The Supportive Role of Social Media Networks for those Out of Work

In this paper we discuss the inclusionary potentials of participation in social media networks for the unemployed, both with regard to alleviation of the perception of being left behind by society, as well as the consequences on subjective well-being. Based on interviews with unemployed individuals, we show by the example of 809 facebook users that social media networks may in fact increase the perception of inclusion, under the condition that virtual contacts are transformed into real life social activities. Otherwise, many unemployed risk being stuck in the virtual space, resulting in more perceived exclusion. We also show that the unemployed in urban areas show less difficulty in transforming their virtual contacts into real life activities than those in rural areas. Due to their social media usage behavior, unemployed individuals in urban areas are at a high risk to drop out in previous social networks which results in poorer mental states during situations of unemployment.