View in EDS

The Relationship between Social Media Use and Creativity: A Meta-Analysis

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: The Relationship between Social Media Use and Creativity: A Meta-Analysis
Language: English
Authors: Chenglong Yang, Tianwei Xu, Bijie Tie, Yingkai Yang, Maxwell S. Kay, Margaret A. Shideler, Peiduo Liu, Adam E. Green (ORCID 0000-0003-4178-836X), Wenjing Yang (ORCID 0000-0001-6378-3397)
Source: Journal of Creative Behavior. 2026 60(1).
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 15
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Information Analyses
Descriptors: Social Media, Creativity, Correlation
DOI: 10.1002/jocb.70089
ISSN: 0022-0175
2162-6057
Abstract: In the digital era, social media continues to consume an increasing share of individuals' time and attention. As a result, the association between social media use (SMU) and creativity has garnered growing interest in both public discourse and academic research, although empirical findings remain inconsistent. We conducted a meta-analysis of 31 studies (71 effect sizes, total N = 10,156) to examine the relationship between SMU and creativity. The overall effect indicated a small positive correlation between SMU and creativity (r = 0.21, 95% CI [0.11, 0.30], p < 0.001). Moderator analyses identified four statistically significant moderators--social media use dimension, focus on excessive SMU, creativity metric dimension, and creativity metric context. Drawing uniquely on research at the intersection of SMU and creativity, our findings suggest that this form of human-computer interaction may be associated with enhanced creativity, although the magnitude of the association is modest. Further empirical work is needed to clarify the mechanisms linking SMU to creativity and to develop more robust metrics capable of capturing the multidimensional and dynamic nature of both constructs.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1500525
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
Header DbId: eric
DbLabel: ERIC
An: EJ1500525
AccessLevel: 3
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: The Relationship between Social Media Use and Creativity: A Meta-Analysis
– Name: Language
  Label: Language
  Group: Lang
  Data: English
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Chenglong+Yang%22&quot;&gt;Chenglong Yang&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Tianwei+Xu%22&quot;&gt;Tianwei Xu&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Bijie+Tie%22&quot;&gt;Bijie Tie&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Yingkai+Yang%22&quot;&gt;Yingkai Yang&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Maxwell+S%2E+Kay%22&quot;&gt;Maxwell S. Kay&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Margaret+A%2E+Shideler%22&quot;&gt;Margaret A. Shideler&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Peiduo+Liu%22&quot;&gt;Peiduo Liu&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Adam+E%2E+Green%22&quot;&gt;Adam E. Green&lt;/searchLink&gt; (ORCID &lt;externalLink term=&quot;https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4178-836X&quot;&gt;0000-0003-4178-836X&lt;/externalLink&gt;)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Wenjing+Yang%22&quot;&gt;Wenjing Yang&lt;/searchLink&gt; (ORCID &lt;externalLink term=&quot;https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6378-3397&quot;&gt;0000-0001-6378-3397&lt;/externalLink&gt;)
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;SO&quot; term=&quot;%22Journal+of+Creative+Behavior%22&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;Journal of Creative Behavior&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/searchLink&gt;. 2026 60(1).
– Name: Avail
  Label: Availability
  Group: Avail
  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley &amp; Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
– Name: PeerReviewed
  Label: Peer Reviewed
  Group: SrcInfo
  Data: Y
– Name: Pages
  Label: Page Count
  Group: Src
  Data: 15
– Name: DatePubCY
  Label: Publication Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2026
– Name: TypeDocument
  Label: Document Type
  Group: TypDoc
  Data: Journal Articles&lt;br /&gt;Reports - Research&lt;br /&gt;Information Analyses
– Name: Subject
  Label: Descriptors
  Group: Su
  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Social+Media%22&quot;&gt;Social Media&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Creativity%22&quot;&gt;Creativity&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Correlation%22&quot;&gt;Correlation&lt;/searchLink&gt;
– Name: DOI
  Label: DOI
  Group: ID
  Data: 10.1002/jocb.70089
– Name: ISSN
  Label: ISSN
  Group: ISSN
  Data: 0022-0175&lt;br /&gt;2162-6057
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: In the digital era, social media continues to consume an increasing share of individuals&#39; time and attention. As a result, the association between social media use (SMU) and creativity has garnered growing interest in both public discourse and academic research, although empirical findings remain inconsistent. We conducted a meta-analysis of 31 studies (71 effect sizes, total N = 10,156) to examine the relationship between SMU and creativity. The overall effect indicated a small positive correlation between SMU and creativity (r = 0.21, 95% CI [0.11, 0.30], p &lt; 0.001). Moderator analyses identified four statistically significant moderators--social media use dimension, focus on excessive SMU, creativity metric dimension, and creativity metric context. Drawing uniquely on research at the intersection of SMU and creativity, our findings suggest that this form of human-computer interaction may be associated with enhanced creativity, although the magnitude of the association is modest. Further empirical work is needed to clarify the mechanisms linking SMU to creativity and to develop more robust metrics capable of capturing the multidimensional and dynamic nature of both constructs.
– Name: AbstractInfo
  Label: Abstractor
  Group: Ab
  Data: As Provided
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2026
– Name: AN
  Label: Accession Number
  Group: ID
  Data: EJ1500525
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1500525
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1002/jocb.70089
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 15
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Social Media
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Creativity
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Correlation
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: The Relationship between Social Media Use and Creativity: A Meta-Analysis
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Chenglong Yang
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Tianwei Xu
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Bijie Tie
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Yingkai Yang
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Maxwell S. Kay
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Margaret A. Shideler
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Peiduo Liu
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Adam E. Green
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Wenjing Yang
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 03
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 0022-0175
            – Type: issn-electronic
              Value: 2162-6057
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 60
            – Type: issue
              Value: 1
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Journal of Creative Behavior
              Type: main
ResultId 1