks as coping strategy. Using social networks for stress reduction can be maladaptive in individuals with addiction tendency. Nevertheless, it should be considered that mainly subjective measurements were taken, which may not be representative for the biopsychological state of stress. In future, it would be helpful to complement the study with psychophysiological markers (e.g., electrodermal activity, salivary cortisol) and to conduct the study in a clinical sample with individuals suffering from negative consequences due to the use of social networks. Both would give more detailed insights into the mechanisms identified in the current study. Future studies should also investigate the interactions of maladaptive coping strategies, interindividual differences, and affective and cognitive processes such as attentional bias, implicit associations, cue reactivity, and craving when dealing with stress as potential reinforcement mechanisms and their role in developing a problematic use of social networks.