The relationship between social media use and social trust (Audience of DhiQar Governorate as a model)

The current study aims to know how the media affects mental health in light of the Corona crisis from the point of view of experts and specialists, to identify the different dimensions of mental health that are affected by the media, and to monitor how the media affects mental health by providing information on mental health through mobilization or consistency. The main question of the research is: What is the impact of the media on mental health in the light of the Corona crisis from the point of view of experts and specialists, and to reach a scientific answer about this question, the researcher followed the qualitative descriptive approach by surveying a group of experts and specialists from professors in the media to show the impact of The media and a group of psychologists to determine and study the impact on mental health, the number of (13) people was deliberately determined to suit the conditions of the study according to the qualitative method through the data collection tools represented by the basic interview tool and the auxiliary observation tool to achieve the objectives of the study.

The study concluded with a set of results, including that the most important impact of the media in the category of consolidating psychological peace for the public is: “Encouraging the public to communicate electronically due to social distancing”, “Providing communication needs”, “Propagating the rate of recovery from the epidemic”, “Focusing on positive issues and Normalization of the current situation”, “Raising morale among the public, spreading hope and reassurance”, “Avoiding creating chaos in the news”, “Combating rumors and removing fear and anxiety”. According to the respondents, the media’s focus on positive issues and normalization of the current situation, as well as combating rumors and removing fear and anxiety, has an important role in consolidating the psychological health of the public.

One of the most important recommendations that the researcher came out with is to activate the positive role of the media by framing the news according to a sound scientific methodology subject to study by scientists, providing the necessary needs and gratifications of information and guidance for crises and disasters that surround societies by the media, working to discover ways and methods that enable Individuals are encouraged to promote mental health, increase hope and optimism, and stay away from news that increases panic, fear and anxiety, and activate the holistic media system by unifying the centrality of the published media to avoid news that affects mental health.