Social media were found to be a source of both social support and anxiety ( Drouin et al., 2020) as well as fear ( Ahmad & Murad, 2020). Studies examining the social and psychological impacts of social media usage during the COVID-19 pandemic have provided inconsistent and inconclusive findings ( Ahmad & Murad, 2020 Cordoș & Bolboacă, 2020 Drouin et al., 2020 Saud et al., 2020). Therefore, it is crucial to fully understand the psychological consequences of a pandemic and associated lockdowns, as well as the role of (social) media in this situation. A recent survey showed that concerns about the psychological harms of COVID-19 are ranked above those of physical wellbeing ( Cowan, 2020). As a result, people spent more time on social media during the COVID-19 lockdown ( Drouin et al., 2020), making social media mainstream channels that dominated information acquisition and social support ( Cellini et al., 2020 Saud et al., 2020). Many physical activities were banned or shifted online. In particular, massive-scale lockdowns and stay-at-home orders forced many people to experience unprecedented levels of social isolation, disconnection, and distress ( Tull et al., 2020). The COVID-19 pandemic has been affecting almost every aspect of human life, including health, work, and social life. The study makes significant contributions by unpacking two distinct theoretical mechanisms underlying social media effects: particularly social liability which has been underexplored but was found to be an essential concept to explain the dualistic impact of social media. In contrast, when social media use results in increased social liability (i.e., obligation to provide support to others), it negatively impacts cognitive appraisals and affective responses. This, in turn, is associated with lower levels of negative affective responses, such as anger, anxiety, and loneliness. When social media use results in perceived social support, it has a favorable impact on coping appraisals of the COVID-19 lockdown. The results based on structural equation modeling (SEM) showed double-edged social media effects. We collected online survey data from 494 social media users in the U.S. Using the concepts of social liability, social support, and cognitive appraisal theory, this study examines distinct theoretical pathways through which the relational use of social media has contrasting impacts on cognitive appraisals of and emotional responses to the COVID-19 lockdown. There exist ongoing discussions regarding whether, when, or why heightened reliance on social media becomes benefits or drawbacks, especially in times of crisis.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |