AWeSome II aims to further our understanding of adolescents’ social media experiences. In this project, we investigate, for example, how adolescents experience scrolling, posting, and interacting on social media, what makes them happy or sad while using social media, and whether their specific social media experiences affect their well-being, self-esteem, and friendship closeness.
The data collection of Project AWeSome II takes place from December 2022 to August 2024, during which 480 Dutch were intensively followed. The project consists of five subsequent phases:
A qualitative intake interview (Jan 2023)
A baseline survey (Jan 2023)
A 100-day daily diary study (Jan-May 2023)
An optional online exit interview (May-June 2023)
The TikTok data downloads phase, which runs from May 2024 to September 2024, is a collaborative effort with adolescents. In this phase, we invited the adolescents to contribute to our research by donating their TikTok archives, allowing us to analyze the content they encountered on the platform.
For insights based on our baseline questionnaire, see our report: Through Teens’ Eyes: The Benefits and Drawbacks of Social Media.
