Article

Social Media and Asia Pacific Media Educator

31(1) 99–115, 2021
Emotional Well-being: © 2021 University of
Wollongong, Australia
Pursuit of Happiness or Reprints and permissions:
in.sagepub.com/journals-permissions-india
Pleasure DOI: 10.1177/1326365X211003737
journals.sagepub.com/home/ame

D. Guna Graciyal1 and

Deepa Viswam1

Abstract
Virtual engagement of lives has been made possible with the advent of social media.
Almost 80% of the day are spent virtually on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube,
Snapchat, etc. Usage of social media to connect to and communicate with the ones
we care about is always healthy, termed as social networking. Social dysfunction
occurs when the constant communication leads to the point where our real or
offline life gets replaced by virtual or online life. There is a slight boundary between
social networking and social dysfunction. When social networking is advantageous,
social dysfunction affects emotional well-being. When emotional well-being is
affected, many users experience a compulsion to dissociate from the real world
as they find virtual world, full of fantasy and enjoyment. When the Internet was
created, perhaps no one was aware of its potential. More than the convenience
for sharing of information it has brought the world so close to crumbling the
geographical boundaries. The more people-to-people communication is, the more
is the strengthening of relationships, bonds grow stronger with ‘more’ social media
platforms. Being on ‘more’ social media platforms has become a benchmark for
living amidst the younger generation. Either as an activity of happiness or as an
activity of pleasure, users tend to use social media at varying levels. This paper aims
to conceptualize the the intricacies of social media in young lives and to discern
whether their association is happiness or pleasure activity. The research method
of this paper has a mixed-methods research design combining data from structured
survey with information outputs from in-depth interviews.

Keywords
Cyberspace, emotional well-being, happiness, pleasure, social media, virtual
relationships

1
Department of Visual Communication, Mother Teresa Women’s University, Kodaikanal, Tamil
Nadu, India.

Corresponding author:
D. Guna Graciyal, Department of Visual Communication, Mother Teresa Women’s University,
Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu 624101, India.
E-mail: gunajustin@gmail.com
100 Asia Pacific Media Educator 31(1)

Introduction
Social media has become an integral part of all online communications. With the
onset of social media platforms, virtual engagement has been made possible.
Almost 80% of the day is spent virtually, be it on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,
YouTube, Snapchat, WhatsApp, etc. The present generation lives in a world where
smartphones are the first and last thing that they see on a day-to-day basis. Social
media entertains communication, fosters friendships and helps in building strong,
deep relationships (Pempek et al., 2009). The baseline for any communication or
interaction is influence. When influence greatly influences, users experience a
compulsion to dissociate from real living to virtual living, because of which they
tend to use ‘more’ social media platforms. Using ‘more’ social media platforms
helps in strengthening relationships referred to as ‘strong ties’ (Haythornthwaite,
2005). Usage of more social media platforms helps in creating more connections
and more information. These connections can either build up or affect emotions
causing emotional turmoil. Usage of social media for establishing connections
and communication, otherwise known as social networking is always beneficial
whereas overcommunication through social media can lead to social dysfunction
which is addictive, causing emotional ill health. When emotional well-being is
affected, many users experience a compulsion to dissociate themselves from the
real world as they find the virtual world, full of fantasy and enjoyment.
Usage patterns in social media platforms can be dichotomized into active and
passive usage. Active usage refers to actions that promote direct exchanges (e.g.,
posting status updates, commenting on posts) whereas passive usage can be
referred to consuming information from others (e.g., gaining information by
scrolling through news feeds; Krasnova et al., 2013). Passive usage of social
media is linked with the subjective well-being of an individual whereas active
usage acts as a foundation for virtual relationships or ties.
Strong ties are usually established within people of an intimate zone, like
romantic partners, best friends, etc. Haythornwaite (2005) also refers to other
groups of ties called ‘weak ties’, which can be experienced in a social circle with
friends and acquaintances. Depending on the strength of relationships, usage of
social media can be healthier or dysfunctional. In both cases, relationships affect
the emotional well-being by giving either happiness or pleasure. Happiness is the
state of well-being with a favourable balance of pleasures without pain. Social
media has the ability to increase happiness and nurture the social circle. The effect
of social media on the user varies depending on the inherent mental stability of the
user. Social media can make a user more connected and also alienated from real-
world relationships. Social media has created a revolution in fostering relation-
ships; it has changed the way relationships commence and cherish. The basic
requisite for any relationship to prosper is happiness and sometimes pleasure.
Happiness is the outcome caused by the fulfilment of desires, many of the
desires include satisfaction that is gained by accomplishing needs and wants of
heart. The satisfaction that is gained in such a way is nothing but pleasure, in
addition to pleasures, many times we experience happiness. These actions of
happiness and pleasures are perfected in every relationship, be it real or virtual.
Graciyal and Viswam 101

