by Hannah Joy on February 24, 2021 at 11:43 AM
Social media is a great platform to connect with people. However, it s become dangerous, especially with online racism, as it puts students mental health at greater risk, reveals a new study.
Whether it s a Zoombomb filled with racial slurs, a racist meme that pops up in a Facebook timeline, or a hate-filled comment on an Instagram post, social media has the power to bring out the worst of the worst.
For college students of color who encounter online racism, the effect of racialized aggressions and assaults reaches far beyond any single social media feed and can lead to real and significant mental health impacts - even more significant than in-person experiences of racial discrimination, according to a recently published study from researchers at UConn and Boston College.
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Whether it s a Zoombomb filled with racial slurs, a racist meme that pops up in a Facebook timeline, or a hate-filled comment on an Instagram post, social media has the power to bring out the worst of the worst.
For college students of color who encounter online racism, the effect of racialized aggressions and assaults reaches far beyond any single social media feed and can lead to real and significant mental health impacts - even more significant than in-person experiences of racial discrimination, according to a recently published study from researchers at UConn and Boston College. I think we all suspected that we would find a relationship between the racism online in social media and student mental health, says lead author Adam McCready, an assistant professor-in-residence with UConn s Neag School of Education. I think we may have been a little surprised that it was more salient, or held a stronger relationship, then in-person experiences.