A qualitative investigation of people’s attitudes towards the use of trigger warnings on social media

Hyland, Orla (2023) A qualitative investigation of people’s attitudes towards the use of trigger warnings on social media. Undergraduate thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

Psychological research has found that exposure to distressing or sensitive content on social media can have severe psychological effects on individuals. Trigger warnings are a widely used method of warning individuals of distressing content they may encounter both on social media and across other mediums. However, despite their use across mediums, research regarding the use of trigger warnings in various settings is lacking, with the majority of research being carried out in the context of their use within an educational setting. Due to the intended use of trigger warnings to warn and protect of distressing content and the problems associated with distressing content on social media, it appeared pertinent to conduct research in this area. A qualitative study was carried out to investigate individual’s attitudes towards the use of trigger warnings in social media. The research study aimed to understand possible motivations for the use of trigger warnings on social media, perceived benefits and drawbacks regarding their use and attitudes regarding regulations of implementation of trigger warnings on social media. Following research three themes were identified; (i) Care and Awareness of Others, (ii) Misuse is a Prominent Issue and (iii) Importance of Choice. These findings demonstrated that similar attitudes towards trigger warnings occurred across platforms and highlighted possible areas of concern and interest for future research into the use of trigger warnings on social media.

Item Type:	Thesis (Undergraduate)
Supervisors:	Name Email O'Brien, Fearghal UNSPECIFIED
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > Psychology P Language and Literature > P Philology. Linguistics > Semiotics > Language. Linguistic theory Z Bibliography. Library Science. Information Resources > ZA Information resources > ZA4150 Computer Network Resources > The Internet > World Wide Web > Websites > Online social networks T Technology > TK Electrical engineering. Electronics. Nuclear engineering > Telecommunications > The Internet > World Wide Web > Websites > Online social networks
Divisions:	School of Business > BA (Honours) in Psychology
Depositing User:	Tamara Malone
Date Deposited:	01 Jun 2023 12:12
Last Modified:	01 Jun 2023 12:12
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/6705

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