Lucky ones, socialites, bystanders, and sufferers: Using the Mental-Effort-Gratification Model to understand mental health effects of social media

Abstract

Many studies connect social media use to mental health outcomes, yet results are mixed. The question therefore is why some users are affected in a negative way, while others are not affected or even benefit from social media use. In this article, I will argue that in order to better understand the phenomenon we need to consider exchange processes between users and their digital environments, i.e., the (1) mental effort users put into media use, the (2) gratification they derive from it, and the (3) relationship between the two. Hence, I will introduce mental effort as well as the Uses and Gratifications Approach, and show how in the Mental-Effort-Gratification Model (MEG) the interactions between high and low levels of effort and gratification affect user mental health. I will therefore introduce four prototypical groups of users – lucky ones, socialites, bystanders, and sufferers – and discuss the mental health risks associated with these groups. Finally, I will depict some implications of the MEG for research and practice. The goals of this article are to develop a theoretical approach that can help researchers to better understand the different effects that social media have on different groups of users and to contribute to a theoretical foundation for the development, application, and evaluation of measures and interventions that improve public mental health.