Impact of Social Media Coverage of Taliban's Takeover on the Mental Health of Afghan Scholars in Pakistan

Abstract

Taliban re-controlled Afghanistan on August 15 2021, for the second time in its history. This rapid takeover left immense effects on the lives of Afghans globally. It also affected the economy, politics and routine affairs of the country. Some of the Afghans lost their lives while others lost their jobs. Using thematic analysis, the current study probes the frequency and priority of social media use for information about the Taliban takeover (TTO). This study majorly investigates the effects of social media's coverage of the TTO on the mental of Afghan scholars in Pakistan. The findings of the study show that the majority of respondents spend 3.7 hrs on social media sites daily. They spent more time on social media during the TTO than on normal days, resulting in a range of mental health issues. However, the majority of them rely on Facebook as the primary source of information, followed by Twitter and YouTube.