Impacts of Social Media on Women’s Psychological Wellbeing in a Patriarchal Culture

Abstract

The impact of technology on well-being is an emerging area of research but has thus far been limited in terms of sample, gender, context, and specific indicators of well-being. With more technologies coming into existence, new media research must expand and emphasize such ignored aspects as women, non-Western societies, and psychological, rather than subjective, well-being. To address this gap, the current research explored the implication of women’s use of social media for their psychological well-being within the context of a patriarchal culture in a developing country. The penetration of the Internet and social media has brought educational, business, and other opportunities for the female elite in Pakistan. Even within Pakistan’s higher socio-economic strata, the male-dominated society offers a woman limited options for free participation in political-economic or even social-cultural spheres. In-depth interviews with seven highly educated professional Pakistani women revealed both its positive and negative implications for their psychological well-being.

Keywords:  social media; psychological well-being; non-western societies; women; pakistan; hedonic; eudaemonic