Mapping Social Media Dependency: Functional and Psychological Platform Reliance as Mechanisms of Digital Vulnerability

CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 1–24

Abstract

Social media dependency is a central mechanism through which digital vulnerability takes shape, making it critical to understand for research, design, and policy. This study distinguishes between functional dependency (needs-based reliance) and psychological dependency (compulsive engagement) and investigates how these dimensions intersect. We surveyed 873 adult users across Europe, measuring both dependency forms alongside demographics, well-being, motivations, platform choice, and exposure to manipulative design features. Latent profile analysis and multinomial logistic regression revealed five distinct dependency profiles: functional use, low-dependency pragmatic use, high-dependency social use, moderate-dependency hedonic use, and very high-dependency multi-motivated use. These findings show dependency is not uniform but layered and dynamic, shifting with users’ circumstances and socio-technical contexts. By situating dependency within both individual and design-related factors, the study advances theoretical debates on digital vulnerability and offers a profiles-based lens that helps inform the design of more autonomy-supportive social media platforms.

Authors 7

1. Janneke M. Schokkenbroek

   Ghent University · Inholland University of Applied Sciences · Erasmus University Rotterdam · Delft University of Technology

   Affiliation as printed

   AI Futures Lab, Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands

   ARC Research centre, Inholland University of Applied Science, The Hague, Netherlands

   Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands

   Faculty of Law and Criminology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

2. Maria-Lucia Rebrean Aachen eLaw Center for Law and Digital Technologies

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   eLaw Center for Law and Digital Technologies, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands

3. Constanța Roșca Aachen eLaw Center for Law and Digital Technologies

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   eLaw Center for Law and Digital Technologies, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands

4. Maëlle Picout Aachen eLaw Center for Law and Digital Technologies

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   eLaw Center for Law and Digital Technologies, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands

5. Gianclaudio Malgieri Aachen eLaw Center for Law and Digital Technologies

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   eLaw center for Law and Digital Technologies, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands

6. Ben Wagner

   Interdisciplinary Transformation University Austria · Inholland University of Applied Sciences · Delft University of Technology

   Affiliation as printed

   AI Futures Lab, Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands

   ARC Research centre, Inholland University of Applied Science, The Hague, Netherlands

   I:TU Interdisciplinary Transformation University Austria, Linz, Austria

7. Lorena Sánchez Chamorro

   University of Twente

   Affiliation as printed

   Human-Media Interaction Research Group, University of Twente, Enschede, Netherlands