The Umbrella Movement
A Population-Based Study of Social Media and Mental Health in the Hong Kong Democracy Movement
It's difficult to ignore the state of the world and its politics nowadays, especially since so much of it is available online. A single scroll through your newsfeed provides you with a window into political movements all around the globe.
There's no way around it. Everywhere we look, it's there. Whether it's a presidential tweet or an Instagram campaign to join a movement, the news seems to follow you wherever you go.
In many ways, social media has evolved from a simple way of mindlessly scrolling to a critical component of politics, with some people using it exclusively as their source of news and information. The internet has changed drastically, and today, social media has quickly become a tool for political movements.
Take the #MeToo movement and the #BlackLivesMatter campaign, for example. If it hadn't been for social media, they would not have gained the traction they had. With just a few words and some simple hashtags, social media turned these isolated conversations into global movements.
And the Umbrella Movement was no exception.
What Role Did Social Media Play In the Umbrella Movement?
Beyond the obvious reasons for networking and connecting with people across the globe, social media has been used to facilitate communication between participants in political and social movements. It also serves as a tool for organizing protests, disseminating information, and raising awareness.
We saw it in Occupy Wall Street, the Arab Spring, and most recently, the Umbrella Movement.
Dubbed "Hong Kong's Occupy" by some, the Umbrella Movement was a social movement like any other. It was an act of defiance, a protest against injustices that needed to be addressed. And, while the goals and motivations of Occupy and the Umbrella Movement may have differed, they appeared to have one thing in common: their reliance on digital technologies.
For activists all around the world, technology serves as a valuable tool for spreading their message and getting their ideas across, contributing to increased public awareness of key issues and political participation.
Still, it's not a perfect solution. Rather than being a purely democratic tool, think of social media as a double-edged sword. Despite the possibility of greater freedom of expression and agency, it can also contribute to a number of mental health problems, including depression, which is only exacerbated by political unrest and loss.
Is Social Media Really Democracy’s Double-Edged Sword?
This was the question raised by Kam Man Lau and his colleagues in their 2016 study, "Social Media and Mental Health in Democracy Movement in Hong Kong”: Studying the links between social media, politics, and mental health, Lau and his team of researchers came to a number of findings.
For one, they noticed a loss of control and connectedness. People began to lose contact with those closest to them as a result of what were most likely heated debates and arguments, resulting in shattered relationships.
And their losses were felt in more ways than one. Psychological distress, as well as a loss of autonomy and optimism, were all common feelings expressed by the participants. These feelings, combined with a limited social network and the loss of friendships, resulted in a variety of depressive symptoms. Despite being frustrated and stressed, though, researchers found no signs of anxiety in the numerous regression analyses they conducted.
Even more interesting was the effect of age on these connections. Age, as it turned out, was directly related to depressive symptoms. The study's authors hypothesized that this was due to the culture surrounding social media.
The vast majority of older people use social media sites such as Facebook to stay in touch with family and close friends. Younger adults, on the other hand, have large networks of social media acquaintances as well as family and friends.
In that sense, it stands to reason that losing a relationship with someone close to you, such as a family member, would cause more psychological distress than losing a relationship with someone with whom you once took a class. When we look at it this way, it's easy to see how the loss of relationships due to political differences would have a greater impact on older adults.
How Can We Protect Our Mental Health While Continuing to Fight the Fight?
Being witness to injustices and being a part of a movement may require a variety of coping mechanisms. Although more research is required to understand the impact of such losses during social and political upheaval, we do know one thing: we need to be mindful of our mental health.
For many, political movements are a source of stress and frustration. They have a profound effect on us and those around us, ranging from feelings of shame to feelings of despair. At times, we may even feel stuck and unable to move forward.
During moments like these, we must embrace our emotions and accept the situation as it unfolds. It’s a matter of finding peace, and in order to do so, we must first gain awareness and recognition. And this may necessitate a few difficult conversations with family members and friends. Fortunately, there are some steps we can take to navigate these complex debates.
To begin, put your side of things into perspective. While doing so, be sure you are actively listening to the other person, and be careful not to minimize or trivialize the perspective of the other. Remember that this can be an educational experience for both of you.
Second, try to find some common ground. Perhaps the most challenging but crucial step, you must find something on which you and your partner can agree. This moment will help you find ways to understand each other.
Once you've reached a point of agreement, you can present a different point of view as well as some supporting evidence. Facts may be meaningless to some, so what may draw them in instead are the stories and experiences. Give them the opportunity to see it in a new light, whatever you come up with.
And in the end, if you find that disagreement and arguments are unavoidable, remember that you are not required to change the other person's mind. After all, the power is in starting a conversation, not in making your point. That’s where true progress is made.
Study Objective & Methods
Social Media and Mental Health in Democracy Movement in Hong Kong: A Population-Based Study
Kam Man Lau, Department of Psychological Studies; Wai Kai Hou, PhD; Brian J. Hall, M.A., PhD; Daphna Canetti, PhD; Sin Man Ng, PhD; Agnes Iok Fong Lam, PhD; Stevan E. Hobfoll, PhD
Published in The Education University of Hong Kong, 2016.
The current study looks into how social media affects mental health during political movements in people of all ages. The study proposes a novel hypothesis based on existing literature: social resource loss on social media is associated with anxiety and depression during times of social upheaval.
After analyzing the data, Kam Man Lau and their colleagues discovered a link between social resource loss on social media and depressive symptoms rather than anxiety. Furthermore, the magnitude of this effect was only found to be significant for middle-aged and older respondents, as opposed to younger respondents.
Social Media and Well-Being Training
This research (and all our social media and well-being articles) have laid the foundation for our 3-course program designed for anyone wanting to approach social media and communications in a way that protects well-being and puts people first. Learn more here.
