Study Reinforces That , Social Media Is Not , a Reliable Source of Information.
According to research published in 'Psychology of Popular
Media,' individuals who look to social media for information
tend to have lower knowledge regarding anxiety.
'Psypost' reports that those who tend to
turn to social media also exhibit an
indiscriminate use of coping strategies.
'Psypost' reports that those who tend to
turn to social media also exhibit an
indiscriminate use of coping strategies.
I became heavily interested
in this topic throughout the early
stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rebecca Wolenski, Study author and doctoral student in
clinical psychology at Florida International University.
Folks in need had more limited options
to gain services due to quarantine and
illness, which exacerbated this issue
and also brought the need for anxiety-
related aid to the forefront of my attention, Rebecca Wolenski, Study author and doctoral student in
clinical psychology at Florida International University.
Participants were asked how often
they sought out information regarding
anxiety via seven different sources.
Those sources were: social media,
friends/family, books, internet websites,
podcasts, television/movies and therapy.
Then participants were asked to complete a 35-question
test of knowledge about anxiety and how often they used
advice or coping strategies suggested on social media.
Ultimately our data supports our original
hypothesis, which is that emerging adults
do in fact seek this type of information
on social media platforms like TikTok,
Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, Rebecca Wolenski, Study author and doctoral student in
clinical psychology at Florida International University.
Therefore, we conclude that while these
sites provide plentiful and accessible
information, they might not be the best
primary sources to rely solely on, Rebecca Wolenski, Study author and doctoral student in
clinical psychology at Florida International University