A New Relationship between Stress & Social Media

In the years past, the prevalence of social media has certainly skyrocketed to universal levels as means of communication and connection. Even before the pandemic of COVID-19, platforms have been sprouting left and right, provoking new and intriguing ways to redefine socializing. With the new world COVID has ushered in, social media’s role has become all the more crucial in the maintenance and growth of ordinary and essential social relationships to carry forth our lives.

From time, relationships have been a sturdy support system for many individuals’ mental health, and the impact on in-person connection by COVID-19 has undoubtedly altered the way people seek supports, potentially in either negative, or positive ways. Practically speaking, social media offered the most viable method of keeping in touch with others, as an already existing and familiar means to most. Could the powers of social media keep up with the increasing crises of mental health we see in the youth today? How can social media companies adapt and respond to this global emergency? While social media is ordinarily knacked on for its negative effects on mental health, it has earned some points during the pandemic for its ability to help people stay connected. Students worldwide are enduring through unprecedented and tough times, and it was Zhen, Nan & Pham (2021)’s goal to re-explore social media’s relationship with mental health through a new perspective.

Investigating social media as a coping tool, the authors began by distinguishing between two different types of online disclosure. Broadly speaking, there is core disclosure which features more personal and in-depth talks, perhaps more private discussions with closer networks. This type was noted to be more effective in terms of getting more meaningful support. Conversely with peripheral disclosure, it is more public and non-specific in nature, perhaps simple status/story updates with a wider audience.This type was noted to promote continued social media use as a coping tool.

To contrast and better illustrate the efficacy of social media in addressing stress, the authors explored parental support as another means of disclosure. Historically, the literature has indicated strong evidence for well-connected families to mediate positive mental well-being in students. This avenue would certainly be a worthwhile comparison to show how well social media fares for mental health.

By testing the effects of those two types of disclosure on perceived stress in a group of students, the authors discovered that core self-disclosure had the greatest effect for managing increased bouts of mental health crises. This may come as less of a surprise, with the more direct nature of disclosing specific issues with close and more understanding friends who may be more willing to act as supports. In contrast, peripheral disclosure in a one to all form did not accomplish much in relieving matters of stress; seemingly there needs to be a reciprocal interchange to promote stress relief. However, revisiting the earlier point of peripheral disclosure helping sustain social media use as a coping tool, does provoke some interesting thought.

Perhaps one could explore a healthy balance between core and peripheral disclosure, to maintain a steady coping strategy, and also commit to sharing deep feelings with others.

Nonetheless, with this study in mind, we must endeavour to promote healthy and safe spaces within our own networks to establish core support systems that can readily handle the numerous ways stress can manifest in today’s world. Nonetheless, peripheral disclosure can still play a vital role, possibly being one’s way of silently seeking help, and building confidence towards doing so. Thus, this manner of disclosure should be continually encouraged to maintain the dialogue of mental health and inspire others, along with carefully judged efforts to reach out specifically and delve into more core forms of disclosure.

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Source:

• Zhen, L., Nan, Y., & Pham, B. (2021). College students coping with COVID-19: stress-buffering effects of self-disclosure on social media and parental support. Communication Research Reports, 1-10.