From Polarities and Perspectives of Social Media: Instagram,TikTok,and Mental Well-Being in the Post-Pandemic Society

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted global mental health, with social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok playing a crucial role in shaping individuals' experiences and well-being. This mixed-methods study investigates the influence of these platforms on mental health outcomes in the post-pandemic era, combining quantitative surveys (N = 200) with qualitative interviews (N = 15) across different age groups. The researchers explored relationships between social media use and mental health indicators, examined age-related differences in experiences, and uncovered themes related to social comparison, body image concerns, and the dual role of social media in providing both support and stress. Findings contribute to the growing body of research on social media's impact on mental health, highlighting the complex nature of social media use and its varied effects on different age groups. This study offers insights for mental health professionals, social media platforms, and policymakers in developing targeted interventions and guidelines for promoting healthy social media use and supporting digital well-being in the post-pandemic context.

Keywords

social media mental health Instagram TikTok COVID-19 digital well-being mixed-methods research

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Bekalu

M. A.

McCloud

R. F.

Viswanath

(2019). Association of social media use with social well-being, positive mental health, and self-rated health: Disentangling routine use from emotional connection to use. Health Education & Behavior, 46(2_suppl), 69S–80S. https://doi.org/10.1177/1090198119863768

Blackwell

Leaman

Tramposch

Osborne

Liss

(2017). Extraversion, neuroticism, attachment style, and fear of missing out as predictors of social media use and addiction. Personality and Individual Differences, 116(14), 69–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.04.039 .

Braun

Clarke

(2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Creswell

J. W.

Plano Clark

V. L.

(2017). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.

Ellis

W. E.

Dumas

T. M.

Forbes

L. M.

(2020). Physically isolated but socially connected: Psychological adjustment and stress among adolescents during the initial COVID-19 crisis. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 52(3), 177–187. https://doi.org/10.1037/cbs0000215

Frison

Eggermont

(2016). “Harder, better, faster, stronger”: Negative comparison on Facebook and adolescents’ life satisfaction are reciprocally related. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 19(3), 158–164. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2015.0296

Gao

Zheng

Jia

Chen

Mao

Chen

Wang

Dai

(2020). Mental health problems and social media exposure during COVID-19 outbreak. PLoS ONE, 15(4), e0231924. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231924

Gupta

Sharma

(2021). Fear of missing out: A brief overview of origin, theoretical underpinnings, and relationship with mental health. World Journal of Clinical Cases, 9(19), 4881–4889. https://doi.org/10.12998/wjcc.v9.i19.4881

Hunt

M. G.

Marx

Lipson

Young

(2018). No more FOMO: Limiting social media decreases loneliness and depression. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 37(10), 751–768. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2018.37.10.751

10.

Keles

McCrae

Grealish

(2020). A systematic review: The influence of social media on depression, anxiety, and psychological distress in adolescents. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 79–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1590851

11.

Masciantonio

Bourguignon

Bouchat

Balty

Rimé

(2021). Don't put all social network sites in one basket: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and their relations with well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. PLoS ONE, 16(3), e0248384. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248384

12.

Michikyan

Suárez-Orozco

Canca-Babayigit

(2023). Social media use and psychological well-being among emerging adults: The mediating role of social capital. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 52(2), 260–274. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-022-01613-1

13.

Omar

Dequan

(2020). Watch, share, or create: The influence of personality traits and user motivation on TikTok mobile video usage. International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies, 14(4), 121–137. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v14i04.12429

14.

Pittman

Reich

(2016). Social media and loneliness: Why an Instagram picture may be worth more than a thousand Twitter words. Computers in Human Behavior, 62(16), 155–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.03.084 .

15.

Saud

Mashud

Ida

(2020). Usage of social media during the pandemic: Seeking support and awareness about COVID-19 through social media platforms. Journal of Public Affairs, 20(4), e2417. https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2417

16.

Seabrook

E. M.

Kern

M. L.

Rickard

N. S.

(2016). Social networking sites, depression, and anxiety: A systematic review. JMIR Mental Health, 3(4), e50. https://doi.org/10.2196/mental.5842

17.

Sherlock

Wagstaff

D. L.

(2019). Exploring the relationship between frequency of Instagram use, exposure to idealized images, and psychological well-being in women. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 8(4), 482–490. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000182

18.

Siddiqui

Singh

(2021). Social media and mental health: A review. International Journal of Applied Psychology, 11(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.5923/j.ijap.20211101.01

19.

Tiggemann

Barbato

(2018). “You look great!”: The effect of viewing appearance-related Instagram comments on women’s body image. Body Image, 27(26), 61–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2018.08.009 .

20.

Ulvi

Akyuz

Eliacik

(2022). The relationship between social media addiction, sleep quality, and mental health problems in adolescents. Journal of Pediatric Research, 9(1), 33–39. https://doi.org/10.4274/jpr.galenos.2022.2021.0187

21.

Vannucci

Flannery

K. M.

Ohannessian

C. M.

(2017). Social media use and anxiety in emerging adults. Journal of Affective Disorders, 207(12), 163–166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.08.040 .

22.

Verduyn

Ybarra

Résibois

Jonides

Kross

(2017). Do social network sites enhance or undermine subjective well-being? A critical review. Social Issues and Policy Review, 11(1), 274–302. https://doi.org/10.1111/sipr.12033

23.

Yoon

Kleinman

Mertz

Brannick

(2019). Is social network site usage related to depression? A meta-analysis of Facebook-depression relations. Journal of Affective Disorders, 248(7), 65–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2019.01.026 .

24.

Zhao

Zhou

(2021). COVID-19 stress and addictive social media use (SMU): Mediating role of active use and social media flow. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12(3), 635546. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.635546 .