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Volume 19
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Article

Is Social Media a New Type of Social Support? Social Media Use in Spain during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Study

by
Aviana O. Rosen
1,
Ashley L. Holmes
1,
Nekane Balluerka
2,
Maria Dolores Hidalgo
3,
Arantxa Gorostiaga
2,
Juana Gómez-Benito
4,5 and
Tania B. Huedo-Medina
1,*
1
Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
2
Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, and Research Methods, Faculty of Psychology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, 20018 Donostia, Spain
3
Department of Basic Psychology and Methodology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
4
Group on Measurement Invariance and Analysis of Change (GEIMAC), Institute of Neuroscience, University of Barcelona, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
5
Department of Social Psychology and Quantitative Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(7), 3952; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19073952
Submission received: 1 March 2022 / Accepted: 24 March 2022 / Published: 26 March 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Communication and Public Health)
Versions Notes

Abstract

This study examines Spanish adults’ social media use during the COVID-19 pandemic using mixed-methods to assess and understand frequency, context, and changes in social media use during two critical time points in Spain. We conducted semi-structured interviews in April 2020, and two waves of surveys (April 2020, April 2021) among Spanish adults. We coded and analyzed qualitative data related to social media use during the first lockdown period in Spain using Dedoose software; and ran descriptive statistics and chi-square tests to assess changes in social media use over the two survey waves related to perceived social support and loneliness. Participants ranged in age from 18–92 and were representative of the Spanish population’s sociodemographics. Interview data show that WhatsApp was most commonly used, and that social media allowed for social support and engaging in healthy behaviors. Survey data show that women and individuals aged 18–34 had the greatest increases in social media use. Statistically significant associations were found between social support and loneliness with social media use. Our results show that promoting social media use as an emotional resource for social support in times of crisis or isolation can minimize loneliness and can be a beneficial tool for general worldwide crises.
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; social media; social support; qualitative research; survey research; health promotion; interpersonal communication COVID-19 pandemic; social media; social support; qualitative research; survey research; health promotion; interpersonal communication

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Rosen, A.O.; Holmes, A.L.; Balluerka, N.; Hidalgo, M.D.; Gorostiaga, A.; Gómez-Benito, J.; Huedo-Medina, T.B. Is Social Media a New Type of Social Support? Social Media Use in Spain during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 3952. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19073952

AMA Style

Rosen AO, Holmes AL, Balluerka N, Hidalgo MD, Gorostiaga A, Gómez-Benito J, Huedo-Medina TB. Is Social Media a New Type of Social Support? Social Media Use in Spain during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19(7):3952. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19073952

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rosen, Aviana O., Ashley L. Holmes, Nekane Balluerka, Maria Dolores Hidalgo, Arantxa Gorostiaga, Juana Gómez-Benito, and Tania B. Huedo-Medina. 2022. "Is Social Media a New Type of Social Support? Social Media Use in Spain during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Study" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 7: 3952. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19073952

APA Style

Rosen, A. O., Holmes, A. L., Balluerka, N., Hidalgo, M. D., Gorostiaga, A., Gómez-Benito, J., & Huedo-Medina, T. B. (2022). Is Social Media a New Type of Social Support? Social Media Use in Spain during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(7), 3952. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19073952

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