Is Social Media a New Type of Social Support? Social Media Use in Spain during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Study

Aviana O. Rosen, Ashley L. Holmes, Nekane Balluerka, Maria Dolores Hidalgo, Arantxa Gorostiaga, Juana Gómez-Benito and Tania B. Huedo-Medina
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Aviana O. Rosen: Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
Ashley L. Holmes: Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
Nekane Balluerka: Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, and Research Methods, Faculty of Psychology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, 20018 Donostia, Spain
Maria Dolores Hidalgo: Department of Basic Psychology and Methodology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Arantxa Gorostiaga: Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, and Research Methods, Faculty of Psychology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, 20018 Donostia, Spain
Juana Gómez-Benito: Group on Measurement Invariance and Analysis of Change (GEIMAC), Institute of Neuroscience, University of Barcelona, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
Tania B. Huedo-Medina: Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 7, 1-20

Abstract: This study examines Spanish adults’ social media use during the COVID-19 pandemic using mixed-methods to assess and understand frequency, context, and changes in social media use during two critical time points in Spain. We conducted semi-structured interviews in April 2020, and two waves of surveys (April 2020, April 2021) among Spanish adults. We coded and analyzed qualitative data related to social media use during the first lockdown period in Spain using Dedoose software; and ran descriptive statistics and chi-square tests to assess changes in social media use over the two survey waves related to perceived social support and loneliness. Participants ranged in age from 18–92 and were representative of the Spanish population’s sociodemographics. Interview data show that WhatsApp was most commonly used, and that social media allowed for social support and engaging in healthy behaviors. Survey data show that women and individuals aged 18–34 had the greatest increases in social media use. Statistically significant associations were found between social support and loneliness with social media use. Our results show that promoting social media use as an emotional resource for social support in times of crisis or isolation can minimize loneliness and can be a beneficial tool for general worldwide crises.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; social media; social support; qualitative research; survey research; health promotion; interpersonal communication (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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