Brief exposure to social media during the COVID-19 pandemic: Doom-scrolling has negative emotional consequences, but kindness-scrolling does not

People often seek out information as a means of coping with challenging situations. Attuning to negative information can be adaptive because it alerts people to the risks in their environment, thereby preparing them for similar threats in the future. But is this behaviour adaptive during a pandemic when bad news is ubiquitous? We examine the emotional consequences of exposure to brief snippets of COVID-related news via a Twitter feed (Study 1), or a YouTube reaction video (Study 2). Compared to a no-information exposure group, consumption of just 2–4 minutes of COVID-related news led to immediate and significant reductions in positive affect (Studies 1 and 2) and optimism (Study 2). Exposure to COVID-related kind acts did not have the same negative consequences, suggesting that not all social media exposure is detrimental for well-being. We discuss strategies to counteract the negative emotional consequences of exposure to negative news on social media.

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Mitigating the consequences of negative news: How constructive journalism enhances self-efficacy and news credibility

Journalism ◽

10.1177/14648849211062738 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 146488492110627

Author(s):

Christian Staal Bruun Overgaard

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Positive Emotions ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Negative News ◽

News Credibility ◽

Broaden And Build Theory ◽

Negative Feelings ◽

Constructive Journalism

An informed electorate is vital for a well-functioning democracy. Yet many citizens intentionally avoid the news because it evokes negative feelings of disempowerment and distrust. This study ( n = 270) investigated how social media exposure to a new journalistic approach, constructive journalism, influences news consumers. The results showed that constructive social media posts, as compared to negative posts, led to higher levels of positive affect, self-efficacy, and perceived news credibility. In line with the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, the effects on self-efficacy and news credibility were mediated by positive affect. A similar mediating role was found for negative affect, counter to the theoretical expectations. These findings shed new light on the broaden-and-build theory, suggesting parts of it generalize to the context of news exposure on social media. The findings also suggest that constructive journalism may be an effective way to mitigate some of the main drivers of news avoidance in the 21st century.

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Social Media Use and Emotional Well-Being: The Role of Physical Activity

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.3340 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 931-931

Author(s):

Xin Yao Lin ◽

Margie Lachman

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Social Media ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Media Use ◽

Well Being ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Social Media Use ◽

The Relationship

Abstract There are mixed findings as to whether social media use (SMU) is positively or negatively related to well-being (positive/negative affect), and this relationship varies by age. The current study seeks to further explore this relationship by examining physical activity (PA) as a potential mediator at both a within (intraindividual) and between-person (interindividual) level across adulthood. The data are from the Midlife in the United States Refresher eight-day daily diary study (N=782, ages 25-75) with self-reported frequency of SMU, PA, and well-being (positive/negative affect). Multilevel structural equation modeling simultaneously tested how the relationships between the variables differed at both the between- and within-person levels. Between-person results showed that across the week, those who reported less SMU reported engaging in more PA, and more PA was associated with more positive affect. PA significantly mediated the relationship between SMU and positive affect for midlife and older adults, but not for younger adults. Effects for negative affect were not significant. Within-person results indicated that days with more PA were associated with more positive affect; however, PA did not mediate the relationship between SMU and positive or negative affect. These findings suggest the benefits of engaging in PA on one’s positive emotional well-being at both the between- and within-person levels. However, for midlife and older adults, more SMU across the week may take away time from engaging in PA, which in turn lowers their positive affect. Implications of the effects of SMU on PA and well-being across adulthood are discussed.

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The COVID-19-Related Lockdown in Qatar: Associations Among Demographics, Social Distancing, Mood Changes, and Quality of Life

International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction ◽

10.1007/s11469-021-00536-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ahmed M. Megreya ◽

Robert D. Latzman ◽

Aisha M. Al-Ahmadi ◽

Nasser F. Al-Dosari

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Well Being ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Social Distancing ◽

Mood Changes

AbstractThe worldwide spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the absence of medical treatment and vaccination, the delayed onset of symptoms, and the rapid human-to-human transmission have led the vast majority of countries to impose strict social distancing procedures. Whereas it appears that social distancing is an effective strategy for mitigating spread, it may also result in a variety of unintended negative consequences to individuals’ psychological well-being and mental health. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the present study examined associations among some demographic variables (gender, age, marital and working statuses, and having a family member or a friend infected with COVID-19), acceptance of social distancing, mood changes, and quality of life (QoL) in Qatar, a high-income Middle Eastern Arabic-speaking country. Older, married, and working participants were more accepting of social distancing than younger, unmarried, and non-working participants, respectively. Participants indicated that, during this time, they became more distressed, upset, scared, irritable, nervous, and afraid, and less inspired and determined. In a stark contrast, more individuals indicated that they became more interested, alert, and attentive, whereas higher percentages of participants reported feeling less guilty, hostile, and ashamed. Social distancing correlated positively with negative affect, whereas social avoidances correlated positively with positive affect and with physical, psychological, social, and environmental QoL. Finally, positive affect correlated positively, and negative affect correlated negatively, with these four domains of QoL. These results highlight the need for public health and clinical providers to consider peoples’ psychological well-being and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Well-Being and Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) on Digital Content in the Time of COVID-19: A Correlational Analysis among University Students

