The Darker Side of Social Media

The Darker Side of Social Media: Consumer Psychology and Mental Health takes a research-based, scientific approach to examining problematic issues and outcomes that are related to social media use by consumers. Now in its second edition, it relies on psychological theories to help explain or predict problematic online behavior within the social media landscape through the lens of mental health. With an aim to provide solutions, the authors spotlight the key issues affecting consumer well-being and mental health due to the omnipresence and overuse of social media. The book dissects the unintended consequences of too much social media use, specifying key problems like disconnection anxiety, eating disorders, online fraud, cyberbullying, the dark web, addiction, depression, self-discrepancies, and serious privacy concerns (especially impacting children or young people). The book grapples with mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, self-harm, and eating disorders that can be intensified by, or correlated with, too much social media use. The authors meticulously review the various facets of the darker side of online presence and propose actionable solutions for each of the problems stated, providing scholars with a conceptual model with propositions for continued research. This international exploration of social media is a must-read for students of marketing, advertising, and public relations, as well as scholars/managers of business, marketing, psychology, communication, management, and sociology. It will also be of interest to social media users, those navigating new media platforms parents, policymakers, and practitioners.

Angeline Close Scheinbaum (Ph.D., The University of Georgia) is the Dan Duncan Endowed Professor of Sports Marketing and Associate Professor of Marketing at Clemson University, South Carolina, in the Wilbur O. & Ann Powers College of Business. She is an author of Advertising & Integrated Brand Promotion (2022), editor of The Dark Side of Social Media: A Consumer Psychology Perspective (2018), editor of Online Consumer Behavior: Theory and Research in Social Media, Advertising and E-tail (2012), and co-editor of Consumer Behavior Knowledge for Effective Sports and Event Marketing (2011).

PART 1 Mental Health and Dire Consequences: Addiction, Cyberbullying, Depression, Self-Harm, and Social Media; 1 The Darker Side of Social Media for Consumer Psychology and Mental Health: A Framework and Research Directions; 2 Compulsive Social Media Use and Disconnection Anxiety: Predictors and Markers of Compulsive and Addictive Social Media Consumption; PART 2 Social Media-Fueled Fear and Anxiety: Social Media News and the Dark Web; 3 How Does Fear Drive the News of the Day?: Examining Topic Salience During Trump's Transition of Power; 4 The Dark Web: Dark Personality Traits of Machiavellianism, Narcissism, and Psychopathy and Exploiting Stock Markets; PART 3 Social Media Self-Discrepancies and Unhealthy Self-Comparisons; 5 In the Mirror, Darkly: Negative Effects of Social Media on Self-Discrepancy and Consumer Well-Being; 6 The Dark Side of Instagram of Food: The Duality of Food-Related Social Media Posting; PART 4 Privacy, Artificial Intelligence, and Vulnerable Children on Social Media; 7 The Dark Side of Consumer Privacy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence; 8 Examining the Issues of Social Media, Children, and Privacy: A Case Study