The current evidence on the association between social media use and loneliness is mixed. Social media use has both been linked to positive and negative outcomes. A model that attempts to explain these mixed effects is the Passive-Active Model of Social Networking Sites. This model argues that social media use is associated with less loneliness if the social media is used actively (posting, liking, commenting), while it is associated with more loneliness if the social media is used passively (scrolling). 

A group particularly interesting in this line of research is the LGBTQIA+ community. LGBTQIA+ individuals tend to spend more time online than their cisgender heterosexual peers, but they also, on average, have a worse mental health. Previous research suggests that LGBTQIA+ individuals may use social media to find social support that they sometimes struggle to find in their offline life. Research also argues that LGBTQIA+ individuals may find this social support online if they use the social media platform actively. However, few studies have previously studied the associations between active/passive social media use and loneliness through online connection, specifically among LGBTQIA+ individuals. The current study attempted to close this gap.

The hypotheses were 1) that active social media use would be negatively associated with loneliness, 2) that active social media use would be negatively associated with loneliness, indirectly through an increase in online connection, 3) that passive social media use would be positively associated with loneliness, and 4) that passive social media use would be positively associated with loneliness, indirectly through a decrease in online connection.