Happiness can be Momentary: a pleasure that is gained by fulfilling the desires of

the five body senses; Deeper: the happiness that establishes persistent value and
deeper intimacy and Sustainable: person-oriented happiness helps in building of
self, goal-oriented and clarity of thought. Out of all the facets of happiness, it is
sustainable happiness that deals with the social, behavioural and emotional well-
being of an individual.
Well-being refers to the static psychological functioning of body, soul and
spirit. Researches on concepts of well-being underlie two broad perspectives: the
hedonic approach and the eudaimonic approach. The hedonic approach has its
origin from happiness: a state of attaining pleasure, avoiding pain (Kahneman
et al., 1999) whereas the eudaimonic approach has its origin in self-realization and
meaning of life (Waterman, 1993).
Aristippus, a fourth-century Greek philosopher opined that the ultimate goal of
life is to experience the maximum amount of hedonic moments of happiness
(Ryan & Deci, 2001; Verduyn et al., 2017). The hedonic moment is a state of
relaxation by distancing oneself from problems and pain predominantly to enjoy
happiness. Happiness can be referred to as hedonia. Happiness cannot be
determined by our genetics or circumstances that we live in but by our day-to-day
life experiences (Lyubomirsky et al., 2005).
Human brains inherit a strong inclination for relationships (Baumeister &
Leary, 1995; Rime, 2009) and are designed in such a way to enjoy happiness.
With excellent caregiving systems like eye contact, touch sensations, stress and
pause vocalizations, humans can reveal to others that they are trustworthy and
secure. Apart from this physical nature, there are neurochemicals released auto-
matically inside the human body like oxytocin, dopamine, serotonin, etc. These
neurochemicals are also referred to as Happiness Trifecta. Any activity that
induces the release of these neurochemicals can boost mood and increase happi-
ness and pleasure levels in humans. Scientists have concluded that increased
levels of dopamine can create pleasure whereas increased levels of serotonin
cause happiness. When dopamine is addictive and can be experienced alone, sero-
tonin is non-addictive and can be shared. Serotonin spreads feel-good signals for
healthy emotional well-being.
The pursuit of life solely depends on happiness, which is very much important
for a healthy emotional well-being and a meaningful living (Kringelbach &
Berridge, 2010). Happiness is the outcome of positive emotions, like pleasure,
comfort, gratitude, hope, inspiration, etc. Most happiness does not always come
because of circumstances, each happiness has a set point. The theory of the
hedonic treadmill or hedonic adaptations conceptualizes that people always adapt
and return to static point of happiness, which is nothing but the happiness set
point.
Despite the hedonic adaptation, some people always live with positivity and
happiness, no matter what happens in their life. Some extreme happenings make
people happy, that happiness level is temporary, and we quickly adjust back to a
fixed emotional set point. The setpoint of happiness differs from person to person.
Amidst all emotional ups and downs happiness always regains its set point, that
is, people react to good and bad times in their lives; in a momentous time, they
return to normalcy (Brickman & Campbell, 1971).
102 Asia Pacific Media Educator 31(1)

