Abstract :
Today’s digital age has made social media platforms crucial to people’s everyday lives by facilitating many types of interaction, including communication, information dissemination, and professional networking. However, many people’s mental health has suffered as a result of the extensive use of social media, especially adults in the workforce. To what extent do working individuals’ social media habits contribute to their stress and mental health? That’s the question this report sets out to answer. The examine how the intrusive nature of social media, the pressure to maintain an online presence, and the constant exposure to curate online personas can lead to increased stress and vulnerability to depression through a comprehensive literature review and empirical analysis. The research highlights the need for more research into the effects of social media use on mental health and well-being and the significance of targeted interventions and digital literacy programs in helping to lessen the negative effects of social media use among this demographic. This research adds to the expanding body of information about the link between technology and mental health, providing insights that may help people and institutions encourage more positive online habits and cultivate a healthier perspective on technology.
The primary goals of this study are to investigate how much time spent on social media sites is associated with increased levels of stress and depression, to pinpoint specific social media behaviours that correlate with these adverse outcomes, and to investigate moderating factors that may influence the observed associations. This study used a mixed-methods strategy, combining quantitative survey data with qualitative interviews, to shed light on the intricate relationship between social media use, mental health, and the realities of today’s contemporary workforce.
Keywords :
Depression, Mental health and Psychological well-being, Social Media, Stress, Working adultsReferences :
- Abas, A. (2019, September 10). Suicide rate on the rise, particularly among youth. New Straits Times.
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2019/09/520301/suicide-rate-rise-particularly-among-youth - Alnazly, E., Khraisat, O. M., Al-Bashaireh, A. M., & Bryant, C. L. (2021). Anxiety, depression, stress, fear and social support during COVID-19 pandemic among Jordanian healthcare workers. PLOS ONE, 16(3), e0247679.
- Arslan, G., Yıldırım, M., & Zangeneh, M. (2021). Coronavirus anxiety and psychological adjustment in college students: Exploring the role of college belongingness and social media addiction. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 1–14.
- Ashforth, B. E., Kreiner, G. E., & Fugate, M. (2000). All in a day’s work: Boundaries and micro role transitions. Academy of Management Review, 25(3), 472–491.
- Batt, R., & Valcour, P. M. (2003). Human resources practices as predictors of work–family outcomes and employee turnover. Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, 42(2), 189–220.
- Brière, F. N., Archambault, K., & Janosz, M. (2013a). Reciprocal prospective associations between depressive symptoms and perceived relationship with parents in early adolescence. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 58(3), 169–176.
https://doi.org/10.1177/070674371305800307 - Brière, F. N., Pascal, S., Dupéré, V., & Janosz, M. (2013b). School environment and adolescent depressive symptoms: A multilevel longitudinal study. Pediatrics, 131(3), e702–e708. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2012-2172
- Byrley, A. (2016). A quantitative study of the source of stress for first-generation freshman female college students (Unpublished master’s thesis). Eastern Illinois University.
- Cellini, N., Canale, N., Mioni, G., & Costa, S. (2020). Changes in sleep pattern, sense of time and digital media use during COVID‐19 lockdown in Italy. Journal of Sleep Research, 29(4), e13074.
- Chan, D. K. C., Zhang, X., Fung, H. H., et al. (2015). Does emotion and its daily fluctuation correlate with depression? A cross-cultural analysis among six developing countries. Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health, 5(1), 65–74.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jegh.2014.09.001 - Derks, D., van Duin, D., Tims, M., & Bakker, A. B. (2015). Smartphone use and work–home interference: The moderating role of social norms and employee work engagement. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 88(1), 155–177.
- Derks, D., Bakker, A. B., Peters, P., & van Wingerden, P. (2016). Work-related smartphone use, work–family conflict and family role performance: The role of segmentation preference. Human Relations, 69(5), 1045–1068.
- Elbay, R. Y., Kurtulmuş, A., Arpacıoğlu, S., & Karadere, E. (2020). Depression, anxiety, stress levels of physicians and associated factors in COVID-19 pandemics. Psychiatry Research, 290, 113130.
- Greenhaus, J. H., & Beutell, N. J. (1985). Sources of conflict between work and family roles. Academy of Management Review, 10(1), 76–88.
- Kristofferzon, M., Engström, M., & Nilsson, A. (2018). Coping mediates the relationship between sense of coherence and mental quality of life in patients with chronic illness: A cross-sectional study. Quality of Life Research, 27(7), 1855–1863.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-018-1845-0 - Krylova, D. (2017). The impact of social media on depression in 18–34-year-olds in the United States (Master’s thesis).
http://fgcu.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/fgcu%3A30517 - Lee, S. Y., Wuertz, C., Rogers, R., & Chen, Y. P. (2013). Stress and sleep disturbances in female college students. American Journal of Health Behavior, 37(6), 851–858. https://doi.org/10.5993/AJHB.37.6.14
- Majeed, M., Irshad, M., Fatima, T., Khan, J., & Hassan, M. M. (2020). Relationship between problematic social media usage and employee depression: A moderated mediation model of mindfulness and fear of COVID-19. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 557987.
- Naicker, K., Galambos, N. L., Zeng, Y., Senthilselvan, A., & Colman, I. (2013). Social, demographic, and health outcomes in the 10 years following adolescent depression. Journal of Adolescent Health, 52(5), 533–538.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.12.016 - Orlikowski, W. J. (2007). Sociomaterial practices: Exploring technology at work. Organization Studies, 28(9), 1435–1448.
- Shah, S. M. A., Mohammad, D., Qureshi, M. F. H., Abbas, M. Z., & Aleem, S. (2021). Prevalence, psychological responses and associated correlates of depression, anxiety and stress in a global population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Community Mental Health Journal, 57, 101–110.
- Slee, P. T., & Skrzypiec, G. (2016). Well-being, positive peer relations and bullying in school settings. Springer.
- Steele, R. G., Hall, J. A., & Christofferson, J. L. (2020). Conceptualizing digital stress in adolescents and young adults: Toward the development of an empirically based model. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 23, 15–26.
- Tandon, A., Kaur, P., Dhir, A., & Mäntymäki, M. (2020). Sleepless due to social media? Investigating problematic sleep due to social media and social media sleep hygiene. Computers in Human Behavior, 113, 106487.
- Tennant, C. (2001). Work-related stress and depressive disorders. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 51(5), 697–704.
- Valcour, P. M., & Hunter, L. W. (2005). Technology, organizations, and work–life integration. Academy of Management Executive, 19(3), 29–42.
- Zhai, L., Zhang, H., & Zhang, D. (2015). Sleep duration and depression among adults: A meta-analysis of prospective studies. Depression and Anxiety, 32(9), 664–670. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22386
- Zhao, N., & Zhou, G. (2020). Social media use and mental health during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Moderator role of disaster stressor and mediator role of negative affect. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 12(4), 1019–1038.

