Introduction
Social media is part and parcel of our daily lives and it is here to stay. Facebook, Instagram, twitter, and Snapchat are very pivotal mediums through which millions of friends and families get regular updates about life and to share both happy and sad thoughts and experiences with them (Ahmed YA, Ahmad MN, Ahmad N, & Zakaria NH (2019). As the world is at a rapid pace in the development of new technologies and the need for more features to make apps user friendly is on the rise , the risk of people getting addicted to social media is inevitable. Social media serves as one of the most effective ways of to keep close to families and friends which was evident during the covid pandemic.Social networking sites (SNSs) such as Facebook and Instagram have become popular in the last two decades (Gentile, Twenge, Freeman, & Campbell, 2012) However, the overuse of social networking as been associated with so many health issues.Critics have asserted that the use of social media has decrease means for people to physically communicate and it has affected the overall well-being of individuals. Social media is said to be a source of stress for so many people and it is often regarded as a key cause of stress.According to the Pew Research Center, 69% of adults and 81% of teens in the U.S. use social media. This puts a large amount of the population at an increased risk of feeling anxious, depressed, or ill over their social media use.(Smith, 2017)
Evidently, there is no direct proof; a number of studies have reached a logical conclusion that social media increases one’s stress level. Moreover the adverse impact of one’s mental health is highly traceable to the use of social media.This research is intended to prove that the use of social networking websites is indeed linked to the increase in the stress level of users.The researcher implement both the primary and secondary methodologies to uncover the effects of social media on users stress levels. As aforementioned earlier, the first research method has helped in uncovering the genuine opinion of people. On the contrary, the secondary research has provided a firm backing to the final argument of the study.
Conventional Wisdom and Theory
Social Media has become an integral part of our daily lives as it offers us a platform for both communication and networking and as these networks expands, so does the number of networks that we are a part of. They also offer a platform for business transactions and networking sites. These networks are increasing by the day and it has offered the means for a lot of people to connect starting from young to old but for most, the addictiveness causes stress. The stress deriving from the subjective assessment of situational factors can activate ‘affective, cognitive, and behavioral responses’ that can contribute to the development and maintenance of specific forms of Internet-related behavioral addictions, such as the behavioral addiction to social media use. (Fabris et al, 2020)
One of the key theories that is often in relation to social media stress is the comparison theory proposed by psychologist Leon Festinger in 1954. Festinger theory asserts that each and every individual has the right to determine their social and personal worth based upon how they stack up on their scale of preference (Festinger,1954).This theory Manifests itself when individual on social platform start to compare their personal lives and physical appearances to others which could lead to jealousy and anxiety. In this genereation, teens are more likely to become addicted to social media due to several contributing factors; Society has long fretted about technology’s impact on youth. But unlike radio and television, the hyperconnected nature of social media has led to new anxieties, including worries that these platforms may be negatively impacting teenagers’ mental health. Just this year, the White House announced plans to combat potential harms teens may face when using social media. (Anderson et al,2022)
One key factor of teen addiction is The fear of missing out (FOMO). The consistent monitoring of curated highlight reels of friends and strangers on social media can be attributed to the FOMO eventually leading to stress and anxiety. To stay deeply linked through their social contacts and to prevent the anxiety of being out of touch with possibilities to win or losses to avoid, FOMO encourages people to regularly check their social media profiles. People may become obsessed with social media and find it difficult to control their impulse to check it, which can result in obsessive behavior. Since addiction is defined as “a persistent, compulsive dependence on a behavior or substance,” compulsive behavior and addiction are related.(Smith,2004). With the rise of social media stress, the concept of digital detox is resonating amongst users taking intentional breaks and practising mindfulness and being present in the moment to counteract technostress and its negative conse-quences on individual well being and productivity social media. (Vaghefi et al. 2018; Eichner 2020; Zhou et al. 2020). Social media stress is very unique compared to other daily life stressor like work or relationships which involves face-to- face interactions and experiences with others but as for social media stress it stems from comparison of oneself, cyberbullying, constant pressure to be connected and responsive which could lead to low self-esteem, anxiety, depression distraction, insomnia and compulsive buying (Beyari, 2023)
Facebook has been considered the most influential when it comes to impacting stress on its users; Facebook is a popular social media Web site that has been hypothesized to exert potential influence over users’ attitudes, intentions, or behaviors. Owing to its widespread appeal and frequent usage by users, Facebook has emerged as a possible conduit for attitudes and actions. Several prior research studies have looked at how conventional media portrays certain activities, including drinking and smoking, and have consistently identified favorable correlations with the initiation of these behaviors in the adolescent population (Moreno,M et al,2013).Social networking is an essential component of mental health protection. The number and caliber of social connections have an impact on mortality risk, health behavior, mental and physical well-being, and behavior. The correlation between mental health and social media may be explained by the Displaced Behavior Theory. The idea states that sedentary practices, such using social media, take up more time than face-to-face social connection, which has been shown to be protective against mental diseases. Conversely, social theories discovered that using social media influences how people view, manage, and engage with their social network, which in turn has an impact on mental health. A number of research on the effects of social media have found that long-term usage of platforms such as Facebook may be associated with negative signs and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Furthermore, social media may put a lot of pressure on people to conform to the stereotypes that others want to see while remaining popular(Karim,F et al.2020)
The Pervasive Facebook usage on the academic performance of university students has attracted growing scholarly attention (Hossian,2023) yet the nature of this relationship remains argumentative and the outcomes of this impact are still indistinct.. This research is purposely aimed at assessing the impact of facebook on the stress levels of university students in Albany county New York so that our findings could be used by policymakers to make necessary changes in the classroom phone policy of university students.. The motivation behind this research is to vividly show the outcomes directly reflected in the lives of facebook media users in the midst of different use levels of facebook. The stress levels will be compared via a survey as well as the consent of the use of facebook will finalise the conclusion. This research is quite different from previous research as it is holistic and more diverse as it covers universities that are recognized for the strength of diversity in its enrollment.