Pleasure can be said to be an important component of happiness. Kinds of the

pleasures of the brain can be of fundamental and higher-order, which range from
sensory pleasures and drugs of abuse to monetary, aesthetic and musical delights,
which are all linked to the hedonic brain system. Pleasure also can be gained by
socializing with friends, bonding with partners of the same hedonic mood. Thus,
happiness can be measured by the presence of positive emotions, the absence of
negative emotions, and life satisfaction whereas pleasure is a brain activation
process through a generated hormonal system. Pleasure reactions can reach a
maximal level with increasing amounts of rewards the brain seeks. Lack of
pleasure reactions (anhedonia) for the brain leads to mental illnesses, like
depression, poor emotional well-being, etc.
Social media activity instigates happiness and pleasure in a user particularly by
releasing neurochemicals. All activities starting from scrolling to rewarding
notifications in the form of likes, comments, share release neurochemicals. In a
healthier relationship, it adds up happiness whereas many times these are regarded
as a pleasure. Social media platforms carry a unique ability to connect users,
leading to increased emotional well-being. Social connectivity reaps an array of
emotions in the form of happiness and pleasure. Among all the social media
platforms, Facebook is a well-known communication medium and has become an
everyday fabric for society. Its use is widespread as it meets the social needs of
humans in all aspects and imparts relationship satisfaction to users (Boyd &
Ellison, 2008; Elphinston & Noller, 2011; Pempek et al., 2009). Sheldon et al.
(2011) concluded that Facebook meets the social needs of human beings by giving
them a gateway for interpersonal communication, virtual friendships, intimate
connections, etc. Facebook motivates the desire in an individual to connect by
satisfying their longing for self-presentation (Nadkarni & Hoffmann, 2012) and
the urge for information (Park et al., 2009). As the majority of users of Facebook
comprise younger lives, this paper aims to analyse the emotional bonding of
social media in young lives whether it causes happiness or pleasure.
The main objectives of the paper include: (a) to conceptualize the affinity of
social media in young lives and (b) to discern whether the association of social
media communication towards the emotional well-being of young lives is a
pursuit of happiness or pleasure.

Literature Review
From times immemorial, connections within relationships started with face-to-
face interactions. In the present era, people enjoy connections through online
social networks, such as Facebook, Instagram, etc. Apart from bonds of
relationship, these social media platforms have a drastic effect on well-being. The
uttermost benefit in using social media is its ability to connect with known friends
and it’s a platform for meeting new people (Boyd & Ellison, 2008). This kind of
social involvement has enormous consequences on the psychological well-being
of a particular person like loneliness, depression and stress (Kraut et al., 1998). A
study by Kross et al. (2013), opined that Facebook influences human lives by
Graciyal and Viswam 103

lowering subjective well-being and also by decreasing life satisfaction levels.

Subjective well-being includes equity of emotions and life satisfaction.
Social media connectedness helps in life satisfaction by improving interactions
(Coelho et al., 2017; Grieve et al., 2013), reduce loneliness (Sum et al., 2008). The
social media landscape helps effectively in fabricating like-minded friendships
with a greater impact on the well-being of the individual (Boneva et al., 2006).
The impact on well-being is mainly determined by the nature of communication
within a relationship and also the degree of intimacy within partners (Huang,
2010). Kraut et al. (2002) opined that the usage of internet platforms for maintain-
ing virtual connections tends to replace poorer quality social relationships with
healthier relationships, to a certain extent, ties that are considered weak can be
made strong. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube,
Snapchat, etc. helps in maintaining social interactions and social relationships
with like-minded peers who share a common interest and hobbies (Katz & Aspden,
1997; Kuo et al., 2013). Social media communication helps in satisfying an indi-
vidual’s need for social connection and relationships (Moody, 2001).
Social relationships help in bridging ties with greater social and emotional
investment (Ahn, 2011). Relationships through social platforms require suste-
nance as they are likely to deteriorate over time (Pollet et al., 2011). Social rela-
tionships or social connections are directly related to positive psychological
outcomes (Lee & Robbins, 1995). As social connection determines the associa-
tion between psychological dysfunction and psychological well-being (Lee et al.,
2001), it also plays a predominant role in being a perfect predictor of well-being
(Yoon & Lee, 2010). Burke and Kraut (2016) opined that theories of belonging-
ness postulate that intense communication leads to higher intimacy causing stron-
ger ties. Such stronger ties lead to heightened levels of emotional and psychological
well-being.
Cowen (1991) defines mental well-being as the state that is attained because of
positive relationships, perfect hedonic well-being (Kahneman et al., 1999) that
aids to happiness coupled with greater life satisfaction (Lyubomirsky et al., 2005).
Happiness in an individual is not caused by a single element rather by multiple
interplays of emotions that cause pleasures giving life satisfaction and social con-
nectedness (Kringelbach & Berridge, 2010). Hyvärinen and Beck (2018) opined
that emotions are entwined in people’s lives, an integral element for successful
interaction (Wakefield & Wakefield, 2016). The four basic emotions that consti-
tute the basic building block for perfect emotional well-being constitute happi-
ness, sadness, fear/surprise and anger/disgust (Beck, 2014). All such building
blocks are states of mind that comprise emotions. As in real life, emotions are
easily communicable in virtual space also (Gruzd et al., 2011). Engagement with
social media not only aids for better emotional well-being but also greater social
well-being (Burke et al., 2010).
A report from Common Sense Media (2018) opines that the majority of people
find happiness in social media. Users tend to feel engaged in the lives of their
virtual friends, the report also concludes that an average person may spend almost
five years of one’s life term on social media to experience the joy of it. According
to Doğan (2016), social networking plays a key role in making young people
104 Asia Pacific Media Educator 31(1)

