­­ The Influence of Digital Media on Physical and Psychological Health Issues: Secondary analysis Research

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Associate Professor of Radio, TV& Digital Media, Media Department, College of Language and Communication, Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT)

2 Researcher at College of Language and Communication, Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT)

10.21608/ejsc.2025.450033

Abstract

 
     This research specifically sought to understand how digital media impacts health, looking at both positive and negative health implications. The research included various health-related areas, including mental health issues, physical health issues, body image, depression, and anxiety. The studies were also limited to research from the last five years (2020-2024) and included 113 foreign studies published in English. Overall, the analysis included a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods, which emerged from the studies. Surveys were one of the most prevalent methods of data collection, with researchers using surveys in 53 of the studies. Content analysis was also used as a method in 76 of the studies. However, the research did not include much diversity with regards to age as most of the studies primarily focused on teenagers and adults with only minimal mention of other age groups. The most significant finding from this research is that digital media has an enormous impact on health, the negative impacts outweigh the positive impacts. Digital media has raised awareness of specific diseases, accelerated communication between health care professionals while increasing those opportunities, and has led to health advice being dispensed without following the traditional chains of medical advice. Therefore there are significant ramifications to both mental and physical health directly attributed to digital media.

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