{"id":6518,"date":"2025-07-08T20:37:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T20:37:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aomtodayprod.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=6518"},"modified":"2025-09-26T14:37:26","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T14:37:26","slug":"social-media-magnify-workplace-stress-in-uncertain-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aom.org\/today\/social-media-magnify-workplace-stress-in-uncertain-times\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Media Magnify Workplace Stress in Uncertain Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Paul Friedman<\/a><\/p>\n

During a time of layoffs, economic turbulence, political polarization, and generalized uncertainty, the use of social media is amplifying people\u2019s anxieties.<\/p>\n

According to Academy of Management Scholar Nancy Rothbard <\/a> of the University of Pennsylvania\u2019s Wharton School, the pervasiveness of social media leads workers to feel turmoil more intensely.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re seeing what happens to their coworkers; they\u2019re seeing people\u2019s comments,\u201d Rothbard said. \u201cThey\u2019re seeing whether people agree with them or not about various issues, and they\u2019re worrying about whether other people can see what their views and opinions are.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re really worried about how they\u2019re being perceived in the midst of these kinds of layoffs and the turmoil that contribute to the generalized uncertainty that we\u2019re seeing in the world,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a very fraught time in that sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rothbard said the stress level is increased because social-media interactions may include both bosses and colleagues.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that people are connected across hierarchical boundaries creates a lot of stress,\u201d Rothbard said. \u201cYou have to be much more vigilant.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to be more cautious about who you connect with and what content you either \u2018like\u2019 or put out yourself,\u201d she said. \u201cThose are some really important decisions; they need to be strategic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rothbard pointed out there are also ways that managers can use and talk about social media to reduce their team members\u2019 stress, especially in difficult times.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople like to be appreciated when times are good, but they especially like to be appreciated when times are bad\u2014small acts of appreciation even a \u2018like\u2019 or positive comment on a social-media post, or something like a text or email that says \u2018good job\u2019 or \u2018thinking of you,\u2019\u201d\u00a0Rothbard said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething that is a small gesture can go a long way in engendering loyalty, continued engagement, and hard work,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of organizational behavior research that shows non-monetary incentives actually can be incredibly cheap but go a long way to motivate people and have them feel a sense of belonging.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Paul Friedman During a time of layoffs, economic turbulence, political polarization, and generalized uncertainty, the use of social media is amplifying people\u2019s anxieties. According to Academy of Management Scholar Nancy Rothbard of the University of Pennsylvania\u2019s Wharton School, the pervasiveness of social media leads workers to feel turmoil more intensely. \u201cThey\u2019re seeing what happens […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3687,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,71,29,44],"tags":[],"sp_smart_badges":[],"ppma_author":[70],"class_list":["post-6518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-careers","category-communicating","category-emotions","category-motivation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSocial Media Magnify Workplace Stress in Uncertain Times - Academy of Management Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aom.org\/today\/social-media-magnify-workplace-stress-in-uncertain-times\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Daniel Butcher\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aom.org\\\/today\\\/social-media-magnify-workplace-stress-in-uncertain-times\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aom.org\\\/today\\\/social-media-magnify-workplace-stress-in-uncertain-times\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Daniel Butcher\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aom.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d1297a59039d9ca7bac9d9f0952e508c\"},\"headline\":\"Social Media Magnify Workplace Stress in Uncertain Times\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-08T20:37:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-26T14:37:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aom.org\\\/today\\\/social-media-magnify-workplace-stress-in-uncertain-times\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":355,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aom.org\\\/today\\\/social-media-magnify-workplace-stress-in-uncertain-times\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aom.org\\\/today\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/stressed-woman-works-remotely-at-night.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"CAREERS\",\"COMMUNICATING\",\"EMOTIONS\",\"MOTIVATION\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aom.org\\\/today\\\/social-media-magnify-workplace-stress-in-uncertain-times\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aom.org\\\/today\\\/social-media-magnify-workplace-stress-in-uncertain-times\\\/\",\"name\":\"Social Media Magnify Workplace Stress in Uncertain Times - 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