Understanding the Role of Social Media Content in Inducing Anxiety: A Qualitative Study

Authors: A Meythaler

Published: 2025

Publication: 2025 - scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu

The study identifies six categories of social media content—negative news, incivility, social comparison content, political content, misinformation, and depictions of dangerous behavior—as triggers for anxiety among users.

Methods: A qualitative study was conducted using interviews or focus groups with 249 social media users to explore the effects of different content types on anxiety.

Key Findings: The role of specific social media content categories in inducing feelings of anxiety.

Limitations: The qualitative nature of the study may limit generalizability; further quantitative investigation is required to validate findings.

Institution: University of Potsdam, Weizenbaum Institute

Research Area: Social Media, Anxiety, Qualitative Research, Computational Social Science

Discipline: Psychological Science, Computational Social Science

Sample Size: 249 participants

Citations: 4

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24251/HICSS.2025.334