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Cited by 6Impact of Technology on AdolescentsMental Health via WritingMedia and Digital Communication

Lucky ones, socialites, bystanders, and sufferers: Using the Mental-Effort-Gratification Model to understand mental health effects of social media

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Hussenoeder, Felix S.·2023·Computers in Human Behavior Reports
DOI 10.1016/j.chbr.2022.100260
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Abstract

Many studies connect social media use to mental health outcomes, yet results are mixed. The question therefore is why some users are affected in a negative way, while others are not affected or even benefit from social media use. In this article, I will argue that in order to better understand the phenomenon we need to consider exchange processes between users and their digital environments, i.e., the (1) mental effort users put into media use, the (2) gratification they derive from it, and the (3) relationship between the two. Hence, I will introduce mental effort as well as the Uses and Gratifications Approach, and show how in the Mental-Effort-Gratification Model (MEG) the interactions between high and low levels of effort and gratification affect user mental health. I will therefore introduce four prototypical groups of users – lucky ones, socialites, bystanders, and sufferers – and discuss the mental health risks associated with these groups. Finally, I will depict some implications of the MEG for research and practice. The goals of this article are to develop a theoretical approach that can help researchers to better understand the different effects that social media have on different groups of users and to contribute to a theoretical foundation for the development, application, and evaluation of measures and interventions that improve public mental health.

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  • Contradictory results may derive from lack of consistency across investigated outcomes or study groups.

    “Such contradictory results may derive from the lack of consistency across investigated outcomes [57, 58] or study groups [59].”

    From Scrolling through adolescence: a systematic review of the impact of TikTok on adolescent mental health (2025) · cites this paper as [59]

  • Adolescents fitting into the sufferer category of the mental effort-gratification model are probably more susceptible to social acceptance and may represent an "endophenotype" at risk for experiencing more adverse mental health outcomes.

    “Adolescents fitting into the sufferer category are probably more susceptible to social acceptance and may represent an “endophenotype” at risk for experiencing more adverse mental health outcomes.”

    From Scrolling through adolescence: a systematic review of the impact of TikTok on adolescent mental health (2025) · cites this paper as [59]

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Authors
Hussenoeder, F. S.
Affiliations
Leipzig University (DE)
Corresponding author
Hussenoeder, Felix S.
ORCID
Hussenoeder, Felix S.
Venue
Computers in Human Behavior Reports
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2023-03
Volume
9
Pages
100260
ISSN
2451-9588 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.chbr.2022.100260
OpenAlex
W4311424328
Cited by
6
References
49
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1
FWCI
1.80
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Computers in Human Behavior Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health via Writing
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Networks and Communications › Media and Digital Communication
Keywords
social media use, mental health, cognitive effort, gratification, user typology

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