Full e-thesis link is provided below. If the link is broken, the thesis can also be found in the University of Nottingham e-Theses Repository.
Abstract:
Social media platforms are becoming almost unavoidable for many young people today due to their prominence in daily life. With usage statistics rising annually, along with increased use following the Covid-19 pandemic, it is critical to explore how regular social media use affects the mental wellbeing of young people. While previous research has conveyed mixed findings and largely focused on the general population, this research looks at diverse lived experiences to explore how care experience may affect the impact of social media on wellbeing and self-view. Care-experienced young people are more susceptible to developing mental health issues and it is therefore imperative to research factors that may influence their mental wellbeing, such as social media use. This multidisciplinary research explores the antecedents to more severe, diagnosable mental health issues, looking at the impact of social media on aspects of self-view such as self-esteem, self-worth, and identity, and how this is influenced by lived experience of the care system.
A qualitative approach was adopted across three studies to explore the relationships between social media use, mental wellbeing, and care experience, to examine implications for social media design and policy. The first study, a think-aloud protocol session with young people from the general population and young people who are care-experienced, conveyed the differing emotional effects of social media and outlined specific social media design features that were beneficial or harmful to mental wellbeing. Participants described design features of social media that acted as protectors against developing wellbeing-related issues or low mood, as well as providing suggestions on how to improve social media. Differences transpired between the two groups, showing that lived experiences of care can result in differing online needs, illustrating that these needs should be accounted for in social media design and policy.
A second study with similar participants consisted of semi-structured interviews exploring the broader impact of social media on young people’s self-view and wellbeing. Similar themes were developed via reflexive thematic analysis, outlining the ways social media can have both positive and negative effects on wellbeing. New themes were additionally found, with the young people emphasising the importance of age and emotional maturity. Other themes on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and care experience specifically were presented, again highlighting that care-experienced young people are affected by social media platforms in different ways compared to the general population. Therefore, by extension, much of the existing academic literature across these topics may not be applicable to the care-experienced population.
The third study consisted of semi-structured interviews with social care professionals. This was to gain an additional viewpoint on how social media impacts upon the self-view and wellbeing of care-experienced young people. Multiple new themes emerged from this study, including a theme surrounding social media supervision and guidance, suggestions for existing policies, and how social media could be improved. Likewise, further information was gained regarding the impact of social media on care-experienced young people’s wellbeing, as well as the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on both young people’s wellbeing and social media use.
The findings presented in this research demonstrate the numerous effects social media can have on the wellbeing and self-view of young people, whilst conveying the unique needs of care-experienced young people. These findings have important implications for the design of social media and future policies surrounding digital mental health. The practicable recommendations produced from this research include the need for more digital literacy training and mental health education, implementing new social media design features, and providing more support for young people who are more susceptible to developing mental health issues. Therefore, it is concluded that this research uniquely contributes rich, multidisciplinary data about how social media can affect young people and, more specifically, care-experienced young people. This information can be utilised by young people, caregivers, social work teams, educators, the technology sector, and policymakers to inform practice and encourage collaborative working to improve the psychological impact of social media.
School of Medicine
Supervisors: Elvira Perez Vallejos, Chris James Carter
Keywords: Social media, Psychological impact, Digital mental health…, Young people, Self-esteem, Self-worth, Identity, Social care
