Empowerment or Deprivation through Technology: A Dual-Path Model for Predicting Physical Exercise and Sedentary Behavior in Older Adults via Mobile Social Media Functions

Background Digital life has become increasingly common among older adults. With the widespread use of smartphones and the growth of mobile social media, more elderly individuals are using these tools to acquire information, communicate, and seek entertainment. However, mobile social media significantly influences older adults' health-related behaviours. Therefore, this research aims to uncover the internal mechanisms by which mobile social media functions affect the physical exercise and sedentary behaviours of the elderly, providing a scientific basis for promoting healthier habits among them. Methods This study utilises the S-O-R theoretical framework to develop a dual-path model. It employs stratified and snowball sampling techniques to gather data from 540 elderly mobile social media users in China. The analysis is conducted using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with AMOS 20.0, applying maximum likelihood estimation. Results The information retrieval(γ = 0.19; p  < 0.01), online guidance(γ = 0.63; p  < 0.01), attention and interaction(γ = 0.07; p  < 0.01), goal setting(γ = 0.04; p  < 0.05), and social comparison(γ = 0.14; p  < 0.01) functions of mobile social media have a significant positive predictive effect on physical activity among older adults, empowering them to engage in physical activity; the video media and personalised algorithm functions have a considerable positive predictive impact on sedentary behaviour among older adults, depriving them of exercise time and thus generating sedentary behaviour (γ = 0.43; p  < 0.01); and immersive experience plays an important mediating role between the functions of mobile social media and sedentary behaviour among older adults(γ= -0.18; p  < 0.05). Conclusion This study reveals that mobile social media features impact the elderly in two ways. It clarifies not only the promotional effects of mobile social media's information retrieval, online guidance, attention interaction, goal setting, and social comparison features on older adults' health behaviours but also the negative impacts of mobile social media's video-mediated and personalised algorithmic features on older adults' healthy lifestyles.