Women’s longitudinal social media behaviors and experiences during a global pandemic

Abstract

This longitudinal mixed-methods study explored women’s (n = 124) lived experiences with social media in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Women completed surveys at two points in time (March 2020 and April 2021). Follow-up interviews were also conducted with 33 women in April 2021. A longitudinal qualitative approach was used to identify three themes: (a) social media “works as an echo chamber,” (b) connection and community, and (c) information and misinformation overload. Women significantly decreased their social media behaviors focused on connecting with others, active engagement with COVID-19 content (e.g., creating a personal post, liking a post), and passive engagement with COVID-19 content (e.g., reading a post) between March 2020 and April 2021.