The Importance of Critical Social Media Literacy in the Digital Era: Benefits for Social Support and Flourishing

We examined the association between critical social media literacy (critical consumption and prosumption) and several indicators of flourishing mental health (i.e., resilience, coping ability, life satisfaction) as well as mental health issues (i.e., depressive symptoms, anxiety, loneliness), with a focus on the mediating role of social support. Using data from 338 emerging adults (Mage = 23.28, SD = 2.38), we conducted a path analysis to examine the relationship between critical social media literacy, social support, flourishing, and mental health outcomes. Our results showed that greater critical social media literacy was associated with greater social support, which in turn was associated with greater levels of flourishing outcomes and lower levels of mental health issues. These findings suggest that critical social media literacy may serve as a key tool in developing effective social support systems and promoting a flourishing lifestyle among emerging adults. Implications for research and practice are discussed.