{
  "id": 3008968,
  "title": "Social media's role in reinforcing depression: Insights from Stellenbosch University",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/social-medias-role-in-reinforcing-depression-insights-from",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-24T11:40:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IOL",
    "slug": "iol",
    "url": "https://iol.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-08-24-social-medias-role-in-reinforcing-depression-insights-from-stellenbosch-university/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Dr Kurt Marais, a lecturer at Stellenbosch University, has investigated the role of social media in reinforcing depression as part of his doctoral research. His study focused on a depression-related subreddit on Reddit, where users from various countries, age groups and backgrounds share their experiences and seek support.\n\nMarais analysed 12,133 unique posts over a period of 56 days, finding that most contributions came from users in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, India and Germany. Frequently used words indicated users' attempts to describe their emotional experiences and desire to feel something beyond depression, such as \"like,\" \"feel,\" \"life\" and \"want.\"\n\nThe research revealed patterns in posting times, with activity increasing at the beginning of the week (Mondays and Tuesdays) and decreasing on Saturdays. Nighttime also saw increased activity, aligning with studies showing people with depression tend to be more active on social media at night.\n\nMarais discovered that users' emotions in the online community could reinforce one another, creating a cycle where negative emotions are amplified and intensified. This effect was even stronger among individuals with depression. To identify these emotional patterns, Marais developed a depression-specific sentiment lexicon, which outperformed general sentiment-analysis tools and could accurately detect relevant language in posts about other mental health conditions, including anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.\n\nUsing his findings, Marais created an agent-based simulation model to examine how mental health-related content spreads through Twitter (now X). The model considered observed user behavior, realistic interaction patterns, natural language processing, and potential intervention strategies. The simulated tweets, collected before Twitter became X, demonstrated that repeated exposure to negative emotions could reinforce and deepen those feelings.\n\nMarais' research highlights the complex role social media plays in the lives of people experiencing depression, providing both connection and support but also creating environments where negative emotional patterns may be repeatedly reinforced. The study offers tools for researchers, insights for practitioners, evidence-based recommendations for platform developers, and a better understanding of users' roles within algorithm-driven environments.",
  "summary": "A Stellenbosch University researcher has found that negative emotions can be reinforced through social media interactions, with people experiencing depression particularly affected.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}