In 2020, amid the tumult of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic instability, and protests against systemic racism and police brutality in the United States, Justice and Joy National Collaborative orchestrated 15 virtual, regional, and Tribal “In Solidarity Conversations.” These gatherings served as a pivotal catalyst for subsequent research to uncover the profound effects of social media on girls and gender-expansive young people of color.
By 2023, the spotlight on social media intensified, shedding light on its numerous controversies and significant, profound impact on individuals and society. These controversies ranged from questions concerning the accuracy, ethics, and potential dangers of artificial intelligence (AI) to the seemingly endless impacts of prolonged social media use. This time period invited us to question our behaviors on social media and how they impact us in the long term.
As the call to explore the effects of social media use and its impacts on mental health arose, the Creative Liberation Research Fellowship met the challenge with strategic, collaborative research. Our team of Research Leads – Genisus Holland, Monique Kitnikone, and Chloe Williams – constructed a mixed-methodology research design to examine the impact of prolonged social media use on girls, young women, and gender-expansive young people of color in the United States.
Project Overview
The research project was youth-led and co-constructed with the support and leadership of Justice + Joy’s Research Manager of Collaborative Research and Innovative Thought (CRIT), Erykah Weems. As the design for this research project was developed, Research Leads voiced the importance of making the research process engaging, authentic and humanizing to the lived experiences of the participants who supported the data collection process.
Backed by a review of the literature, the team of Research Leads leveraged qualitative and art-based research approaches to inform and guide the study. This mixed methods design provided diverse and well-rounded insights into the impact of prolonged social media use on girls, young women, and gender-expansive young people of color.
With the guidance of Dr. Shena Sanchez of the University of Alabama, research leads developed a robust understanding of how art-based research can enhance and uplift the themes found in the qualitative data collection and analysis process. For this study, Research Leads incorporated an art-based and recovery-focused approach to their focus groups as a participatory activity. Genisus Holland of the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) area facilitated her session which featured a virtual collaging activity, Monique Kitnikone led a beading activity during her focus group in Hawaii, and Chloe Williams of California led focus groups in which participants engaged in a painting activity.
The focus group participants ranged between the ages of 13 – 25 and were multiracial/multicultural, and included girls, women, and gender-expansive young people of color across three diverse locations. Each focus group took participants through a questionnaire co-constructed by the Research leads that explored participants’ experiences with social media, vicarious trauma, and parasocial relationships.
Modern-day media use is parasocial relationships. “Parasocial relationships (PSRs) are nonreciprocal socio-emotional connections with media figures such as celebrities or influencers.”
About 51% of Americans have been in parasocial relationships, though only 16% will admit to it. Participants mentioned knowing an average of 80% of their followers, with most saying that they have met the majority of the people they follow.
Major themes
1. Vicarious trauma and bystander effect – Across the board, in all three focus groups, participants described the impact of witnessing racial and gender-based violence via social media.
- “When videos are shared regarding violence against black folks or trans folks, it can shock me a bit since I have experienced a hate crime. It can be tough having to navigate life because the hate I see online does spill over into real-world violence.”
– Participant, DMV-area focus group
- “I’d say every week because I try not to engage in many current events. As I say this, I realize that my effort to not engage in the news is actually an outcome of seeing people who look like me being brutalized way too often, to the point where I didn’t want my spirit to become consumed by the helplessness of the portrayed black person (who’s often only celebrated on social media after death). I can say I feel desensitized because even when faced with images of black suffering in real life, my emotions are unfortunately suppressed due to the installed premeditated expectations provided by the ever so present media.”
– Participant, DMV-area focus group
2. Feeling triggered by discriminatory language and footage of racial/gender-based violence on social media. – Between all three states/regions, participants described feelings of anxiety, depression, and dysregulation following exposure to graphic images or insensitive comments regarding gender and racial violence. Participants also described harassment as seemingly inescapable.
- “Yeah, that was everywhere. It felt like I could never even open Instagram without seeing it.”
– Participant, Hawaii focus group
- “They’re always posting something, and you always see… You see violent things being posted.”
– Participant, Hawaii focus group
- “And for me, I was just like, “Why should I have to go through this? What did I do to deserve for somebody to call me names?”
– Participant, California focus group
- “When I go online, and I consume that type of content and see that it really emotionally dysregulates me to an amount where I almost get physically ill, especially with seeing people post just… It could be the stupidest jokes, but insinuating gender-based violence and stuff like that. Maybe it just triggers me to see that content repeatedly has made me more accessible or sensitive to trigger.”
– Participant, California focus group
3. Safety measures are needed – Focus group participants expressed anxiety surrounding social media use and parasocial relationships and a need for more thorough safety precautions online.
- “I think creating boundaries and safeguards that allow social media to be an engaging but safer space. Curating the content we see so it boosts us and not hinders us is really important”
– Participant, DMV area focus group
- “You can allow people into your life who might want to take advantage of you. Because you view your parasocial relationship as a real friendship, you trust people who might not deserve your trust.”
– Participant, California focus group
- “By posting more positive content and realizing what is seen on social media is just one aspect of someone’s life and not always realistic,” “By posting more positive content and realizing what is seen on social media is just one aspect of someone’s life and not always realistic.”
– Participant, DMV area focus group
Conclusion
Social Media is undoubtedly here to stay, making it crucial to understand its profound impact on today’s youth, particularly those from underrepresented and often targeted demographics. These platforms serve as hubs for information, alternative communities, and self-expression. However, they also reflect and perpetuate societal prejudices and negativity. As social media increasingly integrates into our society and profoundly shapes youth experiences, it becomes imperative to equip them with the skills to navigate and critically engage with these platforms and their users.
