Research on the Impact of Social Media on Vulnerable Groups

Yuehan Huang

Beijing National Day School, Beijing, China

Keywords: Communication, Social Media, Digital Media, Disadvantaged Groups.

Abstract: In this society of rapid development of social media, people are increasingly influenced by it. This thesis aims

to analyze the impact of social media on disadvantaged groups, objectively discuss the current situation of

social media, analyze the needs of disadvantaged groups, and enhance people's understanding and care for

them. This essay mainly talks about disadvantaged groups such as people with disabilities, special age groups,

and the poor. The article concludes that social media can have both positive and negative impacts on

disadvantaged groups, at the same time, the digital divide plays an important role in causing its negative

impacts. This essay also puts forward feasible solutions to its negative impacts, aiming to encourage

disadvantaged groups to engage in the network efficiently, obtain their rights and opportunities, achieve social

equity and justice, and promote social harmony and development.

1 INTRODUCTION

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the Internet

has been developing continually and waking into

people's lives. With the rapid development of social

media, people have been influenced a lot. The barrier

to information is getting lower so the information is

shared by people worldwide, and people can easily

access all kinds of knowledge and resources through

the internet as well as gain more opportunities, which

significantly improves their lives and

unprecedentedly promotes the development of

education, economy, and technology in the world.

Even though social media creates a bridge

between different areas and people, making different

voices from people can be heard, not everyone in

society can gain the same benefits. For example,

designs of social media platforms are generally with

the assumption that customers can see and hear

because most of the platforms rely on audio. Without

the assistance of subtitles or sign language, people

who are blind or deaf inevitably suffer from

inconvenience when they are using social media,

resulting in them keeping up with the booming

development of society, and the special groups may

lack information compared to other individuals. The

"digital island" effect not only shows the

technological gaps in social media platforms but also

shows the existing concern for equity among special

groups. To understand the impact that social media

has on people, especially people with special needs,

this article aims to analyze the influences deeply and

objectively, focuses on the information island that the

special groups may experience, and provides

suggestions that hope to mitigate the negative impact.

The special group this article intended to discuss

includes a wide range groups of people which are

disadvantaged people or people who have significant

needs in society, such as people with physical

disabilities, at a vulnerable age (people who are older

than 60 or younger than 14), or are poverty-stricken

population and so on.

2 POSITIVE IMPACT OF SOCIAL

MEDIA ON DISADVANTAGED

GROUPS

2.1 Traits of Social Media

This part analyzes the characteristics of social media

to further analyze how these characteristics contribute

to the improvement of the plight of special groups or

exacerbate the severity of the difficulties encountered

by special groups.

One of the great characteristics of social media is

that it has a wide range of dissemination, which

allows the dissemination of information to spread

beyond the scope of geography and time and can

Huang, Y.

Research on the Impact of Social Media on Vulnerable Groups.

DOI: 10.5220/0013986000004916

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Public Relations and Media Communication (PRMC 2025), pages 62-67

ISBN: 978-989-758-778-8

spread information in a large area in different

communities. Because of such strong

communication, events are easier to ferment and

people's minds are more easily influenced. Taking the

dissemination of political news as an example, "social

media, with its immediacy and extensive network

coverage, has significantly increased the speed of

political news dissemination" (Liu, 2025). Political

news can quickly spread events related to

disadvantaged groups, drawing people's attention and

concern.

At the same time, the threshold of social media is

very low, and users are not required to have a high

level of economic conditions and education, anyone

can express their opinions on the Internet anytime and

anywhere, and its operation is also very simple,

including direct browsing videos, likes, comments,

etc., which is simple and convenient.

Social media also has a strong sense of

connectivity, not only by connecting individuals who

need help and finding people who can help them or

who are like-minded, but also by connecting different

communities and bringing the whole society closer

together.

Social media is also interactive in real-time, which

means that users can communicate with each other in

real-time and generate feedback, which can promote

social communication and direct feedback from

individuals.

Social media has the characteristics of diversity,

which is not only reflected in the diversity of its video

or article content but also the diversity of users and

the diversity of ways of use, social media combines

text, pictures videos, and other media forms,

providing a variety of forms of social media that users

can choose to participate in.

