The Role of Spreading Crisis News on Facebook on the Psychological Well-being of Users in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Abstract

In today’s world, social media platforms—particularly Facebook—have become an essential part of the daily lives of Kurdish individuals in the Kurdistan Region. This growing engagement with technology has brought significant changes to patterns of social interaction and cultural practices, especially in the ways death and condolence announcements are communicated. Within this context, the primary aim of this study is to examine the psychological effects resulting from the frequent dissemination of death-related news on Facebook users in the Region.

The study seeks to answer the following question: Does continuous exposure to images and news of death lead to anxiety and sadness, or does it instead create a form of desensitization toward death? To address this question, a descriptive-analytical method was employed, and a survey was distributed among a sample of Facebook users from various cities across the Kurdistan Region.

The findings indicate that the spread of condolence news functions as a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it facilitates rapid information sharing and the expression of social support. On the other hand, it contributes to chronic psychological stress and increased death anxiety. Furthermore, the high frequency of distressing news has led many users to experience a form of compassion fatigue.

In conclusion, the study recommends that users limit their time on social media platforms and that page administrators adopt more responsible approaches in sharing death-related news, in order to protect overall mental well-being.