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Cited by 29Communication and COVID-19 ImpactCOVID-19 and Mental HealthImpact of Technology on Adolescents

Pathways Linking Media Use to Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mediated Moderation Study

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Gong, Jiankun, Firdaus, Amira, Said, Fareyha, Ali Aksar, Iffat, Danaee, Mahmoud, Xu, Jinghong·2022·Social Media + Society
DOI 10.1177/20563051221087390
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Abstract

During prolonged social isolation, media exposure is often intensified increases as individuals turn to the Internet, social media, television, and newspapers for information, communication, entertainment, and more. This exploratory study explores the correlations among media use, anxiety, and wellbeing in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey questionnaire was designed to measure the following five constructs: media dependency, media attention, anxiety, wellbeing, and collectivism. A total of 722 respondents in China participated in the survey from November 2020 to December 2020. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data. Our findings indicate that respondents who report collectivist norms tend to experience higher levels of wellbeing (and lower levels of anxiety), regardless of their scores for media use, media attention, or media dependency. Conversely, those respondents who record low collectivism tend to have higher levels of anxiety (and lower wellbeing), even if they report lower media use, attention and dependency during the pandemic. Study results also found that anxiety mediates the relationship between media use and wellbeing. Our introduction of collectivism as a possible moderating variable represents a significant contribution to current academic debates and suggests the inclusion of cultural factors for future studies on media use and anxiety/wellbeing during public health crises.

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Authors
Gong, J., Firdaus, A., Said, F., Ali Aksar, I., Danaee, M., & Xu, J.
Affiliations
  • University of Malaya (MY)
  • University of Malaya, Malaysia
  • Beijing Normal University (CN)
Corresponding author
Xu, Jinghong
ORCID
Venue
Social Media + Society
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2022-01
Volume
8
Issue
1
ISSN
2056-3051 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1177/20563051221087390
OpenAlex
W4226150227
Cited by
29
References
71
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 5
FWCI
9.15
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Social Media + Society (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Communication › Communication and COVID-19 Impact
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
Keywords
media use, well-being, anxiety, COVID-19 pandemic, collectivism, media dependence, media attention, social isolation, cultural factors, public health crisis, mediation, moderation

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