The Positive And Negative Effects Of Social Media On Student Stress

Social media has the ability to serve as a life coach, fashion consultant, and personal trainer, but could it also serve as our therapy? Social media is commonly used for communicating, interacting, and informing. However, some people view social media as a virtual escape away from the tension of their everyday lives (O’Keefe & Clarke-Pearson, 2011). My research will investigate the effects of social media on student stress. This topic is relevant because surveys have found that stress effects over 80 percent of college students (Adaa, 2010). Empirical research could analyze whether social media serves as a coping mechanism for stress. Research have found various positive and negative effects of social media use regarding stress. One specific

One study found that dependence on social media as a stress reliever could be referred to as a social media addiction. This study found that employees in Thailand were frequently utilizing Facebook to cope with work-related stress and avoid problems at work, rather than developing solutions to counteract ongoing work issues (Sriwilai, K.& Charoensukmongkol,P, 2016). Other studies found social media to be especially dangerous for the communication development of children entering young adulthood. One study suggested that parents closely monitor their children’s social media use due to “harmful effects like cyberbullying and sexting (O’Keefe & Clarke-Pearson, 2011).” I wish to explore these differing effects closely in my research

Uses and gratification theory analyzes “how people use media alongside the gratification they receive from that media (Baran & Davis, 2006).” This theory will help me to identify the various ways in which students use social media and how coping with stress potentially serves as the student’s gratification.

Entertainment theory “focuses on individuals underlined psychological use and enjoyment of entertainment-oriented media (Baran & Davis,2006).” The desire for entertainment-oriented media such as social media memes, hashtag challenges, and various other trends could be used as a potential coping mechanism for student stress. While these aspects of social media could be used for various reasons, I am interested in focusing on the use of social media as a stress reliever for students, and examining whether or not these components contribute to the proposed research question.

There are various research projects that have examined the effects of social media on student stress. However, there is a lack in research projects regarding the effects of social media on African-American college students that attend HBCU’s. With the responsibilities of bi-weekly term papers, organization meetings/events, class, Greek life, work, and social events, it is easy for any college student to become overwhelmed and stressed. My research question is, to what extent does social media aid HBCU students with