Social media integrates resources, including

medical resources, educational resources business

resources, etc., and most enterprises, organizations,

and governments participate in social media, establish

their official accounts on social media, and at the

same time promote and obtain benefits for

themselves, they are also casting opportunities to the

outside world, of course, the outside world may also

be rewarded.

2.2 Positive Impact of Social Media on

Disadvantaged People

Disadvantaged people are considered disadvantaged

because they experience more difficulties and troubles

in life than the average person, and at the same time,

they need unique needs. Before the popularity of

social media, disadvantaged groups undoubtedly

faced much greater difficulties than they do now.

Social media platforms, commonly used by young

adults, may offer an opportunity to ameliorate social

isolation (Primack, et al., 2017). An important role of

social media is to disseminate information and break

the social isolation. Social media has a wide range of

information dissemination, and various platforms such

as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc., can deliver

information to the world, which makes the digital silos

faced by special groups of people can be effectively

broken, so that they can easily find the information

they need online, without leading to information

blockage. At the same time, extensive information

dissemination can make the dissemination of special

topics more influential and gain social attention. For

example, #MeToo is a feminist movement themed

against sexual harassment and sexual assault.

Mainstream media closely collaborated with social

media in the coverage of the #MeToo movement, and

its reports brought the #MeToo movement to the

attention of mainstream society (Li, 2020).

Social media has low barriers to entry, which

allows anyone to participate at any time and express

their opinions. This feature enables people with lower

economic and cultural levels to join, which is

particularly beneficial for special groups in

underdeveloped areas. These groups can showcase

their lives, express their views, and share their troubles

online, which can also help eliminate biases against

certain special groups. For instance, short video

software not only provides a platform for expression,

voicing, sharing daily life, exchanging experiences,

and seeking social recognition but also offers a healthy

communication tool that can be operated daily (Wang,

2023).

The real-time interactivity of social media can also

assist disadvantaged groups, which is evident in the

ability of these groups to receive help quickly,

especially in emergencies. For example, people with

disabilities can post their location or special needs on

social media during natural disasters, allowing rescue

personnel to locate them swiftly. Additionally, real-

time interactivity can provide prompt psychological

counseling and emotional support for special groups,

alleviating their feelings of loneliness or anxiety.

The close connectivity of social media can help

disadvantaged groups find a sense of belonging and

form a stronger community. Disadvantaged groups,

such as those suffering from mental illnesses, can

express their experiences and feelings on social media,

and find like-minded individuals who have similar

experiences with them. Social media can enhance

communication with each other, gain experience from

Research on the Impact of Social Media on Vulnerable Groups

one another, and draw strength, which is beneficial to

the mental and physical health of these special groups.

At the same time, these individuals with the same

needs can come together to initiate activities, thereby

maximizing their impact.

Social media has the characteristic of diversity,

which is not only reflected in the diversity of its video

or article content but also includes the diversity of

usage methods. "The forms of information

transmission have also become diversified, including

text, images, videos, etc. The diversified information

dissemination model has greatly expanded the

channels of information transmission, making the

spread of news more diversified" (Liao, 2024). Social

media combines multiple media forms such as text,

images, and videos, providing a variety of ways for

users to participate in social media.

Social media integrates resources from many

areas, which can greatly reduce the problem of

information isolation for special groups. They will no

longer miss out on opportunities that they could have

had like others due to a lack of information. Special

groups can gain access to more medical, educational,

and commercial resources than before, and also have

the opportunity to receive donations and support from

individuals, public welfare organizations, and

governments. For example, social media can provide

employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

In 2020, China Central Television launched a

documentary called "The First Time in Life," in which

a group of disabled cloud customer service

representatives stated, "On the computer, we are just

like anyone else." Additionally, more and more deaf

individuals are making money through live streaming

on the internet. Social media plays a great promotional

role, with many people choosing to "reward" these

special groups, bringing them a substantial income.

Social media can not only improve the living

standards of special groups, allowing them to

participate in society but also drive the overall

economic and technological development of society,

promoting the establishment of a beautiful and

harmonious society.

