Digitally Mediated Emotions: The New Landscape of Emotional Expression and Its Behavioral Consequences

Abstract

This paper investigates how digital platforms reconfigure the fundamental processes of human emotional exchange and its behavioral outcomes. It poses the central research question: How do the affordances and constraints of digital interfaces reshape emotional expression and contagion, and what are the consequences for individual psychology and collective behavior? The analysis argues that social media and communication technologies function not as neutral channels but as active “architectures of affect.” This argument is examined through a mixed-methods study in the Rohilkhand region of India, combining a survey of 50 young adults with in-depth interviews. Findings indicate that platforms introduce a new grammar of feeling characterized by metricated feedback (e.g., likes), performative emotionality, and algorithmic amplification of high-arousal content. These design features create a validation loop that fosters compulsive use, depletes cognitive resources for self-regulation, and contributes to anxiety and social comparison. Consequently, digital mediation alters self-concept and facilitates the large-scale spread of moralized emotions, thereby fraying social bonds and contributing to societal polarization. The paper concludes that navigating this landscape requires both individual practices of mindful engagement and systemic advocacy for ethically designed digital environments that support human well-being rather than exploit emotional vulnerability for engagement.