Abstract
Social media has become a prevalent part of today’s society, allowing for human connection and an abundance of information at the click of a button. However, the effects of content exposure have come under scrutiny. This study aimed to investigate the impacts of increased exposure to positive content and mindfulness techniques on emotion and stress when delivered through an online social media platform. The researchers intended to examine whether exposure to positive content through a social media platform influenced participants' emotions, stress levels, and the type of content they posted, compared to exposure to more neutral content. Through a randomized control study, participants were placed in either a perceived “positive” or “neutral” group, where the researchers created confederate accounts to act as fellow participants and posted the appropriate content (i.e., positive, or neutral) to the group. Confederate accounts were used to minimize any bias that might be introduced by researcher interaction. The researchers measured stress and emotional responses before and after the experiment, and they also measured the type of content the participants posted. The researchers intended to find out if the type of content the participants viewed influenced the type of content that they posted as well as its effects on certain aspects of mental health. The results displayed a slight significance level, suggesting that exposure to positive social media content may lead individuals to experience more positive emotions than those not exposed to such content. Nevertheless, exposure to positive social media content did not alter stress perceptions, based on the study findings. Even a small but significant difference in perceived positive emotions may indicate the considerable impact social media can have within a short timeframe.
Class Associated With Work
PSY455: Positive Psychology
Major
Psychology
Document Type
Scholarly Article
faculty_approval_form.pdf
Recommended Citation
Mattson, Victoria and Burgess, Katie
(2023)
"Effects of Positive Social Media Content on Emotion, Stress, and User Activity,"
Conspectus Borealis: Vol. 9:
Iss.
1, Article 4.
Available at:
https://commons.nmu.edu/conspectus_borealis/vol9/iss1/4
