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Covid Stress influencing Media Addiction

 I found a study done in Beijing, China that could greatly support my research into Media Dependency. It surveyed over 200 college students and found a direct correlation between Covid-19 stress and an increase in social media addiction in individuals. 

Below are excerpts I am especially interested in:


"Due to policies to limit the spread of the virus, such as the “shelter-in-place” order (1), people, willing or not, are undergoing a transition from offline to online activities (2). In addition to remote work or remote learning, many people spent increased time on social media (SM), such as Facebook and Twitter, which could satisfy their need for disaster-related information, entertainment as well as interpersonal communication (3, 4)"

"The present study examined the relationship between COVID-19 stress, active use, SM flow, and addictive SMU in a sample of Chinese college students. Consistent with Hypothesis 1a, COVID-19 related stress was associated with a greater tendency of addictive SMU, higher level of active use, and SM flow experience."

"To sum up, the significant results in part confirmed our hypotheses and therefore allow a better understanding of why people who suffer from pandemic-related stress are at enhanced risk to develop addictive SMU."

"In sum, the study showed that COVID-19 stress was positively correlated with addictive SMU. Moreover, the relationship between COVID-19 stress and addictive SMU was significantly mediated by active use and SM flow, both individually and combined. Individuals who experienced higher level of COVID-19 stress were at a higher risk of developing addictive SMU as a result of increased level of active use and SM flow."


Zhao, N., & Zhou, G. (2021). COVID-19 Stress and Addictive Social Media Use (SMU): Mediating Role of Active Use and Social Media Flow. Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.635546/full#B42

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