PsyberSpace: Understand Your World

Understanding the Positive Impacts of Social Media on Youth

In this episode of PsyberSpace, host Leslie Poston discusses the often overlooked benefits of social media for kids and teens. Through a review of recent research and peer-reviewed studies, the episode explores how digital platforms like Discord, Instagram, and TikTok serve as modern 'third spaces' for social interaction, support psychological development, and offer educational and career development opportunities. The episode also covers mental health awareness and the role of social media in fostering global awareness and empathy. Listeners are encouraged to guide young people toward purposeful social media engagement to maximize its benefits.

00:00 Introduction: Debunking the Moral Panic Around Social Media
01:27 The Disappearance of Physical Third Spaces
02:15 Digital Third Spaces: Modern Gathering Places
03:00 The Power of Digital Connections
04:49 Building Genuine Online Communities
06:16 Social Media and Career Development
07:33 Educational Benefits of Social Media
09:25 Mental Health Awareness and Support
11:00 Fostering Creativity Through Social Media
12:42 Social Media and Civic Engagement
14:19 Psychological Benefits of Social Media
16:07 Broadening Horizons: Cultural Competence
18:16 Algorithmic Feeds and Parental Guidance
18:52 Conclusion: Maximizing Social Media Benefits

References:

Anderson, M., & Jiang, J. (2018). Teens, social media & technology 2018. Pew Research Center. 

Anderson, M., & Vogels, E. A. (2023). Teens and social media: Key findings from Pew Research Center surveys. Pew Research Center. 

Asterhan, C. S., & Bouton, E. (2017). Teenage peer-to-peer knowledge sharing through social network sites in secondary schools. Computers & Education, 110, 16-34.

Auxier, B., & Anderson, M. (2022). Social media use in 2021. Pew Research Center. 

Best, P., Manktelow, R., & Taylor, B. (2014). Online communication, social media and adolescent wellbeing: A systematic narrative review. Children and Youth Services Review, 41, 27-36.

Boulianne, S., & Theocharis, Y. (2018). Young people, digital media, and engagement: A meta-analysis of research. Social Science Computer Review, 36(6), 737-755.

Boulianne, S., & Theocharis, Y. (2023). Young people, social media, and political engagement: A meta-analysis. Information, Communication & Society, 26(4), 510-528.

boyd, d. (2024). Risks vs. Harms: Youth & Social Media. Data: Made Not Found. https://zephoria.substack.com/p/risks-vs-harms-youth-and-social-media

Burke, M., & Kraut, R. E. (2016). The relationship between Facebook use and well‐being depends on communication type and tie strength. Journal of Computer‐Mediated Communication, 21(4), 265-281.

Chen, G. M. (2012). The impact of new media on intercultural communication in global context. China Media Research, 8(2), 1-10.

Davis, K. (2012). Friendship 2.0: Adolescents' experiences of belonging and self-disclosure online. Journal of Adolescence, 35(6), 1527-1536.

Erfani, S. S., & Abedin, B. (2018). Impacts of the use of social network sites on users' psychological well‐being: A systematic review. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 69(7), 900-912.

Gan, B., & Li, H. (2018). Understanding the effects of gratifications on the continuance intention to use WeChat in China: A perspective on uses and gratifications. Computers in Human Behavior, 78, 306-315.

Greenhow, C., & Chapman, A. (2020). Social distancing meet social media: Digital tools for connecting students, teachers, and citizens in an emergency. Information and Learning Sciences, 121(5/6), 341-352.

Greenhow, C., Galvin, S., & Staudt Willet, K. B. (2023). What should students learn about social media? Teachers' perspectives and practices. Teaching and Teacher Education, 121, 103912.

Greenhow, C., & Lewin, C. (2016). Social media and education: Reconceptualizing the boundaries of formal and informal learning. Learning, Media and Technology, 41(1), 6-30.

Ito, M., & Martin, C. (2023). Connected learning and the future of libraries. Young Adult Library Services, 19(4), 12-18.

Jenkins, H., Shresthova, S., Gamber-Thompson, L., Kligler-Vilenchik, N., & Zimmerman, A. M. (2016). By any media necessary: The new youth activism. NYU Press.

Kaye, D. B. K., Chen, X., & Powers, A. (2023). The mobile social media ecology of youth creative production. Mobile Media & Communication, 11(1), 148-167.

Kim, Y., & Kim, Y. (2017). The impact of social networking services on Korean adolescents' cross-cultural interaction: Facebook vs. Cyworld. Computers in Human Behavior, 71, 228-237.

Kim, Y., & Yang, J. (2023). Cross-cultural interactions through social media: How digital platforms facilitate global understanding. New Media & Society, 25(3), 731-749.

Lee, S. J. (2009). Online communication and adolescent social ties: Who benefits more from Internet use? Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 14(3), 509-531.

Li, X., & Carroll, R. J. (2020). Social media and professional networking: A case study of scientists' use of Twitter. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 71(12), 1483-1497.

LinkedIn. (2023). Global talent trends 2023. LinkedIn Economic Graph.

Nabity-Grover, T., Cheung, C. M., & Thatcher, J. B. (2020). Inside out and outside in: How the COVID-19 pandemic affects self-disclosure on social media. International Journal of Information Management, 55, 102188.

Naslund, J. A., Aschbrenner, K. A., Marsch, L. A., & Bartels, S. J. (2016). The future of mental health care: peer-to-peer support and social media. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 25(2), 113-122.

O'Reilly, M., Dogra, N., Hughes, J., Reilly, P., George, R., & Whiteman, N. (2023). Potential benefits and harms of social media for adolescent mental health: Understanding adolescent, parent and professional perspectives. Journal of Adolescence, 94, 25-37.

Oldenburg, R., & Brissett, D. (1982). The third place. Qualitative Sociology, 5(4), 265-284.

Przybylski, A. K., & Weinstein, N. (2023). Digital screen time and human development: Evidence from a large-scale study of adolescents. Nature Human Behaviour, 7(4), 550-558.

Richards, D., Doherty, G., et al. (2023). Internet-delivered mental health interventions for young people: Systematic review. JMIR Mental Health, 10(1), e41724.

Robinson, P., Turk, D., Jilka, S., & Cella, M. (2019). Measuring attitudes towards mental health using social media: investigating stigma and trivialisation. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 54(1), 51-58.

Rutledge, P. (2024). Why Warning Labels on Social Media Will Hurt not Help Kids. The Psychology of Digital Behaviors. https://www.pamelarutledge.com/why-warning-labels-on-social-media-will-hurt-not-help-kids/

Thomas, L., Orme, E., & Kerrigan, F. (2020). Student loneliness: The role of social media through life transitions. Computers & Education, 146, 103754.

Vodafone Foundation. (2023). Digital society index 2023: Youth perspectives.

Wohn, D. Y., Ellison, N. B., Khan, M. L., Fewins-Bliss, R., & Gray, R. (2013). The role of social media in shaping first-generation high school students' college aspirations: A social capital lens. Computers & Education, 63, 424-436.

Wu, J., & Shen, C. (2023). Social media use and adolescent development: A meta-analysis of research (2010–2022). Computers in Human Behavior, 138, 107501.

Yang, C., & Lee, Y. (2023). Interplay of social media use and psychological well‐being during the transition to college. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 84, 101509.

Zhang, R. (2017). The stress-buffering effect of self-disclosure on Facebook: An examination of stressful life events, social support, and mental health among college students. Computers in Human Behavior, 75, 527-537.