Social Media and Motherhood: Does Media Make the Mom?

摘要

The explosion of social media platforms and users has led to numerous studies to learn more about who is using them and how. This study provides insight into how social media are influencing mothers with children still living at home. The study specifically examines the influence of social media on mothers' self-esteem and how that influence is affecting their parental decision-making. The qualitative research study used in-depth interviews with mothers who were very active users of social media. The findings indicated that the mothers used parenting advice they either sought or unintentional discovered through social media, which were primarily located in blogs, articles, and posts. In addition, the mothers engaged in social comparison that led to both positive and negative influence on self-esteem. Social comparison also influenced the mothers' parenting decisions.