Effects of Social Media Use on Connectivity and Emotions During Pandemic-Induced School Closures: Qualitative Interview Study Among Adolescents
BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity to examine social media and technology use during a time in which technology served as adolescents’ primary form of socialization. The literature is mixed regarding how increased screen time during this period affe...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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JMIR Publications
2023-02-01
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| Series: | JMIR Mental Health |
| Online Access: | https://mental.jmir.org/2023/1/e37711 |
| _version_ | 1797734316650790912 |
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| author | Elisa Liang Emily R Kutok Rochelle K Rosen Taylor A Burke Megan L Ranney |
| author_facet | Elisa Liang Emily R Kutok Rochelle K Rosen Taylor A Burke Megan L Ranney |
| author_sort | Elisa Liang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity to examine social media and technology use during a time in which technology served as adolescents’ primary form of socialization. The literature is mixed regarding how increased screen time during this period affected adolescent mental health and well-being. The mechanisms by which screen time use affected adolescent psychosocial outcomes are also unknown.
ObjectiveWe aimed to deepen our understanding of how social media and technology use, social connectivity, and emotional well-being intersected during pandemic-related school closures.
MethodsEnglish-speaking adolescents aged 13 to 17 years were recruited on Instagram for a brief screening survey; 39 participants were purposefully selected to complete a semistructured interview regarding their social media and technology use during the pandemic. Interview summaries were abstracted from recordings, and deductive codes were created for the primary question stems. These codes were subsequently reviewed for the main themes.
ResultsThe main themes were as follows: adolescent social media and technology use during school closures usually allowed for more and easier social connectivity, but the amount and relative ease of connectivity differed according to purpose and type of use. Emotions, particularly those of stress and happiness, were connected to whether adolescents actively or passively engaged with social media and technology.
ConclusionsOur results suggest a nuanced relationship among social media and technology use, adolescent social support, and emotional well-being, including during the pandemic. Specifically, how adolescents use or engage with web-based platforms greatly influences their ability to connect with others and their feelings of stress and happiness. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and as technology in general remains at the core of the adolescent experience, future research should continue to examine how adolescents navigate and use web-based spaces in beneficial and harmful ways. This will inform education and interventions that foster healthy social media and technological habits. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T12:41:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-86ec82cc30534656b132716e0613bdc3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2368-7959 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T12:41:31Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | JMIR Mental Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-86ec82cc30534656b132716e0613bdc32023-08-28T23:46:48ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR Mental Health2368-79592023-02-0110e3771110.2196/37711Effects of Social Media Use on Connectivity and Emotions During Pandemic-Induced School Closures: Qualitative Interview Study Among AdolescentsElisa Lianghttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-9799-7526Emily R Kutokhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-1200-221XRochelle K Rosenhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-1598-667XTaylor A Burkehttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-8816-1463Megan L Ranneyhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-8450-9642 BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity to examine social media and technology use during a time in which technology served as adolescents’ primary form of socialization. The literature is mixed regarding how increased screen time during this period affected adolescent mental health and well-being. The mechanisms by which screen time use affected adolescent psychosocial outcomes are also unknown. ObjectiveWe aimed to deepen our understanding of how social media and technology use, social connectivity, and emotional well-being intersected during pandemic-related school closures. MethodsEnglish-speaking adolescents aged 13 to 17 years were recruited on Instagram for a brief screening survey; 39 participants were purposefully selected to complete a semistructured interview regarding their social media and technology use during the pandemic. Interview summaries were abstracted from recordings, and deductive codes were created for the primary question stems. These codes were subsequently reviewed for the main themes. ResultsThe main themes were as follows: adolescent social media and technology use during school closures usually allowed for more and easier social connectivity, but the amount and relative ease of connectivity differed according to purpose and type of use. Emotions, particularly those of stress and happiness, were connected to whether adolescents actively or passively engaged with social media and technology. ConclusionsOur results suggest a nuanced relationship among social media and technology use, adolescent social support, and emotional well-being, including during the pandemic. Specifically, how adolescents use or engage with web-based platforms greatly influences their ability to connect with others and their feelings of stress and happiness. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and as technology in general remains at the core of the adolescent experience, future research should continue to examine how adolescents navigate and use web-based spaces in beneficial and harmful ways. This will inform education and interventions that foster healthy social media and technological habits.https://mental.jmir.org/2023/1/e37711 |
| spellingShingle | Elisa Liang Emily R Kutok Rochelle K Rosen Taylor A Burke Megan L Ranney Effects of Social Media Use on Connectivity and Emotions During Pandemic-Induced School Closures: Qualitative Interview Study Among Adolescents JMIR Mental Health |
| title | Effects of Social Media Use on Connectivity and Emotions During Pandemic-Induced School Closures: Qualitative Interview Study Among Adolescents |
| title_full | Effects of Social Media Use on Connectivity and Emotions During Pandemic-Induced School Closures: Qualitative Interview Study Among Adolescents |
| title_fullStr | Effects of Social Media Use on Connectivity and Emotions During Pandemic-Induced School Closures: Qualitative Interview Study Among Adolescents |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of Social Media Use on Connectivity and Emotions During Pandemic-Induced School Closures: Qualitative Interview Study Among Adolescents |
| title_short | Effects of Social Media Use on Connectivity and Emotions During Pandemic-Induced School Closures: Qualitative Interview Study Among Adolescents |
| title_sort | effects of social media use on connectivity and emotions during pandemic induced school closures qualitative interview study among adolescents |
| url | https://mental.jmir.org/2023/1/e37711 |
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