AUTHOR=Xie Tian , Wang Yangyang , Cheng Yali 

TITLE=Social Media Overload as a Predictor of Depressive Symptoms Under the COVID-19 Infodemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey From Chinese University Students

JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health

VOLUME=68

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2023.1606404

DOI=10.3389/ijph.2023.1606404

ISSN=1661-8564

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objectives:</bold> People’s mental health and digital usage have attracted widespread attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to investigate how social media overload influenced depressive symptoms under the COVID-19 infodemic and the role of risk perception and social media fatigue.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> A questionnaire survey was conducted on 644 college students during the COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai, and data analysis was conducted using the PROCESS4.0 tool.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> The findings showed that in the COVID-19 information epidemic: 1) both information overload and communication overload were significantly and positively associated with depressive symptoms; 2) risk perception of COVID-19, and social media fatigue mediated this association separately; 3) and there was a chain mediating relationship between communication overload and depressive symptoms.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> Social media overload was positively associated with depressive symptoms among college students under the COVID-19 infodemic by increasing risk perception and social media fatigue. The findings sparked further thinking on how the public should correctly use social media for risk communication during public health emergencies.</p>