Presenter: Hüseyin Avni Pala

Upward Social Comparison and Student Mental Health: A Proposed Study of Social Media Use

Type of Presentation: Oral Presentation

Abstract

I am interested in how social media can affect university students mentally and psychologically. I chose this topic because I am a student myself, and I think many students can be affected by social media without fully understanding why. This oral presentation will focus on how social media use affects first year students, especially through upward social comparison. Studies in this area often show that social media can be connected to depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems. However, they do not always explain how comparison with people online affects students or why it makes them feel bad about themselves. This leads to my research question: How does upward social comparison during social media use affect the mental health of first year students? Upward social comparison means comparing yourself to people online who seem happier, more attractive, or more successful than you. I would use an anonymous survey with 20 to 30 first year university students who use social media. The survey would ask about their social media habits, comparison experiences, and feelings after scrolling through social media. I would then look for common patterns in their answers. I expect the findings may show that students feel worse when they compare themselves to people online. However, this research is limited because it only focuses on a small group of first year students.

Biography

Hüseyin Avni Pala is a first year international student in the Vantage Arts program at UBC. His research looks at upward social comparison and mental health among first year university students. He is interested in how online experiences can shape the way students feel about themselves.