Relations Between Facebook Intrusion, Internet Addiction, Life Satisfaction, and Self-Esteem: a Study in Italy and the USA

With the increasing popularity of new media, problems involving its excessive use have emerged. The main aim of the study was to analyze the associations between Facebook intrusion, Internet addiction, self-esteem, and life satisfaction in Italy and the USA. We administered the Facebook Intrusion Scale, Internet Addiction Test, Self-Esteem Scale, and Satisfaction with Life Scale. The participants in the online study were N = 555 Italian and American Facebook users, aged 18 to 59 in the case of Italy (M= 24.66, SD = 6.52) and 17 to 67 in the case of the USA (M= 23.65, SD = 10.96). The results showed that the relations between the Internet and Facebook use and life satisfaction are not universal. The study revealed that in Italy, Facebook intrusion was associated with higher life satisfaction, and in the USA, Internet addiction was associated with lower life satisfaction. In both countries, Internet addiction was associated with higher Facebook intrusion and lower self-esteem.