Presenter: Lucy Jia

Laughing Through Stress: A Proposed Study of Social Media Humour and Frist-Year Belonging at UBC

Type of Presentation: Oral Presentation

Abstract

My interest in this topic began when I noticed how often students share memes and short videos about exams, deadlines, lack of sleep, and university stress. This oral presentation explores how stress-related humour on social media may shape first-year UBC students’ self-reported stress and sense of belonging. Previous research suggests that humour can help people cope with stress, while studies on student belonging show that feeling connected is important during the first year of university. However, less research has examined how stress-related humour on social media shapes first-year UBC students’ everyday experiences of stress and belonging. This proposed study asks: to what extent is viewing stress-related humour associated with first-year UBC students’ stress and sense of belonging? My research plan would use a mixed-methods approach, including a short anonymous online survey and semi-structured interviews with first-year UBC students. During the presentation, I will discuss my anticipated argument that this humour may help students feel understood, less isolated, and more connected, while also considering limits, such as whether it normalizes unhealthy stress or works only as temporary distraction.

Biography

Lucy Jia is a first-year Vantage Arts student at UBC. She is interested in student life, social media, humour, and how people build emotional connections in university. As an international student, she is especially interested in how students use online culture to express stress and feel less alone. She hopes to continue exploring topics related to media, identity, and belonging.