ENGL 1301 - Analyzing Social Media and College Mental Well-being

This essay summarizes and responds to Riley Griffin's article, 'Social Media is changing How College Students Deal with Mental Health, For Better or Worse,' which explores the complex relationship between social media and the mental well-being of college students. The essay highlights how social media fosters unrealistic expectations, leading to competitive comparisons and feelings of exclusion among students. It acknowledges the potential for increased anxiety, depression, and loneliness due to the curated and often misleading portrayals of success and happiness on these platforms. However, the essay also recognizes social media's positive aspects, such as its ability to provide support through online communities, facilitate interventions in crisis situations, and offer access to mental health resources. The essay concludes by emphasizing the need for colleges to educate students about the potential pitfalls of social media and provide resources to promote mental health and well-being.

SURNAME 1
Name:
Professor:
School:
Date:
‘Media is changing How College Students Deal with Mental Health, For Better or Worse’
Introduction
In ‘Social Media is changing How College Students Deal with Mental Health, For Better
or Worse’, Riley Griffin explains how the social media along with technologies encourage
impractical expectations and simultaneously, it is a approach to attain those who are suffering from
pressure (Riley 2). Riley uses experience of a freshman named Sydney who had embarked on the
tumultuous transformation when she joined Duke University. The author has gone to explain
how Sydney experienced changes in the school as she strived for perfection academically and
socially (Riley 2). She had difficulties coping in the college and she turned to her phone for
alternate reality. Sydney stated “the perfect girl on Instagram” looks she is having fun”. The
writer emphasizes that the college students tend to be more detached today from their peers than
in the past. They are more unlikely to have tangible relationships especially if they go into
college having spent much less period socializing as teens, they may be likely to be hefty
medicated and feel great pressure academically and socially successful when compared with the
past. Additionally, as a result of increased dependency to the social media, these factors render
the learners prone to the psychological health issues (Hugh 5). The article is insightful and social

SURNAME 2
media has fostered unrealistic expectations. The essay will carry a summary of the main issues
highlighted in Riley article and a response to each.
Social media can push the undergrads to perfectionism which leads to competitive
comparisons (Riley 6). Social media has been an easy way that one can feel excluded. It can
make one to be aware of activities they were not requested to get involved in, and much less
conscious of the activities which are ahead of them (Riley 6). Based on Gary Glass, the associate
director of counseling and psychological service at Duke, agrees with this statement and he has
clearly highlighted that classroom is not the only environment which demands perfection. This
means that individuals tend to publish the most satisfactory, appealing and amusing posts of
themselves on the social media platform. I agree on this statement, social media has designed
false impression of just how much people are happier or successful. Online profiles do not
accurately reflect on individual’s personal life.
Social media increases problematic issues to individuals. According research by
University of Missouri illustrates that social media can increase leads to symptoms such as envy,
anxiety and depression. The time spent on Facebook by the college student is positively
correlated to depression. The students who are more intense Facebook users show an increased
in loneliness (Reynol 21). The quality of the social media conversation was a greater predictor of
the mental wellness than the common social media use. For example, when people are becoming
positive feedback on the social media, it has a tendency to place them at ease, but in the event of
negative feedback can easily lead to anxiousness (Alan 12). I agree on the statement , social
media might offer false feeling of having a relationship and which could get in approach to
developing peer support relationship, in reality they certainly not cross to render relationship that
are enticing which could lead to loneliness when they disconnect from the social media (Megan

SURNAME 3
7). There is an equally detrimental impact on the students’ anxiety when they realized the
relationships were not real.
Social media through Facebook support groups, therapy games and mental health apps
can help those who are struggling with various issues. In April 2015, a student posted suicide
notice on the anonymous social networking app ‘Yik Yak’ at the College of Michigan, via the
social media, the director of the institution, Nikki managed to get in contact with the campus law
enforcement as well as locate the student within 24 hours. The learner was offered support and
advice on the issue which was affecting him (Riley 4). I agree with the statement, through social
media the live of the student was saved and he did not commit suicide. It is important for
institutions to devise ‘positive ledge’ to develop safe and a constructive community online.
Social media can be a useful tool to intervene in dangerous situation just as the case above.
Conclusion
Riley does recommend that colleges need to educate the students and provide multiple resources;
consequently it will lead to better opportunities that will be useful. Moreover, they need to have
yearly checkups to ensure they are not suffering from pressures of perfection and stigma which
could lead to mental health.

SURNAME 4
Work Cited
Barr, Hugh. "Defining social studies." Teachers and curriculum 1.1 (2017).
Bryman, Alan. Social research methods. Oxford university press, 2015.
Fuchs, Christian. Social media: A critical introduction. Sage, 2017.
Griffin, Riley. "Social media is changing how college students deal with mental health, for better
or worse." Huffington Post (2015).
Junco, Reynol. Engaging students through social media: Evidence-based practices for use in
student affairs. John Wiley & Sons, 2014.
Poore, Megan. Using social media in the classroom: A best practice guide. Sage, 2015.