3 NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF

SOCIAL MEDIA ON

DISADVANTAGED GROUPS

3.1 Digital Isolation

The phenomenon of "digital isolation" refers to the

inability of specific groups to enjoy digital life, such

as the convenience and opportunities brought by

social media. This is often due to inadequate access

to information technology, the Internet, or digital

services. Although social media can bring many

benefits to these groups, if they cannot fully integrate

into the online world for various reasons, a "digital

island" will be formed. In fact, "Digital islands"

themselves are not terrible and even are not

completely avoidable. However, in modern society,

where information is vast and rapidly changing, the

impact of "digital islands" will be gradually

magnified. A slight lag in information can lead to a

greater gap in cognition, resulting in serious

consequences.

The reasons for "digital islands" are complex and

diverse. Such reasons include economic factors, such

as people being unable to afford internet devices due

to insufficient financial conditions, which affects

their ability to participate in the online world.

Geographic condition is also a factor, as the internet

cannot cover all areas, and people in remote rural

areas may fall behind the information due to lack of

internet access. Insufficient education levels are also

one of the causes of "digital islands," as those with

low levels of education may lack knowledge of the

internet and may not realize the importance of using

social media or don't know how to use it correctly.

There are also reasons related to reading abilities and

other obstacles that may influence people with low-

educated backgrounds to use social media. Physical

factors can also be considered, such as people with

disabilities. If they have visual or auditory

impairments, it will also affect their usage of the

internet.

3.2 Negative Impacts and Reasons on

Different Groups

Next, this essay will analyze in detail the negative

impacts that social media brings to vulnerable groups,

which includes the negative impacts that the "digital

island" brings to vulnerable groups. Vulnerable

groups refer to the population who suffer greater

obstacles to access to resources, services, and

opportunities due to various factors. These obstacles

may form from economic, social, or structural

inequalities, such as poverty, discrimination, lack of

education, or social exclusion. Vulnerable groups

often include but are not limited to, racial or ethnic

minorities, people with disabilities, women,

LGBTQ+ individuals, and low-income populations.

This article will explore the negative impacts of social

media on people with disabilities, special age groups

PRMC 2025 - International Conference on Public Relations and Media Communication

(such as left-behind elderly and young children), and

the poor.

The impact of the "digital island" on people with

disabilities is relatively significant. If people with

disabilities encounter difficulties in using social

media due to their physical characteristics, which

hinders their use of social media, they will fall further

behind in terms of the internet and even modern

society. These difficulties can be the lack of

accessibility features on social media, with many of

its infrastructure designed only for able-bodied

individuals. For people with hearing impairments,

although some mainstream video platforms offer

subtitle options, such as YouTube, there are also

many video platforms that cannot automatically

translate subtitles, such as the Chinese platform

Rednote, which has 300 million active users per

month. Since almost all mainstream video platforms

do not have sign language settings, if video publishers

do not add subtitles, people with hearing impairments

will not be able to understand the video content. At

the same time, even if people with hearing

impairments can understand the general content of the

video, they will miss out on enjoying the music and

sound effects, thus creating a gap between them and

others. Therefore, people with disabilities will

encounter many difficulties and inconveniences when

using social media, which can lead to them falling

behind others to some extent in terms of accessing

information and resources. However, as times

develop rapidly, the speed at which others access

information and resources will only increase, which

can lead to a growing gap between people with

disabilities and others.

The disadvantaged age groups include the elderly,

those aged 75 and above, and children under the age

of 14. These individuals do not have an age advantage

and are more likely to experience greater negative

impacts when using social media compared to other

age groups. Based on clinical and empirical data,

social isolation is found to be prevalent among elderly

people, and it has negative consequences on the

elderly's psychological and physical health (Chen &

Schulz, 2016). If society does not act now to keep

pace with rapid change, online risks may make

vulnerable children more susceptible to exploitation,

as well as more subtle threats to their well-being

(Keeley & Little, 2017). Social media requires users

to possess a range of technological skills, which can

be challenging for those who are either too old or too

young. The number of people using social media is

also relatively small. Globally, 71% of the population

aged 15 to 24 are using the internet, while the rest of

the population across all other age groups stands at

57%. The primary target audience for social media is

young people, and many of its infrastructure does not

meet the needs of these vulnerable age groups. For

example, the elderly may not know how to adjust the

font size or may have difficulty operating touch

buttons flexibly, which could be due to their failing

sight, or decreased hand flexibilities. Children, on the

other hand, may not be able to read long passages of

text, as their educational level is still insufficient. This

can lead to the "digital island" effect, where they are

slower in accessing resources and information, and

the information they obtain is more limited. As people

of other age groups learn more, the gap between them

and these vulnerable age groups widens, making them

increasingly "vulnerable."

