Although research findings highlight the complex dualities of the Strong Black Woman ideal and demonstrate its effects on Black women’s mental health and well-being, there is less understanding of the role that social media may play in Black women’s negotiation of this ideal. To what extent might Black women’s engagement with race-related social media, such as the use of Black-oriented blogs and hashtags, contribute to their well-being and potentially buffer contributions of the Strong Black Woman ideal? To investigate this question, we tested 412 Black women who completed online survey measures assessing their general social media use, Black-oriented blog and hashtag use, mental health, and self-esteem. Correlational and regression analyses revealed that, as expected, both greater endorsement of the Strong Black Woman ideal and higher levels of general social media use was associated with adverse mental health and lower self-esteem. Contrary to our expectations, Black-oriented blog use was also associated with more symptoms of depression and anxiety and did not moderate effects of Strong Black Woman endorsement on well-being. Clinicians, instructors, parents, and media activists should be mindful of how the use of both traditional and race-related social media may be both liberating for, and detrimental to, Black women’s well-being.
