arbiter
JournalsAccount

To What Extent Did Social Media Use Contribute to Financial Hardship During the COVID ‐19 Pandemic?

Abbey Bartosiak et al.

Journal of Consumer Affairs2026https://doi.org/10.1111/joca.70037article
AJG 1ABDC A
Weight
0.50

Abstract

The link between social media use and financial outcomes is still emerging. This study examines the association between communication through social media, financial outcomes, and the potential mediating role of fear of missing out. Using data from a national survey on the socio‐economic impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic ( n = 4178), linear regression results show that greater social media use is positively associated with difficulty in making ends meet and lacking emergency savings. Furthermore, fear of missing out mediates the relationship between social media use and both adverse financial outcome measures. It appears that social media use and a higher propensity to experience fear of missing out can be negatively related to a person's financial situation. The results of this study have implications for consumer financial behaviors related to social media communication.

Open via your library →

Cite this paper

https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/joca.70037

Or copy a formatted citation

@article{abbey2026,
  title        = {{To What Extent Did Social Media Use Contribute to Financial Hardship During the COVID ‐19 Pandemic?}},
  author       = {Abbey Bartosiak et al.},
  journal      = {Journal of Consumer Affairs},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/joca.70037},
}

Paste directly into BibTeX, Zotero, or your reference manager.

Flag this paper

To What Extent Did Social Media Use Contribute to Financial Hardship During the COVID ‐19 Pandemic?

Flags are reviewed by the Arbiter methodology team within 5 business days.

Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.