Social Media for Good? A Survey on Millennials’ Inspirational Social Media Use

There is no doubt about the extensive use of social media by the millennial generation, but the study of the effects of such use is only in its infancy. Though most studies so far focus on the negative effects of overall time spent on social media, the current study investigated the relationship between exposure to a specific type of content on social media and well-being outcomes: namely, inspirational content. Results of an online survey with a total of 146 students revealed that inspiring social media and online video use, but not overall time spent on social media was related to everyday experiences of gratitude, awe, vitality, prosocial motivations and prosocial behaviors, but not connectedness. Self-transcendent emotions as elicited from inspiring social media mediated these relationships. Results are discussed in relation to the relevance of the content young people view on social media and their impact on well-being.