Digital Representation of Emotions through Social Media: A Systematic Review on Tracking Emotions

The present systematic review aims to synthesise the existing evidence on tracking the digital representation of emotions through social media platforms, thereby providing scope for identifying users' emotional vulnerability and emotional psychopathology. Emotions are central to human experience, and their expression has undergone a major shift with the rise of digital media platforms. Social media currently serve as a primary medium of communication and emotional exchange. The PRISMA, 2020 guidelines were followed in this systematic review. The review was conducted on four databases, including Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and APA Psycnet. The final list consists of 28 articles, specifically focusing on emotional representation through social media, published in English and selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The findings show an acceleration in interdisciplinary research on emotional representation and digital media, with 90% of studies published after 2022. The most widely researched social media platform from the reviewed research articles was Twitter, with predominantly textual analysis using linguistic and semantic markers. A strong association was found from the reviewed articles on the recognition of the emotional patterns and the early detection of mood disorders and suicidal ideation. The review indicates the function of social media as an emotional expression outlet and a diagnostic mirror of the users' affective and psychological processes.