ABSTRACT
Prior research has shown the personal catharsis benefits of social media use as an outlet for emotional and cognitive problem solving, especially during a natural disaster. However, the mechanism for this problem-solving process has not been identified in prior literature. Using a theoretical lens derived from prior social psychology literature, we advance two theoretical explanations of catharsis, with competing outcomes. One explanation holds that catharsis arises from resolving personal problems with others. A second explanation holds that catharsis arises from disclosing feelings to others. Using data from 183 Twitter users, we test these two theories in two time periods: during a natural disaster, in the response period, and after the natural disaster, during the recovery period. We find significant differences in catharsis response between the two periods.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).