Media Selectivity Research in Light of Self-Defeating Tendencies: Towards a Novel Understanding of Media Effects on Well-Being

In light of the growing circulation of health-related content on social media platforms, a critical gap persists in media uses and effects research: While much of the existing work has focused on self-serving motivations for media selection, an expanding body of evidence suggests that individuals—including those with psychological vulnerabilities—may seek out online content in a self-defeating fashion. In other words, users might actively search for content that aggravates, rather than alleviates, distress. Drawing on self-verification theory and other scholarship on self-defeating tendencies, we argue that when negative self-concepts are salient, users may gravitate toward media messages that validate these self-views, even at the expense of their well-being. We propose a research agenda to systematically examine maladaptive media exposure patterns and their psychological effects. To guide this line of inquiry, we propose an extension of the established Selective Exposure Self- and Affect-Management model to better conceptualize the complex motivations driving contemporary media use.