Social Media Use and Emotional Reactivity to Negative Stimuli: An ERP Investigation

Introduction: Exposure to violent media has long been associated with reduced emotional reactivity, empathy, and moral sensitivity, which is a phenomenon commonly referred to as emotional desensitization. Although numerous studies have explored this process in video games and films, its neural correlates in social media contexts remain insufficiently examined. This study aimed to examine whether individual differences in social media use are associated with neural responses to negative emotional stimuli. Methods: Fifty-six healthy young adults participated in an electroencephalography (EEG) experiment, during which they passively viewed negative, neutral, and positive images selected from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS). Emotional processing was assessed using two event-related potential (ERP) components: the Early Posterior Negativity (EPN, 200–300 ms) and the Late Positive Potential (LPP, 300–800 ms). Amplitude differences across stimulus categories and brain regions were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA. Results: Negative images elicited significantly greater LPP amplitudes compared to neutral and positive images, particularly across central, parietal, and temporal regions, indicating sustained emotional engagement. In contrast, EPN amplitudes did not differ significantly across conditions, suggesting that early attentional mechanisms were not modulated by emotional valence. No group differences were observed between participants with high and low levels of social media use. Conclusion: The findings indicate that typical social media exposure was not associated with reduced neural responsiveness in this sample. Emotional engagement with negative stimuli remains intact, supporting the notion that desensitization is a gradual, context-dependent process influenced by the nature and intensity of digital exposure.