Influence Of Social Media On College Students

Putting the Best Selfie Forward College students today are facing many challenges that were not present previously in college life. College students are more disconnected from the present and are suffering mentally, resulting in an inability to take a step back and develop meaningful relationships. Too much time on social media can lead to depression and anxiety enables the inevitable social comparison between one 's life and others. Students are also feeling the pressure to appear perfect to society, both socially and academically. Snapchat however, brings happiness to its users due to its impromptu nature. Even though social media does have its drawbacks, these sites do allow for greater connection to friends and family, especially …show more content…
Once arriving to college, students often find academics as well as social life is not quite as easy as in high school. As a once straight-A student discovers college requires much more work and studying, their mental health takes a hit as the struggle to live up to expectations continues. Students feel the need to always appear flawless and as if everything is alright. While the term "Penn Face" (Scelfo), meaning "the practice of acting happy and self-assured even when sad or stressed" (Scelfo) is exclusive to Penn State, though the act a common practice throughout all colleges. These students turn to social media as an escape to show the world they are "effortlessly perfect" (Scelfo) with minimal work. Yet those who spend all their spare time just for the perfect selfie hold themselves to an even higher standard with more pressure once that photo is posted, even to an extent of "taking down a photo or status if it didn 't receive the desired number of likes" (Tolly). The image these students are trying to uphold is a misuse of social media, meaning social media is meant to bring people together yet it seems to bring more distress to its college-aged students more than