The second wave of COVID-19 isolations and social media use: examination from a stress-coping perspective

Abstract

Information seeking and social support are integral to an individual’s social media use, during COVID-19 lockdowns these effects are exacerbated due to isolation. This study surveyed 756 Chinese individuals who experienced the second lockdown to discover how they utilized social media to combat stress. Findings showed that socioemotional coping and disengagement mediated relationships across social media use intensity and social media overload. Meanwhile, age moderated associations between coping strategies and an individual’s social media overload.