Study examines ex-ultra-Orthodox use of social media to cope with their new path in life
Published By admin with Comments 0
Ultra-Orthodox Jews (Haredim) who decide to leave the community and disaffiliate are at a stressful crossroads in their life. Many leave close-knit communities for an initially lonely path in a world they may not be very familiar with.
One of the new aspects of that life may be social media. Studies show that less than 20% of ultra-Orthodox individuals in Israel are exposed to social media. As many do, they may seek support, solace, and connection online. Now, a Ben-Gurion University of the Negev communications researcher and colleagues have looked at ex-ultra-Orthodox Jews’ use of social media for coping for the first time.
Dr. Yossi David of the Department of Communication Studies and head of the Communication and Social BIAS (Beliefs, Ideologies, Affect, and Stereotypes) Research Lab collaborated with Yehudis Keller, MA, a clinical psychology Ph.D. student at Case Western Reserve University, and Estherina Trachtenberg, a Ph.D. candidate at Sagol School of Neuroscience Tel Aviv University. They surveyed 1,146 ex ultra-Orthodox individuals in summer 2022 about how they use social media to cope with stress: to avoid or escape their stress, or to solve the problems they face.
The survey included participants aged 18 to 76, and the average respondent was 31. Slightly more than half were male, and most participants lived in Israel, but a minority were from the United States and other countries. Participants disaffiliated an average of 8 years prior to participating in the survey, though people left as recently as one year or as many as 52 years prior. More participants were single (60%) than in a relationship.
Their findings were just published in the journal New Media & Society. Participants provided the estimated number of hours per day spent on the following social media platform categories: TikTok, YouTube, or other video platforms; Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or other social media; and texting, WhatsApp, or other instant messaging.
Dr. David and his colleagues found that time spent on social media was not associated with well-being, while methods of coping through social media—particularly the negative methods of coping (avoidance and escapism)—were negatively associated with well-being. These findings reinforce prior research which suggests that time itself is not an adequate measure for understanding how social media impacts psychological well-being.
People who left ultra-Orthodoxy used social media primarily to cope through escapist methods, followed by problem-focused methods, while avoidant coping was the least common type. Problem-solving coping has been shown to be associated with positive mental health but had no relationship with the levels of resilience that one had at the time. Meanwhile, the more that one engaged with escapist and avoidant forms of coping through social media, the lower their levels of positive mental health and resilience.
“To our knowledge, there is currently no research on the role of social support and social media use among those who disaffiliate from high-cost religions. The process of disaffiliating from ultra-Orthodox Judaism is accompanied by the loss of social support and the social norms and communication technologies, which often results in a vulnerable psychological state. Ultra-Orthodox Jewish disaffiliates come from an environment where social media use is prohibited, moderated, or discouraged,” the researchers wrote.
Content retrieved from: https://phys.org/news/2024-12-ultra-orthodox-social-media-cope.html.
