Verna D. Walker

Social networking (media) has radically transformed traditional communication. People can now access immediate correspondence and dialogue with others across a vast geo-political landscape. The new era of social networking brings with it benefits and disbenefits. This means that social media usage affects people’s well-being. Studies have found that social networking positively influences people’s mental health as well as negatively affects psychological well-being. There is no research-based consensus that social media only positively or negatively influences well-being. There are over 1.4 million social media users in Jamaica, and a search of the literature at the time of this book did not review a single study on whether social media influences Jamaicans’ psychological well-being (or mental health). This lack of research-based information retards planning and the implementation of needed interventions if needs be. The objective of this book is to evaluate whether social media usage influences the mental health status of Jamaican social media users, and what is the direction of this relationship if one exists