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18041974 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 1974

Author(s):

Ceren Hayran ◽

Lalin Anik

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Well Being ◽

Physical World ◽

Digital Content ◽

Affective States ◽

Health Issues ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Fear Of Missing Out ◽

New Research

The majority of research on the fear of missing out (FOMO) has focused on understanding how social media posts about attractive unattended experiences taking place in the physical world (e.g., a friend’s vacation) influence individuals’ affective states. With quarantine measures in place, and in the absence of travel and party photos on social media, do individuals feel they are missing out on enjoyable experiences? The current work shows that FOMO has not disappeared during the pandemic, even when socially distancing at home, but has been replaced by feelings towards new online activities (e.g., online concerts, virtual gatherings). As a consequence, we find that FOMO threatens well-being by causing important psychological and health issues, such as sleep deprivation, loss of focus, declined productivity, and finding relief in knowing that others have difficulty keeping up with abundant digital content. Importantly, we find these consequential effects both during the initial (May 2020) and late stages (December 2020) of the pandemic. With excessive Internet use and virtual FOMO likely to be a continuing reality of life, questions remain as to how one can refrain from its negative effects and stay healthy during the pandemic and in the post-pandemic era. We discuss remedies and suggest new research avenues that may help elevate the negative consequences of FOMO on well-being.

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Evangelism, Social Media, and the Mum Effect

10.31219/osf.io/n3pg5 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

David Robert Dunaetz

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Bad News ◽

Good News ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Building Relationships ◽

Individual Level ◽

Mum Effect ◽

The New Testament ◽

The Individual ◽

Large Groups

The Mum effect is the natural human reluctance to share bad news with others, due to a desire to avoid a range of negative consequences, consequences affecting both self and the recipient of the bad news. Although the gospel is good news to those who believe, it may be viewed negatively by those who do not believe. Thus, Christians may be hesitant to share the gospel because of the negative consequences associated with the Mum effect. Because of the anonymity of the internet, social media is often filled with unre-strained criticism of Christianity. This may amplify the perceived negative consequences of sharing the gospel with unbelievers. In light of this cultural evolution, found now in the global north and increasingly present in the global south, Christian leaders can lead more effective ministries by distinguishing between outreach (building relationships in a way that makes the gospel attractive), witnessing (explaining how one has experienced God), and evangelism (sharing all that is necessary to make a decision for Christ), and by ensuring that all three occur in culturally relevant ways, carried out by individuals best equipped to do each, in a way consistent with the New Testament teaching on spir¬itual gifts. Specifically, outreach and witnessing can be done by all Christians who inter¬act with non-Christians, whereas evangelism may be carried out, both on the individual level and in large groups, by those who are appropriately gifted. By addressing large groups in a more impersonal way, those gifted in evangelism may reduce the negative consequences of the Mum effect and build upon the outreach and witnessing done by others.

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How do Good and Bad News Impact Mood During the Covid-19 Pandemic? The Role of Similarity

10.31219/osf.io/sy2kd ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Antonia Dörnemann ◽

Nika Boenisch ◽

Leonard Schommer ◽

Lara Winkelhorst ◽

Tobias Wingen

Keyword(s):

Undergraduate Students ◽

Well Being ◽

Bad News ◽

Future Research ◽

Comparison Theory ◽

Assimilation Effect ◽

The Social ◽

Negative News ◽

Media Reports

How do media reports about the Covid-19 pandemic influence our mood? Building on the social comparison theory, we predicted that reading negative news affecting a similar group would result in an impaired mood. In contrast, reading negative news about a dissimilar group should lead to improved mood. To test this, 150 undergraduate students read positive or negative news about the well-being of a similar or dissimilar group during the pandemic. As predicted, a mood assimilation effect occurred for similar groups, whilst a contrast effect occurred for a dissimilar group. This pattern went so far that undergraduates reported the best mood after learning that the elder generation suffered from Covid-19. This finding seems worrying and calls for future research.