The impoverished population discussed in this

article mainly refers to those living in underdeveloped

areas who have difficulty accessing the internet and

obtaining information from the outside world. These

individuals are exactly the ones who need to gain

access to information and resources to have

opportunities to change their lives. However, due to

the impact of the "digital island," the gap between

them and the outside world widens, leading to an

increasing wealth gap. The difficulties they may

encounter when using social media include the

possible lack of internet devices or unreliable network

connections. Additionally, the impoverished

population may also be unaware of how to correctly

and efficiently use high-tech products and how to

access the internet due to their lower level of

education. In this era of rapid internet development,

an increasing number of opportunities are obtained

online, and more and more businesses are choosing to

adopt online business models. Without the internet

and social media, the impoverished population loses

the opportunity to showcase themselves or express

their needs to the outside world. They find it difficult

to obtain the same amount of resources and

opportunities as others, such as job opportunities,

educational resources, and social welfare. Even if

these individuals can successfully access the internet,

they may still be unable to achieve efficient internet

use due to economic and technological limitations.

The video content they post may also lack exposure

and attention due to its low quality. This not only

results in a poor internet experience for them but also

widens the wealth gap and exacerbates the

information and resource gap between the

impoverished population and the rest of the

population.

Research on the Impact of Social Media on Vulnerable Groups

4 SUGGESTION

This part of the essay will propose potentially feasible

solutions to the barriers that social media brings to

special groups, aiming to enhance the convenience of

life for these groups, help them access resources,

draw the attention of the outside world to them, and

try to address the issue of "digital island."

4.1 Lower Barriers and Improve

Services

Firstly, increasing the accessibility and barrier-free

design of social media can greatly help special

groups. Enhancing auxiliary functions can benefit

people with disabilities as well as those with special

age considerations. Barriers to mobile access can be

attributed to the design of content on the graphical

user interface, coupled with restrictions of assistive

technologies" (Kuber, et al., 2012). In terms of visual

assistance, the screen reader can be further improved

and upgraded, making its installation and usage

process more simplified and expedited. At the same

time, simple operation tutorials can be set up to

facilitate learning and use by visually impaired

individuals, such as Google's "Chrome OS Help." The

AI and AR-driven solution not only facilitated

language learning but also fostered social inclusion

by enabling seamless interaction with both sign

language users and non-sign language users (Bekeš,

et al., 2024).

4.2 Information Personalization

Making the information on social media more

personalized according to the characteristics of

disadvantaged groups is conducive to the better use

of social media by these groups. Firstly, the operation

or basic settings can be made more personalized. For

example, allowing people with disabilities to give

instructions through speech to adjust the content

pushed on social media or skip the content they do not

like. Or, as mentioned earlier, the elderly can adjust

the size and color of the font on their own to find the

most comfortable way to read. Subsequently, the push

of information content should be more personalized.

The information content can be simplified,

highlighting the key points, because it is already

inconvenient for special groups to surf the Internet,

and it is very important to let them see important and

concise information in a short time. Afterward, push

content that is closely related to the lives of

disadvantaged groups, allowing them to see people in

the same situation as themselves, find a sense of

resonance, and find people or organizations that can

help them, to obtain the resources they need.

4.3 Information Diversification

Diversifying the information on social media can also

help disadvantaged groups better engage with it.

Firstly, the diversification of how social media is used

can facilitate its use by disadvantaged groups, such as

the addition of screen readers, as mentioned earlier.

Secondly, the diversification of social media content

can help special groups access a wider range of

information, gain rich knowledge, find help online,

and obtain abundant resources, thereby achieving

better integration with the world. More importantly,

diversified information can draw the attention of the

general public to special groups. By pushing content

related to disadvantaged groups, the public can better

focus on these individuals, and understand their

characteristics, lifestyles, and the stories behind them,

thereby eliminating prejudice against disadvantaged

groups. This can lead to a society that has a respectful

and caring awareness towards disadvantaged groups,

enabling them to better integrate into society and

making them no longer "disadvantaged."