happy with perfect psychological well-being and life satisfaction. Young people
who live virtually experience a compulsion to dissociate from real living, which
causes emotional imbalances in family relationships (Lewis & West, 2009).
Indications of obsessive thoughts about the internet with a compulsion to live in
virtual life can be referred to as psychological dysfunction (Young, 1999).
Pathological or excessive internet use is heavily linked with the emotional or
psychological well-being of the user (Ang et al., 2012; Davis, 2001). Engagement
with social networking platforms relates mutually with long-term well-being
(Burke et al., 2010). Haybron (2003) stipulates that the outset of healthy well-
being is happiness and it is valuable. Happiness is always viewed along with well-
being (Sizer, 2010). Haybron (2003) depicts that emotional well-being aids as a
better filter for what constitutes our happiness by discerning pleasurable
experiences from happiness-constituting states.
Howard (2014) examined aspects of the global well-being of users in relation
to social media use. The results concluded that social media has a complex
relationship with the well-being of the individual and is influenced by factors like
self-esteem, anxiety, isolation or alienation, decrease in interaction and poor
communication skills. Seligman’s (2002) proposed authentic happiness theory
demarcates three elements of happiness, they are positive emotions, engagement
and meaning. Individuals who seek happiness and pleasures by accumulating
positive emotions lead a ‘pleasant life’ whereas individuals without the longing
for happiness and pleasure lead an ‘engaged life’ they prefer to live life as it flows
(Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). Seligman opined that a meaningful life with perfect
emotional well-being does not need hedonic pleasures nor engaging activity but a
life filled with purpose that aids to increased levels of happiness.
Happiness levels in a user differ with the form of communication through
social media. Pittman and Reich (2016) indicated that the more image-based
social media platforms make the user happier and satisfied whereas the other end
leads to loneliness and depression. Image-based communication facilitates social
presence and credibility to the emotional well-being of the user whereas there is
no such bonding in text-based communication. The happiness levels of a user are
positively correlated to their social network usage as observed by Rae and Lonborg
(2015). Time spent on social media platforms has a greater influence on the user’s
emotional well-being. With the existence of positive relationships with intimate
circles or strong ties and negative relationships among weak ties or acquaintances.
The tie strength determines the emotional well-being of the individual (Rae &
Lonborg, 2015). Understanding how emotions can be a gateway of happiness or
pleasure is very much important as most of the relationships are well-maintained
in a virtual environment.

Theoretical Framework
The theoretical base for this research paper is based on the Emotional State theory
of Happiness proposed by Haybron (2008). According to the Emotional State
Graciyal and Viswam 105

theory of Happiness, happiness is not a state of balance of pleasure vs. unpleasure

actions rather happiness depends on the total emotional well-being of the person.
Haybron (2008) argues that total emotional well-being depicts a total summation
of moods and emotions experienced by the individual. As per this theory,
Happiness can be defined as the overall psychological condition of an individual.
The emotional well-being of an individual includes unconscious processing of the
brain, mental and psychological state of the individual and activities causing life
satisfaction. Perfect emotional well-being always needs a properly signaled
psychic affirmation. Psychic affirmation is positive signalling for the emotional
life. Thus, the Emotional State theory of Happiness relies on two factors:

1. emotional well-being needs pleasure which is nothing but a proper bal-

ance of moods and emotions,
2. positive signalling in emotional well-being can make a person happy
(Haybron, 2008).

