Summary: New research indicates that social media interactions can help reduce negative emotions and support well-being for people who feel uneasy in direct, one-on-one social encounters.
Source: Society for Consumer Psychology.
Have you ever wanted to share a difficult day at work or unsettling medical news but felt hesitant to call or meet a friend in person?
Recent findings suggest that people who are apprehensive about direct, personal conversations are increasingly turning to online social networks as an alternative way to regulate emotions and seek social support. The study behind these findings is available online in the Journal of Consumer Psychology.
“When people feel upset or distressed, they often want to reach out because social contact can lessen negative emotions and restore a sense of well-being,” says Eva Buechel, a professor at the University of South Carolina’s business school. “Yet face-to-face talks or phone calls can feel intimidating. People may worry about imposing on others or being judged. Posting a status update or sending a short message on a social platform lets someone reach a broad audience in a less directed, less demanding way.”
Microblogging — posting brief updates to an open or semi-open audience on platforms such as Twitter or Facebook — gives users an opportunity to express themselves without singling out an individual recipient. Responses in these spaces are voluntary and undirected, which reduces the perceived burden on any one person. To test whether socially apprehensive people are more likely to choose undirected online communication, Buechel and colleagues ran several experiments.
In one experiment, participants were prompted to recall a situation that made them feel socially isolated at a party, while a control group wrote about neutral office items. Participants who had active social network accounts were then asked to log in and spend two minutes on their preferred platform. Afterward, researchers recorded whether participants had posted an update. Those who had been made to feel socially apprehensive were more likely to microblog during that brief session.
A further experiment examined how negative emotions trigger different choices of communication based on individual differences in social anxiety. One group viewed a suspenseful clip from the film Silence of the Lambs to induce negative feelings, while a control group watched neutral space imagery. Participants then reported how likely they would be to express themselves using three modes: microblogging publicly, speaking to someone in person, or sending a private direct message. The study also measured participants’ levels of social apprehension across a range of everyday situations.
The researchers found that people scoring higher on social apprehension were more inclined to use microblogging to express themselves following a negative emotional experience. Conversely, participants lower in social apprehension tended to prefer direct, personal communication—either in person or via private messages—after the same emotional prompt.
These results highlight a nuanced role for social media in emotional regulation and social support. While in-person conversations are often regarded as the most effective way to connect, undirected online communication can serve an important purpose for individuals who might otherwise remain isolated. For people who worry about bothering others or about the social demands of a direct exchange, microblogging provides a lower-pressure channel to be heard and to receive voluntary responses.
At the same time, the researchers caution against relying exclusively on social networks as the only form of social contact. Overdependence on undirected online posting could limit opportunities for deeper, reciprocal relationships. When used thoughtfully, however, microblogging can act as a valuable emotional buffer, helping people to manage negative feelings and to reestablish a sense of belonging.
Source: Heather Stringer – Society for Consumer Psychology
Publisher: Organized by NeuroscienceNews.com.
Image Source: Public domain.
Original Research: “Microblogging and the Value of Undirected Communication” by Eva C. Buechel and Jonah Berger. Published online October 30, 2017.
Abstract
Microblogging and the Value of Undirected Communication
Online social networks are now a central part of everyday communication. This research shows that microblogging — short, undirected posts that reach a broad audience — is partly driven by its undirected nature. Because microblogging does not require addressing any specific person, it reduces fears about imposing on others and lowers the social cost of reaching out. As a result, this form of communication is especially appealing to people who feel socially apprehensive: it enables them to express feelings, seek social contact, and obtain voluntary responses without the pressure of direct interaction. These findings help explain why people use social platforms and illuminate the psychological value of undirected social communication for emotional regulation and social connection.