Since the conception and exponential growth of social networking sites (SNSs), technology has advanced sufficiently to allow access to them at any moment for any reason. This has given users a “virtual space” (VS) in which to communicate and “live” within (e.g., Facebook), a space which disparate research has shown to have an impact on users’ behaviors, thoughts, and emotions. The present study aimed to examine the potential for SNSs to influence the physical, mental, and social well-being of undergraduate students. To explore this in a unified fashion, we conducted in-depth interviews with 25 participants across three qualitative studies. All interview transcripts were analyzed using a recursive deductive thematic analysis. Lefebvre’s trialectic of space was examined for its applicability to students’ experiences of VS vis-à-vis SNSs. Lefebvre’s spatial triad provides a novel and coherent framework to untangle and explain the multifaceted and often complicated nature of SNS use. Analysis found correspondence between Lefebvrian triadic space and SNSs to explain the pervasive, dominant, and sometimes pathological role that SNSs can have upon everyday functioning. Implications are that a Lefebvrian approach can inform future research as a means to untangle and explain the multifaceted and often complicated nature of SNS use.

自从社交网站（SNS）的概念和呈指数级增长以来，技术已经发展到足以允许在任何时候以任何理由随时访问它们的技术。这为用户提供了一个“虚拟空间”（VS），可以在其中进行交流和“生活”（例如，Facebook），而不同的研究表明该空间会对用户的行为，思想和情感产生影响。本研究旨在探讨SNS可能影响大学生的身体，心理和社会福祉。为了以统一的方式对此进行探讨，我们在三项定性研究中对25名参与者进行了深入访谈。所有访谈笔录均使用递归演绎主题分析进行分析。考察了勒菲弗尔的空间学对学生相对于SNS的VS体验的适用性。勒菲弗尔（Lefebvre）的空间三合会提供了一个新颖而连贯的框架，以解开并解释SNS使用的多面性且通常是复杂的性质。分析发现，Lefebvrian三联空间与SNS之间存在对应关系，以解释SNS在日常功能中所具有的普遍性，显性以及有时是病理性的作用。隐含的意义是，Lefebvrian方法可以为将来的研究提供参考，以此来解开和解释SNS使用的多面性且通常是复杂的性质。