The impact of social media exposure to war content on emotional exhaustion, anxiety, and work performance: The moderating role of organizational support

The increasing accessibility of social media has heightened individuals' exposure to war-related content, raising concerns about its psychological and professional consequences. This study examines the impact of frequent exposure to such content on employees' mental health and work performance through the lens of the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection through validated measures of interest War Media Exposure Scale (WarMES), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Perceived Organizational Support (POS) scale, and a self-reported measure of work performance. The findings reveal that emotional exhaustion and anxiety mediate the relationship between social media exposure to war-related content and workplace productivity. Moreover, organizational support plays a critical moderating role in mitigating these negative effects. By incorporating digital stressors into workplace mental health research, this study contributes to the understanding of social media's implications for employee well-being and performance. The findings highlight the necessity for organizations to implement targeted mental health strategies to support employees navigating digital distress. • Social media war content exposure increases emotional exhaustion at work. • Anxiety mediates the link between digital war content and work performance. • Emotional exhaustion negatively affects employee productivity. • Organizational support buffers the impact of media exposure on mental health. • Findings expand the S-O-R framework to digital stressors in workplace settings.