The emotional state of an individual comprises a wide array of feelings, amidst

that only some feelings contribute to happiness in an individual. Haybron (2000,
2001, 2005) distinguishes happiness causing factors from pleasures and opined
that the former aids to the emotional well-being of an individual while the latter
affects the emotional condition. Some of the pleasures can cause pain leaving
permanent and persistent imprints in the emotional well-being. Haybron’s
emotional state of happiness is tri-faceted:

1. Endorsement (joy–sadness axis),

2. Engagement (exuberance–depression axis) and
3. Attunement (tranquillity–anxiety axis).

Endorsement (Joy–Sadness Axis)

The endorsement aspect of happiness concerns the total emotional well-being of
an individual. As it comprises emotions ranging from joy to sadness, which are
major facial expressions. Even a child can sort out expressions of smiles, frowns
and laughter in an individual. Because these facial expressions are difficult to
sustain as it is very difficult to remain happy for a longer period and when sadness
rises happiness fade.

Engagement (Exuberance–Depression Axis)

The two ideals associated with the engagement aspect of happiness mainly depend
on the energy levels of the individual. Exuberance is the superabundant state of
cheerfulness and joy whereas depression deals with lethargy and listlessness
signals.
106 Asia Pacific Media Educator 31(1)

Attunement (Tranquillity–Anxiety Axis)

A most important aspect of happiness that deals with tranquillity a state of inner
surety and confidence combined with peace of mind. When tranquillity deals with
psychic presence in someone’s happiness, anxiety comes when isolation or
alienation happens.
These axes determine the emotional well-being of an individual whether it is a
pursuit of happiness and pleasure. The paper aims at analysing these axes from the
perspective of social media communication among the younger generation for
healthy emotional well-being.

Materials and Methods

To understand emotional well-being in activities of social media platforms, a
mixed-methods research design was performed among 100 respondents based on
age ranging from 15 to 25 years in and around the vicinity of Chennai, a
metropolitan city in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The responses were analysed
with the facets of the theory using a survey questionnaire based on a five-item
Likert scale (Appendix 1).
To get a deeper understanding, in-depth interviews were conducted with
psychologists and social media experts. An in-depth interview is a qualitative
research technique that involves performing intensive individual interviews with
a group of respondents with the aim of exploring research objectives from the
respondent’s perspectives (Boyce & Neale, 2006).

Findings
Responses from the questionnaire-based survey research were analysed based on
the three facets of the emotional state theory of happiness: (a) endorsement (joy–
sadness axis), (b) engagement (exuberance–depression axis) and (c) attunement
(tranquillity–anxiety axis). Visual representation of the findings is depicted in
Figure 1.

Summary of the Findings

The analysis based on the findings of questionnaire-based survey research are
explained below:

Endorsement (joy–sadness axis): With regard to the endorsement, respondents

felt that social media communication is always rewarding, any feedback
in the form of likes, shares, comments boosts up their emotional energy
levels. Respondents also had a balanced approach towards the influence of
Graciyal and Viswam 107

Figure 1. Summary of Responses Based on the Three Facets of the Emotional State
Theory of Happiness
Source: Questions formulated by the researcher based on the Emotional State theory of Happiness
(Haybron, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2008) to suit the research objectives.

social media in making them feel happy and excited. Each communication
over social media makes them feel boosted and warmed up. Respondents
felt that each virtual attention increase their joy and elation levels and they
tend to use emojis as the reflection of their mood. Above all, most of the
respondents value virtual friendships through social media.
Engagement (exuberance–depression axis): Most of the respondents exuberate
virtual friendships as they find them amusing and high-spirited.
Respondents felt that each notification received through social media
interaction has a cheerful effect that makes them emotionally alert. Almost
half of the respondents agreed that if they do not have good social media
communication in a day, they wake up feeling restless or incomplete.
When friends block them as they do not suit their perspective, they some-
times feel rejected and depressed.
Attunement (tranquillity–anxiety axis): Respondents felt that they had a satis-
fying virtual life through social media communication. Anxiety levels
within respondents increase when their friend is online but do not answer
their texts. Most of the respondents used social media communication as
an alternative pathway to forget their personal problems.

Responses from the questionnaire-based survey research were analysed through

in-depth interviews to get a deeper understanding of the effect of social media
communication on the emotional well-being of an individual. The collective
summary of the responses is listed as under:

Endorsement concerns the total emotional well-being of an individual that aids in

happiness by overlapping joy with sadness. The responses depict that social media
communication aids in limitless joy to an individual as long as they get any
108 Asia Pacific Media Educator 31(1)

feedback in the form of likes, shares, comments. Such notifications not only help
them feel-good in their emotional self but also triggers their energy levels and
help them sustain the energy for a longer period. Virtual relationships experience
joy and elation in the form of textual and visual communication. These unique
communication styles can arouse intimacy levels within a relationship-building
up the emotional well-being of an individual in a good shape.

