The Darker Side of Social Media: Consumer Psychology and Mental Health

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 provides 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, USA in the Wilbur O. & Ann Powers College of Business. She is an author of ＂Advertising & Integrated Brand Promotion＂ (Cengage 2022), Editor of ＂The Dark Side of Social Media: A Consumer Psychology Perspective＂ (Routledge 2018), Editor of ＂Online Consumer Behavior: Theory and Research in Social Media, Advertising and E-tail＂ (Routledge 2012), and Co-Editor of Consumer Behavior Knowledge for Effective Sports and Event Marketing＂ (Routledge 2011).