A Stellenbosch University researcher has found that negative emotions can be reinforced through social media interactions, with people experiencing depression particularly affected.
For people living with depression, the internet can offer something that is sometimes difficult to find offline: a space where they can speak openly, find others who understand what they are going through and feel less alone.
But those online connections may also have a darker side, with negative emotions potentially reinforcing one another as people interact on social media.
This is what Dr Kurt Marais, a lecturer in the Department of Logistics at Stellenbosch University (SU), set out to investigate as part of his recently completed doctorate in operations research.
Marais studied how emotional sentiment moves through online communities, focusing specifically on depression, and explored how this process could be measured and better understood.
