Unemployment, Personality Traits, and the Use of Facebook : Does Online Social Support Influence Continuous Use?

Abstract

Different personality traits respond differently to unfavourable life situations. Unemployment can have several negative social, economic, and domestic consequences. Many people use social media for a variety of reasons. The aim of this study is to examine the way different personality traits respond to Facebook in the period of unemployment. Data was obtained from 3,002 unemployed respondents in Nigeria. The study used regression model to analyse the data. Among the five personality traits, results indicated that the relationship between neuroticism and online social support was negative. However, the relationship between online social support and satisfaction was positive. The study highlights several theoretical and practical implications.