Special Issue: Social Media and Mental Health
Special Issue: Social Media and Mental Health
Guest Editor: Dr. Julia Brailovskaia
Full-Text Submission Deadline: [01.12.2025]
Planned Publication Period: [December 2025 or March 2026]
Contact: jsomerjournal@gmail.com, editor@jsomer.org
The Journal of Social Media Research (JSOMER) invites submissions for a special issue dedicated to the theme: “Social Media and Mental Health.” This special issue, guest edited by Dr. Julia Brailovskaia, aims to explore the dynamic and multifaceted relationship between social media use and mental health outcomes across different populations and sociocultural contexts.
In an era defined by constant connectivity, social media has become a dominant force in shaping how individuals perceive themselves, relate to others, and engage with the world. While platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook offer opportunities for communication, creativity, and information exchange, they also present complex challenges that may affect psychological well-being, emotional regulation, self-esteem, identity development, and social comparison.
This special issue aims to gather interdisciplinary, empirical, and theoretical research that critically examines the impact of social media use on mental health outcomes—both positive and negative. We invite submissions that explore mental health in diverse cultural, clinical, and technological contexts, and propose novel theoretical models, practical implications, and innovative research methodologies.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- The psychological effects of social media on adolescents, young adults, and vulnerable populations
- The role of social comparison, validation seeking, and cyberbullying in mental health outcomes
- Digital well-being and strategies for healthy social media engagement
- Algorithmic influences and their impact on user behavior and mood regulation
- Problematic use of social media, compulsive use, and its clinical correlations
- Positive aspects of social media: peer support, identity exploration, and community building
- Mental health communication and stigma reduction on social media platforms
- The impact of social media influencers and digital culture on self-image and emotional health
- Intersections of social media use with anxiety, depression, loneliness, and other mental health conditions
- Methodological innovations in studying social media and mental health
- Cross-cultural and cross-platform comparisons of mental health-related phenomena
Article Types Accepted:
JSOMER welcomes a variety of theoretical paradigms and methodologies, considering this a scientific enrichment. For this special issue, we invite original research studies employing robust quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-method approaches. Additionally, comprehensive meta-analyses, systematic reviews, literature analyses, meta-synthesis studies, insightful book reviews, and concise brief reports that offer significant contributions to the field are highly encouraged. All submissions must be presented in English only (full text).
Authors are required to submit original, unpublished work that adheres to the highest academic standards, including rigorous methodology, clear argumentation, and a significant contribution to the existing body of knowledge. All submissions must strictly comply with international copyright laws and ethical guidelines for research and publication. This includes obtaining necessary ethical approvals for human subjects research, ensuring data privacy, and providing proper attribution and citation. Prospective authors are directed to the JSOMER website (jsomer.org) for detailed author guidelines, manuscript formatting requirements, and instructions on using the online submission system. Submissions that do not conform to these guidelines may be returned without peer review.
Submission Process:
Manuscripts should be submitted through our journal submission system at www.jsomer.org. Please indicate in your cover letter that your manuscript is intended for the Special Issue on “Social Media and Mental Health”.
About the Guest Editor:
We are profoundly honored to announce Dr. Julia Brailovskaia as the distinguished guest editor for this special issue. Dr. Brailovskaia is a leading academic researcher affiliated with the Mental Health Research and Treatment Center at Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany. Her extensive expertise and significant contributions make her an ideal leader for this critical examination.
As a prominent member of the "Bochum Optimism and Mental Health (BOOM)" team, Dr. Brailovskaia's core research critically examines the complex interplay between mental health, personality, and media use, with a particular emphasis on media addiction, including Social Media Addiction and Problematic Smartphone Use. Her extensive body of work, comprising over 80 co-authored publications and an h-index of 24, has significantly advanced our understanding of critical factors such as Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), daily stress, depression, anxiety, and their intricate relationships with social media engagement.
A crucial aspect of Dr. Brailovskaia's work is its emphasis on the positive dimensions of mental health and the identification of protective factors. While much research focuses on psychopathology, her approach highlights the importance of considering the complete state of a person's mental health, including elements that promote well-being and resilience. For instance, her research has demonstrated that positive mental health can significantly moderate the association between problematic social media use and severe outcomes like suicide-related behaviors, indicating its role in buffering against negative impacts. This perspective moves beyond merely identifying and treating illness to actively understanding, promoting, and protecting well-being, aligning with salutogenic approaches in health psychology.
Dr. Brailovskaia's research extends to exploring the dual nature of digital media use, identifying both positive and negative impacts on well-being and development. Her experimental studies have demonstrated the tangible efficacy of behavioral interventions, such as reducing social media consumption and increasing physical activity, in improving mental health outcomes. Her commitment to an interdisciplinary approach is further evidenced by her initiative to convene over 120 international researchers from 11 disciplines to clarify expert opinion on the impact of smartphones and social media use on adolescent mental health. Her comprehensive and nuanced perspective will be invaluable in shaping this special issue.
We look forward to receiving your submissions and contributing to a rigorous and timely scholarly dialogue on this crucial and evolving topic.
For inquiries regarding the special issue, please contact the editorial office at: jsomerjournal@gmail.com, editor@jsomer.org
