social media
Definition
Social media refers to digital platforms that enable users to create, share, and exchange content with geographically dispersed individuals and communities in near-synchronous and sustained ways. These platforms serve multiple functions for migrant populations: they facilitate the maintenance of transnational ties with heritage cultures, enable the building of both bonding social capital (connections to co-ethnics) and bridging social capital (connections to host society members), and provide access to social support networks that influence psychological well-being and emotional regulation. Social media use is associated with complex well-being outcomes, with the quality of social support and presence or absence of social isolation serving as key mechanisms determining whether platform use correlates with positive or negative psychological outcomes.
Sources: Stuart et al. (2025), Jetten et al. (2023)
Related Terms
Applications
Social Media and Acculturation
Social media enables migrant groups to navigate cultural adaptation by maintaining ties with their heritage culture while forming new connections in the host culture. Digital diaspora communities leverage social media to maintain transnational identities, which influences sense of belonging and integration within settlement countries.
Sources: Stuart et al. (2025)
Social Media and Social Support
Social media serves as a primary channel through which individuals receive social support and maintain social connections. The relationship between social media access, social support, and emotional well-being is mediated by the extent to which users perceive themselves as socially supported or isolated, with social isolation and reduced social support being associated with negative emotions when individuals are unable to access online platforms.
Sources: Jetten et al. (2023)
Social Media and Conspiracy Beliefs
Individuals with stronger conspiracy mentality experience greater difficulty disconnecting from social media because they rely on these platforms for social support and community affiliation, and consequently report more negative emotions when unplugged from digital media.
Sources: Jetten et al. (2023)
