Displacement and Compensation: How Online and In-Person Interactions Relate to Adolescents’ Social and Emotional Connectedness

By proposing that superficial online interactions displace deeper, in-person connections, displacement theory has given rise to widespread societal concerns about adolescents' use of social media. However, previous research only showed limited evidence for the displacement theory. Therefore, this study aims to provide a more nuanced understanding of how both online and in-person interactions shape adolescents' sense of connectedness. A total of 335 adolescents in Grades 7-9 participated in a 4-week Experience Sampling Methodology study. Three times a day, they reported on their in person and online interactions with friends and peer groups, as well as the quantity and quality of these interactions and their perceived connectedness to their friends and peer groups. Multilevel analyses will be used to examine how the occurrence of in-person and online contact, as well as the quantity and quality of these interactions, are related to adolescents’ social and emotional connectedness.