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Social network sites as learning environments and their implications for mental health

Social network sites (SNSs) have become ubiquitous around the globe and
interwoven with all aspects of life. In this article, I will argue that the
communicative infrastructure of SNSs, i.e., all SNS-elements that allow users
to communicate, is a key element for understanding their impact as it
creates environments in which users, their behaviors, and social interactions
are embedded. These digital environments facilitate and encourage
fundamental mechanisms of implicit learning from feedback as well as
observation in an unprecedented way. I will discuss how these technologybased
learning environments impact the mental health of their users, e.g., by
linking negative online feedback to depression and following influencers to
disturbed eating. The article ends with a conclusion that emphasizes the
advantages of understanding SNSs as environments in order to reflect the
complexity, relevance, and ubiquitousness of the phenomenon.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa:de:qucosa:90264
Date29 February 2024
CreatorsHuseenoeder, Felix S.
PublisherFrontiers Media S.A.
Source SetsHochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typeinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion, doc-type:article, info:eu-repo/semantics/article, doc-type:Text
Rightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Relation939740

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