Exuberance in social media communication deals with cheerfulness and enthusi-

asm levels that are experienced in the emotional well-being of an individual.
When such cheerfulness and enthusiasm levels are minimal or faulty it can lead to
a steep decline in emotional well-being. Responses reveal that an appropriate
balance of cheerfulness and enthusiasm levels assists in engagement within a
virtual relationship.

Attunement: Tranquillity and anxiety levels in social media communication

depend on the personal well-being of an individual. A user who is experiencing
alienation and poor self-esteem tends to be more anxious in a virtual relationship.
Overanxiety leads to defect in emotional well-being. Tranquillity in virtual
relationships is based on the intimacy levels of the virtual relationship. Users with
higher intimacy levels experience more quietness in a relationship whereas users
with lower intimacy levels may experience quietness combined with depression.
Exuberance experienced because of virtual friendships may make individuals
feel high-spirited, at the same time they have to be very careful in choosing
healthier relationships. Fake relationships also cause exuberance but may lead to
increased levels of depression and alienation in an individual. Social media
communications not only invest in giving satisfaction and peace to an individual
in a relationship but also increase their (individuals’) anxiety levels. Over anxiety
leads to depression and has a huge impact on the emotional well-being of the
individual. Any communication in social media that aids in constructive
endorsement linked with stable energy levels help in making peace, quietness and
agreement in a relationship. Such virtual relationships cause increased levels of
happiness and pleasure avoiding pain.
To sum up the findings, the affinity of social media in young lives different
among users. Prolonged usage of social media makes individuals lose the tendency
of dissociating from the virtual world to the real world. This state happens when
the technological side of social media communication overlaps the human side of
the interaction. If a user ignores the human side of interaction and depends more
on the technological side, they experience the risk of losing the reality of life
causing defects in the emotional well-being of the individual. This technological
generation has to keep in mind to attach virtual life to an add-on to the real-life,
rather than replacing it.
The effect of social media communication on emotional well-being varies
based on ages. Most of the young feel virtual life is an extension of their real-life
and start living a virtual life in a real way, which causes aberrations. Such
aberrations make them either get addicted to social media or give them withdrawal
issues. The main causal factor of such aberration is because they cannot balance
real and virtual life. It is not the case with all younger people, individuals who are
Graciyal and Viswam 109

low-spirited, sensitive easily fall prey to this trap. Individuals who experience
high endorsement levels, have to be very careful in outsourcing the happiness in
a way that it does not cause pain.

Conclusion
Humans genetically inherit a strong impulse to connect with people predomi-
nantly to share their emotions. Emotions play a pivotal role in relationships, be it
real or virtual. The advent of social media influences the exchange of emotions at
a greater speed. Of all the inventions, social media is designed to encourage and
facilitate social connection. Users who enjoy such virtual connections reap varied
benefits in their psychological and emotional well-being. Users who invest more
time on Facebook or any social media tend to have lots of strangers who become
intimate virtual friends. Thus, social media not only encourages connection but
also motivates the tendency to compare with fellow human beings. This compari-
son makes users feel that others have better lives than they do, which causes aber-
ration in the emotional well-being of the individual. The sense of being connected
with people brings happiness in relationships irrespective of being in real or
virtual space. This sense of being connected improvises the togetherness in a rela-
tionship, which in turn leads to heightened levels of happiness and pleasure.
Happiness comes not from a single source but is the outcome of varied positive
emotions merged with the feel-good capacity of the brain’s channels.
As humans are social, they seek both happiness and pleasure. Pleasure is a
momentary feeling of short-lived happiness that is always experienced externally,
for example, the joy of having a rare flavour of ice cream, reaping profits in stock
exchanges, etc. Pleasure not only consists of positivity but also accompanies pain
as it cannot last long. Happiness is the ultimate goal of any life and is an internally
experienced self-sufficient achievement. Happiness is the state of harmony with
no-conflict and it is mostly an outcome of strong and intimate relationships.
The essence of happiness and pleasure varies with the subjective experiences
of individual users in a virtual platform. Happiness and pleasure levels depend on
the efficiency of social interactions, which triggers the feel-good chemical
hormones present in the brain. Humans love being social and to better experience
social activities they require social skills, connections, interest in relationships
and social pleasures. Any action that is taken to gain social pleasures include
making them visually presentable, grooming, caress, looking for rewards or
feedbacks and the value they have for the relationship. Social media platforms
possess inherent capabilities to gain social pleasures in virtual space, making
users self-present and communicate in a way pleasing and attractive.
Social media communication and its association to emotional well-being can
be positive and negative. Positive association encourages increased virtual
friendships whereas negative associations lead to decreased levels of self-esteem
because of social comparison. Textual communication followed by causal
conversation does not affect the well-being of an individual whereas personalized
and intimate conversation within users in relationships predicts the difference in
well-being standards.
110 Asia Pacific Media Educator 31(1)

