Introducing the Social Media Literacy (SMILE) model with the case of the positivity bias on social media

ABSTRACT

Although current literature has extensively discussed media literacy processes, few theories exist explaining the role of social media literacy. Social media are used daily by a substantial number of young people and may exert an important influence on its users’ well-beings. Considering media literacy, media effects, social psychology, interpersonal communication and educational literature, a novel theoretical framework called the Social Media Literacy (SMILE) model is introduced. This framework was formulated to explain (1) how to conceptualize social media literacy, (2) how social media literacy can change the dynamics between social media and its users and (3) how participatory mediation processes result into social media literacy. The SMILE-model is illustrated against the background of the social media positivity bias. Ultimately, the newly developed guiding framework aims to stimulate more theory-driven research into the scholarly understanding of social media literacy in well-being. Such insights may especially be useful for research in the field of children, adolescents and the media.

KEYWORDS:

• Social media literacy
• the positivity bias on social media
• empowerment
• development

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO-Vlaanderen) under Grant 11D3119N.

Notes on contributors

Laura Vandenbosch

Lara Schreurs is a PhD fellow of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) at the Leuven School for Mass Communication Research (KU Leuven) under supervision of professor Laura Vandenbosch. Her research interests concern the relations between adolescents’ and young adults’ (social) media use and well-being. In her PhD-project, Lara specifically focuses on the role of social media literacy within the social media-effects literature.

Laura Vandenbosch is an assistant professor at the School for Mass Communication Research (BOF-ZAP research professorship grant), KU Leuven. The relations between media and well-being are the core subject of her research, leading to international publications in several fields including developmental psychology, sexology, body image, social relationships and communication theory.