Taking the good with the bad?: Social Media and Online Racial Discrimination Influences on Psychological and Academic Functioning in Black and Hispanic Youth

Thomas, Alvin; Jing, Mengguo; Chen, Hung‐Yang; Crawford, Eric L.

doi:10.1007/s10964-022-01689-z

Cited by 15 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Finally, our sample was predominantly White and high SES. As in the offline world, adolescents of color are also exposed to racial discrimination online (Tao & Fisher, 2022;Thomas et al, 2023) and social media has emerged as an avenue for identity exploration and development among minoritized youth (Brinkman & Jacobi, 2020;LeBlanc & Loyd, 2022). Moreover, trajectories of depressive symptoms across adolescence differ across racial and ethnic groups (Brown et al, 2007;Sen, 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neural Reactivity to Social Reward Moderates the Association Between Social Media Use and Momentary Positive Affect in Adolescents

Politte-Corn,

Pegg,

Dickey

et al. 2024

Affec Sci

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Peer relationships take on increasing importance during adolescence, and there has been considerable debate about the effects of social media use on adolescent emotional health. Little work has examined individual differences in brain function that might impact these associations. In this study, we examined the reward positivity (RewP) to social and monetary reward as a moderator of the relation between social media use and concurrent momentary affect in adolescents. Participants were 145 adolescents aged 14–17 (M = 15.23; SD = 1.08; 64.1% female; 71.7% White) at varying risk for depression (47 high-risk based on maternal depression history, 50 low-risk, 48 currently depressed). Measures of social media use, positive affect (PA), and negative affect (NA) were obtained through ecological momentary assessment. In a laboratory session, adolescents completed a computerized peer feedback task and a monetary reward task to elicit the RewP to social and monetary reward feedback. Multilevel models indicated that social media use and a smaller RewP to monetary rewards were associated with lower PA. However, social (but not monetary) reward responsiveness moderated the effect of social media use on momentary PA, such that social media use was associated with lower PA for adolescents with a relatively blunted RewP to peer acceptance, but not for those with an enhanced social RewP. Exploratory analyses indicated that this moderation effect was specific to female adolescents. The results highlight neural reactivity to social reward as a potential factor contributing to variability in the effect of social media use on affective health.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neural Reactivity to Social Reward Moderates the Association Between Social Media Use and Momentary Positive Affect in Adolescents

Politte-Corn,

Pegg,

Dickey

et al. 2024

Affec Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Studies suggest that the majority of Americans (84%), ages 18–29, use social media sites such as YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram to form and maintain social interactions (Auxier & Anderson, 2021; Rideout & Robb, 2018). With the increased usage of digital media for facilitating social interactions, digital media is an important context for understanding development among Black college students in both positive and negative ways (Thomas et al, 2022). In particular, while digital media may be used as a tool for prosocial behavior such as cultivating social connections with friends, sharing content and ideas, and engaging with politics and activism (Armstrong-Carter & Telzer, 2021; Rideout & Robb, 2018), online use also exposes college students to increased experiences of racial discrimination and vicarious discrimination through social media platforms (e.g., English et al, 2020; Hurd et al, 2022; Maxie-Moreman & Tynes, 2022; Thomas et al, 2022).…”

Section: Prsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With the increased usage of digital media for facilitating social interactions, digital media is an important context for understanding development among Black college students in both positive and negative ways (Thomas et al, 2022). In particular, while digital media may be used as a tool for prosocial behavior such as cultivating social connections with friends, sharing content and ideas, and engaging with politics and activism (Armstrong-Carter & Telzer, 2021; Rideout & Robb, 2018), online use also exposes college students to increased experiences of racial discrimination and vicarious discrimination through social media platforms (e.g., English et al, 2020; Hurd et al, 2022; Maxie-Moreman & Tynes, 2022; Thomas et al, 2022). Racial discrimination presents a considerable risk in the lives of Black youth (e.g., increased depressive symptoms, anxiety; English et al, 2020; Tynes et al, 2020), yet studies have alluded to digital media as a site for racial socialization among peers to cope with and combat the racial oppression they experience online as well as beyond the digital context (e.g., on college campuses; Ruck et al, 2021).…”