Social media platforms entertain constructive utility to foster healthy relation-

ships that synchronize with healthier emotional well-being with the pursuit of
happiness and pleasure without pain. The pursuit of happiness is a natural occur-
rence in the life of any individual. Happiness in an individual makes them more
sociable and active. Happiness levels that are not limited to short-term pleasures
can cause long-term subjective and emotional well-being. Social media commu-
nications that aid in beneficial endorsement coupled with balanced engagement
always work toward harmony in attunement. It assists in the perfect emotional
well-being of an individual causing happiness and pleasure without pain.
The effect of social media communication on the emotional well-being of an
individual solely depends on the user. Feeling of connectedness and stronger
intimacy levels in virtual relationships aid in perfect well-being. However, social
comparison or any such activities causing defects or aberrations in relationships
can harm the emotional and subjective well-being of the individual.

Limitations
There were some limitations to this study. First, the findings of this study cannot be
generalized as it had a smaller sample size (in and around the vicinity of Chennai,
a metropolitan city in the state of Tamil Nadu, India) and limited age criteria (15–25
years). Second, the questionnaire-based survey research was based only on theo-
retical parameters and not on any psychological scale of well-being. Future
research may be performed depending on psychological self-esteem scales. Future
researchers may also look at stages of well-being causing happiness and pleasure
experienced in social media communication can also be performed. Furthermore,
it may be beneficial for future researchers to focus on how active and passive usage
of social media aids in the emotional well-being of an individual.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research,
authorship and/or publication of this article.

Funding
The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of
this article.

ORCID iD
D. Guna Graciyal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9979-2954
Appendix 1.  Questionnaire for Survey Research

S. No. Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

1.  Endorsement (joy–sadness axis)
Social media friendships make me happy and excited.
I feel valued in friendships through social media.
When my friend do not text me, I feel sad.
Social media communication is rewarding.
I have very warm feelings each time I communicate in social media.
I experience joy and elation when I get attention from my virtual friends.
When in joy do you use emojis more….
2.  Engagement (exuberance–depression axis)
I do not feel particularly pleased with the way I am that makes me use
social media more.
When I do not have good social media communication in a day, I wake up
feeling restless or incomplete.
I find friendship in social media amusing.
Notifications on social media always have a cheerful effect on me.
Each reply from a friend makes me emotionally alert and excited.
When friends block me, I feel rejected.
3.  Attunement (tranquillity–anxiety axis)
I am well satisfied about everything in my social media life.
When my friend are online and do not answer my texts, I feel anxious.
I get anxious after making an update on Facebook.
I use social media to forget about personal problems.
When my close friend unfriends or unfollows you in social media, I feel
alone
Source: Questions formulated by the researcher based on the Emotional State theory of Happiness (Haybron, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2008) to suit the research objectives.
112 Asia Pacific Media Educator 31(1)

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Graciyal and Viswam 115

Authors’ bio-sketch
D. Guna Graciyal is a full-time Doctoral research scholar at the Department of
Visual communication, Mother Teresa Women’s University, Kodaikanal. Her
areas of Interest include Gender and Violence, Social Media, Technology, Conflict
Resolution and peace building. She has presented and published many research
papers. Her other interests include content development for websites, designing
catalogs, freelance copy editing and proof reading.

Deepa Viswam Assistant Professor (SG) is Head-incharge at the Department of

Visual communication, Mother Teresa Women’s University, Kodaikanal. Her
areas of Interest include Conflict Resolution and Crisis Communication. She has
pursued her doctoral research in Communication and Conflict Resolution. She has
published many books, monographs and papers in National and International
Journals.