Previous studies regarding social interactions commonly adopt research methods that investigate causal relationships between variables. The existing approaches often utilize variables derived from general contexts, aiming to apply them universally across diverse situations. However, social interactions, including the usage of social media, are intricately woven within the immediate social context. The interpretability of these generalized variables has been attenuated by the dynamic and transient nature of social contexts; these variables have diverse impacts on social interactions. Consequently, researchers have been diligently seeking new variables relevant to specific social contexts in order to complement the existing generalized ones. However, the ever-changing nature of social contexts poses a challenge, impeding researchers from exhaustively defining all variables that influence social interactions. To address this complexity, this study proposes social network analysis as a suitable research method capable of capturing the ever-evolving dynamics of social interactions, including social media usage. Furthermore, this study puts forth hypotheses that specifically explore the role of individual social networks in social media research, with the aim of stimulating future investigations that center on the interactive and dynamic nature of social media usage.

WeChat has become the most popular type of social media among youngsters in China. They use it for various reasons including communicating in intimate relationships. This study aims to investigate the impact of the density of individuals’ social networks on WeChat Usage in Intimate Relationships among Chinese youngsters, guided by the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). An online questionnaire was constructed and disseminated to respondents online. In total, 923 undergraduate students from Chinese universities completed the questionnaires. Utilizing Structural Equation Modelling, findings show that the density of individuals’ social networks has a limited impact on WeChat usage. On the other hand, TPB factors such as subjective norms and perceived control bring a substantial impact on WeChat usage, while attitude has a less significant impact. These results indicate that Chinese youngsters exhibit strong attributes of the collective culture. This study also suggests that future social media research should place more emphasis on cultural and social factors.

In recent years; digital media has garnered widespread interest from various domains. Despite advancements in the technology of digital media for globalized communication; disparities persist in user interaction patterns across different regions. These differences can be attributed to the presence of a control system, known as meta-communication, which shapes the coding of information based on social relationships. Meta-communication is formed in various social contexts, resulting in varying communication patterns among different groups. However, empirical research on the social processes that form meta-communication in digital media is scarce due to the challenges in quantifying meta-communication. This study aims to introduce exponential random graph models as a potential tool for analyzing meta-communication in digital media and to provide a preliminary understanding of its formation. The use of such models could prove valuable for researchers seeking to study meta-communication in digital media.

Social media usage is heavily influenced by individual interactions, as supported by empirical research. These interactions shape the cultural and social contexts of social media, resulting in diverse usage behaviors. Social media’s ability to transcend temporal and spatial barriers amplifies this dynamic. Interactions are fundamental to understanding social media as a systematic behavior occurring in both micro and macro systems, serving dual purposes of maintaining equilibrium and facilitating changes. They help systems achieve collective goals beyond individual capacities while also enabling necessary changes to adapt to the external environment. Thus, systematic research method, particularly employing social network analysis, is crucial for understanding human interactions in social media usage. For that social network analysis focuses on the formation and changes of structures formed by interactions. Integrating social network analysis into research can lead to a paradigm shift toward a more systematic perspective in social media research. This study aims to accomplish this by formulating hypotheses through an extensive literature review, aiming to inspire more empirical studies in the realm of social media usage.