Section: Prsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When compared to White and Latine youth, Black adolescents and emerging adults are the most likely to have a phone, and approximately 34% report being online almost constantly (Lenhart et al, 2015). Unfortunately, Black individuals are also the most likely to experience online harm because of their race (Vogels, 2021), highlighting the potentially harmful effects on development and functioning among Black college students (Del Toro & Wang, 2023; Thomas et al, 2022). Similar to in-person discrimination, online racial discrimination threatens Black adolescents’ academic motivation, psychological adjustment and is implicated in how Black college students perceive the racial climates around them (Tynes, 2007; Tynes et al, 2013).…”

Section: Prsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Black college students navigating digital environments: A qualitative analysis of peer racial socialization.

Garrett,

Golden,

Gibson

2024

Psychology of Popular Media

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This qualitative study examined how Black college students use digital media for peer racial socialization (PRS) within digital environments (e.g., social media, text messaging, and online). Participants were 20 Black undergraduate students between the ages 18 and 25, attending a predominantly White institution. Using the thematic analysis approach, in-depth individual interviews were coded using inductive methods. PRS was revealed to occur in multiple ways, including (a) cultural socialization, (b) cultivating community, (c) processing discrimination, and (d) encouraging resilience. Findings highlight the significance of digital media in supporting social development among Black college students. These results highlight need for continued scholarship examining the processes underlying PRS across multiple domains, and understanding how Black college students are agents supporting their own racial socialization and healthy development with digital media. Public Policy Relevance StatementFindings suggest that digital landscapes offer valuable opportunities for peer racial socialization (PRS) among Black college students. Individual interviews reveal that there are multiple ways by which PRS occurs (i.e., cultural socialization, cultivating community, processing discrimination, and encouraging resilience).

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“…Adolescents with minoritized identities experience unique benefits and harms on social media. Among youth of color, experiences of online discrimination, including vicarious discrimination, is associated with mental health diagnoses, like anxiety and depression (Tao & Fisher, 2022;Thomas et al, 2023). On the other hand, LGBTQIA+ adolescents often seek supportive communities on social media (Escobar-Viera et al, 2022).…”

Section: Centering Individual Adolescents In Broad Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adolescents’ self-regulation of social media use during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic: An idiographic approach

Dreier,

Low,

Fedor

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Adolescent social media serves a broad range of functions, which may be helpful for some and harmful for others. During the COVID-19 lockdown, social media evolved considerably, occupying an even more central role in adolescents’ lives. This study leverages a new approach to measuring social media use behaviors—passive smartphone sensing. Specifically, we aimed to test if and how adolescents self-regulate their social media use in response to how they feel during and after use. This study followed 19 adolescents for one month. Participants completed baseline measures, assessing demographic and clinical characteristics. We used passive smartphone sensing to measure objective social media use behaviors (‘screen time’ and checking) for a one month period. Adolescents also completed daily diary questions on their mood. Analyses took an idiographic (N=1) approach. Dynamic structural equation models tested daily and next-day relationships between social media use behaviors and mood for each adolescent. Most adolescents (N=13 of 19) did not self-regulate their social media use in relation to their mood. Most importantly, they did not use it less when they feel more negative mood during use. That said, some adolescents (N=6) did alter their social media use behaviors depending on their mood. Each adolescent’s pattern of social media use and mood was also qualitatively interpreted within their context of demographic (e.g., experience of holding a minoritized identity) and clinical characteristics (e.g., history of suicidal thoughts and behaviors). These results highlight next steps for possible intervention points to help adolescents adjust their use patterns to maximize mental health benefits while minimizing possible harms. Findings also begin to develop a template for applying social media use recommendations, while centering the experiences of individual adolescents.

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Taking the good with the bad?: Social Media and Online Racial Discrimination Influences on Psychological and Academic Functioning in Black and Hispanic Youth

Cited by 15 publications

References 40 publications

Neural Reactivity to Social Reward Moderates the Association Between Social Media Use and Momentary Positive Affect in Adolescents

Neural Reactivity to Social Reward Moderates the Association Between Social Media Use and Momentary Positive Affect in Adolescents

Black college students navigating digital environments: A qualitative analysis of peer racial socialization.

Adolescents’ self-regulation of social media use during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic: An idiographic approach

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