A Study of the Impact of Information Overload in Social Media in the Simple Medium Network - The Case of the University Students Majoring in Communication Studies
Abstract
Social media has grown rapidly in recent years, and in the current context of growing social media addiction and information overload, it is urgent and important to study the impact of information overload on young people. Social media is closely linked to the daily lives of young people, and the problem of information overload can induce various conflicts and problems. It directly affects the development of individuals. While previous research has highlighted the negative effects of information overload on people’s mental health, this paper focused on the subjectivity of social media users. The study used in-depth interviews with a sample of 10 current university students majoring in media. An understanding of their perceived information overload and attitudes was obtained. The findings suggest that while information overload creates an ‘information wall’ and offers more possibilities to see the world, social media subjectivity can be very powerful. However, the subjectivity of social media users can be a good way to deal with the effects of information overload and make good use of it. This study extends the research on this issue and highlights the subjective nature of social media users.
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