Dual dynamic of social media: connecting and stressing out

If social media platforms connect us, particularly during periods of isolation, they can also distress us and the people who moderate their streams of questionable content. In short, they appeal to our best and worst selves.

Understanding that dual dynamic and its nuances across Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Twitch and Clubhouse is NJIT’s Yvette Wohn, a behavioral scientist who researches how online abuse impacts mental health.

Ultimately, Wohn aims to develop tools that combat bullying on the web. Explaining the problem, she says:

“Some people simply don’t know what’s socially appropriate. What people don’t realize is that what people say online has a direct consequence offline. What happens online, doesn’t stay online.” Source: Yvette Wohn on Curating Safe Spaces Online

To interview Wohn, whose research is backed by the National Science Foundation, simply click on the button below.