With social media ever growing, so is the effect on college students. Apps like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, among many others, allow people to post their best moments and sometimes, their worst.
The content that gets posted is usually altered in some way. Amanda Pscherer, sophomore elementary education major, does not like how social media can be fake.
“Lots of people over-edit pictures, use Facetune, and just put out a false perception of what their life is like,” she said.
Therapist for Clarity Wellness Solutions, Katie Gibbons, says the same thing: “Nothing is real. Even if the photo is not photoshopped, you are still putting a filter on it.” She also adds that social media can cause negative self-esteem and a decline in mental health.
Body image is also a topic often discussed in regards to social media. “Body image has been affected way before online social media; news, magazines, really any marketing business has set an unrealistic standard of beauty,” Gibbons said. Even though the conflict of body image may have been an issue before social media’s time, she does think social media can cause many people to struggle with how they perceive themselves.
However, social media does not necessarily correlate directly to an increase in people seeking behavioral health services. Rather, she thinks “that social media plays a role in increasing some of the already existing symptoms.”
On the other hand, freshman kinesiology major Brian Popeck, thinks social media is doing its job perfectly. From a marketing perspective, he believes that social media does a successful job at “making specific feed for everyone and in turn will improve their usage time on the app.” Depending on the app, there will usually be a custom feed for the user to make their experience more enjoyable.
Popeck and Pscherer both agree that social media can make it easier to connect with those who they cannot see in person.
“I keep up with their lives and then when we reconnect we can talk about things we saw in each other’s posts,” Pscherer said.
Popeck emphasizes the usefulness of social media when he says, “I find it a great way to stay in contact with those that are hard to keep in touch with face-to-face.”
Social media offers both positive and negative effects, depending on the individual. With many factors in mind, these platforms can be used for beneficial purposes, but can have a detrimental side too.