Most of us know it: after a hectic day, scrolling through social networks seems to calm the nervous system, and sharing your own posts, comments and likes give you a real dopamine kick. But what happens when this positive interaction doesn't materialise? What impact does this have on our sense of stress and how do we cope with it?
Interaction on Instagram - stress buffers and stress triggers
In a qualitative study, Maximilian Haug (research assistant at the Institute for Digital Innovation, IDI), Julia Reiter (IMUK graduate) and HNU Professor Dr Heiko Gewald (Head of the IDI) examined the stress experience of content creators on Instagram: they investigated which factors cause stress during content production and the subsequent interaction, how the platform is used as a stress buffer and how the test subjects deal with these stress factors.
From distraction to self-sabotage: stress management strategies are varied
The study revealed a strong focus on likes: when content is posted, the main aim is to achieve a certain number of likes - comments are perceived as a positive but optional extra. If the desired likes do not materialise, stress arises. A problem that should not be underestimated: the stress caused by interaction on social media can spill over into offline relationships and damage them.
In their interviews, Maximilian Haug, Julia Reiter and Prof Dr Heiko Gewald identified two different categories of stress management strategies: emotion-oriented and problem-oriented strategies. The first category includes, for example, distraction or deleting content; strategies such as changing posting behaviour or one's own mindset are considered problem-oriented. The interesting thing about the latter strategies: Because content continues to be produced, users in these cases remain stuck in the cycle of attracting attention on social media.
Possible solution: reduce the influence of likes
The study provides insights into the stress experienced by content creators and offers a grid for different stress management strategies. The researchers see a possible solution in reducing the focus on likes in the functional logic of social media platforms - as a first step, this could reduce stress in content creation. However, such approaches are complex, as they usually conflict with the like economy and the strong focus on interaction on social media platforms.
Read more
Haug, Maximilian; Reiter, Julia; Gewald, Heiko (2024): Content creators on Instagram—How users cope with stress on social media. In: Telematics and Informatics Reports 13, S. 100111. DOI: 10.1016/j.teler.2023.100111
Go to full text: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772503023000713?via%3Dihub
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Maximilian Haug
