Social Media as an Amplifier or Attenuator: How Does Social Media Diffusion Shape the Influence of Culture on Subjective Well-Being?

The ubiquity of social media and the varying nature of subjective well-being (SWB) in a culturally heterogeneous world raises an essential question about how social media and culture jointly influence SWB. We argue that social media shapes the influence of cultural dimensions on SWB in nuanced ways, depending on the nature of the dimensions. Drawing on the affordance-based institutional logics perspective, we hypothesize that social media attenuates the adverse effects of power distance, masculinity, and uncertainty avoidance and amplifies the positive effects of individualism, long-term orientation, and indulgence on SWB. Using a dynamic panel model, our analysis shows that a degree of high social media diffusion in a country reduces the negative effect of power distance on SWB and increases the positive effect of individualism on SWB. These findings can help policymakers make informed decisions regarding increasing social media penetration as a means of overcoming negative cultural characteristics to enhance SWB.