4.4 Enterprise Social Responsibility

Social media should fully develop corporate social

responsibility. Social media companies should take

into account their social responsibilities in their

business plans, to help disadvantaged groups from the

perspective of social media. For example, they should

specifically design teams to serve specialized special

groups and develop specific technologies to help

these groups better use social media. At the same

time, these social media platforms should actively

promote public welfare advertisements and cooperate

with public welfare organizations. With the power of

these enterprises, social media can better become a

tool for spreading power and information, allowing

more special groups to access resources and

assistance, and enabling more people to see these

special individuals. There is also research focus on

the impoverished population, "The results show that

from an individual perspective, corporations can

enhance the working abilities of the poor by sharing

technologies and resources and providing skills

training and education. From a social/structural

perspective, corporations can establish poverty

reduction businesses to provide poor people with job

opportunities, or introduce social network resources

to assist poor people in starting a business" (Kao, et

al., 2016).

PRMC 2025 - International Conference on Public Relations and Media Communication

5 CONCLUSION

This article mainly explores the impact of social

media on disadvantaged groups. The disadvantaged

groups involved in this article mainly include people

with disabilities, age-specific groups, and the poor

population in underdeveloped areas, as they are

significantly affected by social media due to

physiological reasons or other objective conditions.

The article first discusses the characteristics of social

media and objectively summarizes and evaluates the

positive impacts that social media has on

disadvantaged groups. Then, after introducing the

phenomenon of "digital islands," the article discusses

the negative impacts that social media has on

disadvantaged groups and how it creates "digital

islands" for them. Finally, based on the negative

impacts experienced by special groups, the article

proposes feasible solutions or methods to address or

alleviate these problems. The aim is to help

disadvantaged groups use social media more

effectively, improve their usage efficiency, help them

access more resources and assistance, and alleviate

the "digital island" phenomenon. Also, it may enable

society to hear the voices of these disadvantaged

groups, eliminate prejudices, enhance the awareness

of the whole society in caring for and helping

disadvantaged groups, and promote the formation of

a beautiful and harmonious society, allowing

disadvantaged groups to become less

"disadvantaged" one day.

REFERENCES

Bekeš, E. R., Galzina, V., & Kolar, E. B. 2024. Using

human-computer interaction (HCI) and artificial

intelligence (AI) in education to improve the literacy of

deaf and hearing-impaired children. In 2024 47th

MIPRO ICT and Electronics Convention (MIPRO)

1375-1380.

Chen, Y. R. R., & Schulz, P. J. 2016. The effect of

information communication technology interventions

on reducing social isolation in the elderly: a systematic

review. Journal of Medical Internet Research 18(1):

e4596.

Kao, T. Y., Chen, J. C., Wu, J. T. B., & Yang, M. H. 2016.

Poverty reduction through empowerment for

sustainable development: A proactive strategy of

corporate social responsibility. Corporate Social

Responsibility and Environmental Management 23(3):

140-149.

Keeley, B., & Little, C. 2017. The State of the Worlds

Children 2017: Children in a Digital World. UNICEF.

3 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017.

Kuber, R., Hastings, A., & Tretter, M. 2012. Determining

the accessibility of mobile screen readers for blind

users. UMBC Faculty Collection.

Liu, X. 2025. With the help of social media interaction, the

current political news is widely disseminated. Cradle of

Journalists (01): 42-44.

Liao, Y. 2024. Analysis of the impact of new media on the

diversity of news communication content. Editorial

(12): 27.

Li, Z. 2020. #MeToo Movement under the Hashtag.

Zhejiang University.

Primack, B. A., Shensa, A., Sidani, J. E., Whaite, E. O., yi

Lin, L., Rosen, D., & Miller, E. 2017. Social media use

and perceived social isolation among young adults in

the US. American Journal of Preventive Medicine

53(1): 1-8.

Wang, Z. 2023. Research on Health Communication on

Autism on Douyin Platform. Henan University.

Research on the Impact of Social Media on Vulnerable Groups