SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS AS A PSYCHOLOGICAL RESOURCE IN A CRISIS SITUATION

Abstract

The problem of finding a psychological resource is extremely urgent in the crisis conditions of wartime. The social media are a possible source of psychological resources. The purpose of the work is to analyze the role of social media as a psychological resource in a crisis situation. Facebook and Instagram posts in the form of a "crisis narrative" served as empirical material. The concept of "crisis narrative" is used for narratives containing a description of the author's experiences in connection with problems caused by crisis changes in his life. More than 40 crisis posts (text, visual, and hybrid) were analyzed using content analysis methods. Reducing the traumatic effect of the crisis environment is impossible without a person overcoming internal uncertainty, accepting the realities of war, and constructive adaptation. Social media posts in the form of a crisis narrative are considered an available form for expression in words or other semiotic form of a person's experience of a crisis situation. One of the constructive forms of experiencing a crisis in the form of creativity is the publication of experiences embodied in a narrative in social media, which helps to reduce the anxiety and uncertainty of the person by connecting the reactions of like-minded people. Characteristic features of the posts are increased emotionality, sincerity, categoricalness, sometimes even aggressiveness, dialogicity and focus on finding a congruent addressee, counting on the psychological support of the circle of social media "friends". The peculiarity of social media posts is a combination of resource and creative possibilities: the need for a resource activates creativity, the possibilities for which are embedded in the very essence of social media. The resource potential of crisis posts is based on such a feature of social media as the ability to rally like-minded people around the thoughts or emotions expressed in the post, which provides the function of psychological support.

Keywords: crisis situation, psychological resource, crisis narrative, social media, social media post, psychological support, life competencies of the individual, Facebook, Instagram

Accepted: 23.10.2023

Reviewed: 30.10.2023

Published: 06.11.2023

DOI: https://doi.org./10.31108/3.2023.7.2.5