Hypothesis.
In this research, the hypothesis is the number of time spent on facebook, which is highly correlated with the levels of stress amongst users.
Dependent Independent
Levels of stress Time spent on facebook
Control
Age
Facebook frequency usage
Other social media usage
Current mental health condition
External stressor
Closed-ended questions
1.How often do you use facebook?
-A.Multiple times a day
-B. Once a day
-C.Few Times a week
-D.Rarely
- Do you feel pressure to display an idealized version of your private life on Facebook?
-A. Strongly Agree
-B. Agree
-C.Neutral
-D. Disagree
-E. Strongly Disagree
3.How often do you compare yourself to others?
-A.Never
-B.Rarely
-C.Occasionally
-D.Often
-E. Very often - Have you ever experienced anxiety or stress related to your Facebook activities?
-A.Yes, frequently-
-B.Yes, sometimes
-C.Rarely
-D.No, never - Do you feel the need to constantly check your facebook notifications?
-A.Strongly Disagree
-B.Disagree
-C.Neutral
-D.Agree
-E. Strongly agree - How much does Facebook contribute to your overall stress levels?
-A. A significant amount
-B.Some amount
-C. A little bit
-D. Not at all - Have you ever unfollowed or unfriended someone on facebook due to feeling stressed or pressured ?
-A. No
-B. Yes
8.Do you feel compelled to respond to messages or comments on facebook immediately.
-A. Always
-B. Often
-C. Sometimes
-D. Rarely
E. Never - How often do negative interactions on Facebook affect your Mental well-being?
-A. Never
-B. Rarely
-C. Occasionally
-D. Often
-E. Very Often - Have you ever taken a break from Facebook due to stress or negative emotions?
-A. Yes, Multiple times
-B.Yes, once
-C. No, never
11.Do you feel pressure to maintain a certain number of likes or followers on facebook?
-A. Strongly agree
-B. Disagree
-C. Neutral
-D. Agree
-E. Strongly agree - How often do you find yourself scrolling mindlessly through Facebook?
-A. Never
-B. Rarely
-C. Few times a week
-D. Once a day
-E.Never
13.Do you think Facebook has a positive impact on your academic performance?
-A. Strongly agree
-B. Agree
-C. Neutral
-D. Disagree
-E. Strongly disagree - Have you ever felt left out or excluded based on what you see on facebook?
-A. Yes, often
-B. Yes, sometimes
-C No, never - How often do you experience FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) when browsing Facebook.
-A. Very often
-B. Often
-C. Occasionally
-D. Rarely
-E. Never.
Opened Ended Questions - How has facebook usage impacted your stress levels as a college student?
- Is there an instance where you got stressed because of something you saw on facebook? Please describe.
- In what way or ways does facebook contribute to the overall stress amongst college students in Albany, New York?
- Does having a facebook account pressures you to maintain a certain persona on facebook? Please explain.
- While using facebook, have you ever experienced FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)? How did it affect your stress levels?
- How do you manage stress that arises from Facebook?
- Which feature on facebook that you really find stressful?
- Do you think that there is a correlation with the time spent on Facebook and stress levels among college students ? Why or why not?
- How has facebook impacts stress levels between different college majors?
- What changes do you recommend to mitigate the negative impact of Facebook on stress among college students in Albany, New York?
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