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Authentic self-expression on social media is associated with greater subjective well-being

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-020-18539-w ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Erica R. Bailey ◽

Sandra C. Matz ◽

Wu Youyou ◽

Sheena S. Iyengar

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Causal Relationship ◽

Media Use ◽

Well Being ◽

The Other ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Personality Profiles ◽

Authentic Self

Abstract Social media users face a tension between presenting themselves in an idealized or authentic way. Here, we explore how prioritizing one over the other impacts users’ well-being. We estimate the degree of self-idealized vs. authentic self-expression as the proximity between a user’s self-reported personality and the automated personality judgements made on the basis Facebook Likes and status updates. Analyzing data of 10,560 Facebook users, we find that individuals who are more authentic in their self-expression also report greater Life Satisfaction. This effect appears consistent across different personality profiles, countering the proposition that individuals with socially desirable personalities benefit from authentic self-expression more than others. We extend this finding in a pre-registered, longitudinal experiment, demonstrating the causal relationship between authentic posting and positive affect and mood on a within-person level. Our findings suggest that the extent to which social media use is related to well-being depends on how individuals use it.

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Do Firms Strategically Disseminate? Evidence from Corporate Use of Social Media

The Accounting Review ◽

10.2308/accr-51906 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 93 (4) ◽

pp. 225-252 ◽

Cited By ~ 63

Author(s):

Michael J. Jung ◽

James P. Naughton ◽

Ahmed Tahoun ◽

Clare Wang

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Strategic Behavior ◽

Bad News ◽

Litigation Risk ◽

Traditional Media ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Quarterly Earnings ◽

Investor Sophistication ◽

Negative News ◽

Use Of Social Media

ABSTRACT We examine whether firms use social media to strategically disseminate financial information. Analyzing S&P 1500 firms' use of Twitter to disseminate quarterly earnings announcements, we find that firms are less likely to disseminate when the news is bad and when the magnitude of the bad news is worse, consistent with strategic behavior. Furthermore, firms tend to send fewer earnings announcement tweets and “rehash” tweets when the news is bad. Cross-sectional analyses suggest that incentives for strategic dissemination are higher for firms with a lower level of investor sophistication and firms with a larger social media audience. We also find that strategic dissemination behavior is detectable in high litigation risk firms, but not low litigation risk firms. Finally, we find that the tweeting of bad news and the subsequent retweeting of that news by a firm's followers are associated with more negative news articles written about the firm by the traditional media, highlighting a potential downside to Twitter dissemination. JEL Classifications: G14; G38; M10; M21; M41.

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The Use of Web-Based Social Networks: Trends, Antecedents, and Consequences

Webology ◽

10.14704/web/v18si03/web18037 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (Special Issue 03) ◽

pp. 233-245

Author(s):

Navreet Kaur ◽

Anmol Sandhu

Keyword(s):

Social Networks ◽

Social Media ◽

Social Networking ◽

Interpersonal Relationships ◽

Online Social Networks ◽

Well Being ◽

Self Control ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Web Based ◽

The Impact

Online Social Networks (OSNs) have redefined interpersonal relationships and added a new dimension to communication patterns. According to latest reports, there has been a steep rise in the number of active social media users around the globe. The present paper is a review of research evidence on the antecedent factors leading to such usage and its consequences thereof. Unique features of the virtual environment trigger certain personality traits which are reported to be major predictors of social networking behaviour. Studies on the impact of social media on consumers have unearthed both positive and negative consequences. Research findings, for example, reveal that social media consumption has a therapeutic effect in terms of fulfilment of certain needs and an increase in self-esteem; whereas activation of a narcissistic state and lowered self-control have an adverse effect on psychological well-being and behaviour. The paper summarizes the workplace implications of web-based social networking and also briefly discusses the recent and emerging trends in digital behaviours with particular reference to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECT OF SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND COVID-19 PANDEMIC NEWS UPDATES ON THE MENTAL WELL-BEING OF STUDENTS DURING THE LOCKDOWN IN INDIA

10.36106/ijsr/0311904 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-3

Author(s):

Parikshit Sen ◽

Vatsala Khurana ◽

Surajeet Patra ◽

Binita Goswami ◽

Nikhil Gupta

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Media ◽

Adverse Effects ◽

Well Being ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Strong Negative Correlation ◽

Media Usage ◽

Negative News ◽

The Government ◽

Mental Well Being

As a result of the Lockdown imposed by the Government of India, social media usage has considerably increased among students. A constant urge to keep oneself updated with the news regarding the pandemic has also been observed, which has inevitably led to students getting exposed to a constant stream of negative news. To investigate the effect of the time spent on social media and the time spent self-updating on news related to the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental well-being of 138 undergraduate college students, aged 18 to 24. A voluntary online questionnaire using the Affectometer 2 scale was used during the 5th week of the lockdown. We found a strong negative correlation between the time spent on social media and the mental well-being of students, while no statistically significant correlation between the time spent self-updating on COVID-19 related news and mental well-being was found. It is important that students use social media in moderation and find alternative avenues for recreation, to prevent unnecessary stress and potential adverse effects on their mental health, and thus maintain their psychological well-being.

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