Argumentative Essay

Mirza Sadan Baig (26677)

Topic: Argue whether the use of social media has a positive or negative impact on the mental
health of undergraduate students. Support your argument with relevant research and examples”

“Social Media – A Solution or a Dilemma”

Who does not own a smartphone or a tablet nowadays? Every person we interact with, every soul
we come across, almost everyone has a social media presence, or a digital footprint as it is
considered by the “Gen-Z” nowadays. While normal social interactions of the past revolved
around asking one’s name, hobbies or age, one of the most frequented question these days is
what is a person’s username on a social media platform such as Instagram or Snapchat. Speaking
from personal experience as well, if you ever come across someone who is not active on social
media it is a huge deal, quite shocking so as well. However, in an age like this where the use of
social media is considered as second nature and almost all human interactions and relations
involve social media in one way or another, there are always discussions as to whether the use of
social media has a positive or negative impact on the mental health of its users, specifically
undergraduate students. While some argue about the positive impacts it has and some argue
about the negative effects, to be fair it has both and we will discuss those in this essay.

The first and foremost point to consider is the biggest selling point all social media platforms
have always used, it keeps you connected. As Facebook claims in their mission statement, “give
people the power to build community and bring the world closer together”. Social media
platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, BeReal and many more all have the same overall use that
is, it keeps its users connected to each other. Undergraduate students make use of these apps and
it helps them make and maintain relations that can last for years and really enrich their lives.
Social media allows them to stay connected to one another virtually, ensuring that they have a
feeling of togetherness and can also have healthier relations and mental health due to knowing
that they have their friends within the reach of a few clicks on their devices.

Another key role that is played by social media platforms these days is that they serve as a
medium of spreading news and providing information, helping their users stay up to date with
news of their liking as well as giving them the information they require within the clicks of a few
buttons. Social media can be utilized as a valuable source of information as it contains platforms
that provide facts and figures regarding relevant topics alongside with the insights of highly
qualified individuals from around the globe. This not only helps keep undergraduate students up
to date and highly informed but also helps the diversification and spread of ideas globally
ensuring that the thinking of these students is developed in a more open manner and not in just
one narrow direction-contributing to the global village idea. A study published in the
"International Journal of Communication" (2018) explored the role of social media in
influencing the ideologies and thinking of individuals. The research suggests that social media
platforms contribute by providing a wider range of information sources, allowing users access to
a wider range of information which can shape their perspectives. This leads to a more open-
minded approach. [Source: Molyneux, L., Vasquez, C., & Rost, J. (2018). Agenda‐Setting in a
Digital Age: The Importance of Issue Ownership on Social Media in the 2012 Presidential
Election. International Journal of Communication, 12, 22.]. Overall, this can positively impact
the mental health of students as they have a broader perspective on the world, are more informed
and tend to lead life with a more open mind which results in them not getting bothered by trivial
matters.

Social media users have access to platforms and communities where like-minded individuals can
come together to discuss their shared interests, passions such as art or sports or even just a
common topic they are assigned with or need help with. There are websites such as Reddit,
Groups on Facebook, and discussion threads on X (formerly known as Twitter), where a lot of
people share their insights, experiences, and even opinions that help provide a much deeper
knowledge base for undergraduate students who are either exploring a topic for research
purposes or just for their individual interests. This sort of groups and communities can have a
healthy impact on the minds of undergraduate students as it can provide a sense of belonging and
help foster a supportive environment.

A key use of social media today specifically relevant to undergraduate students today is the key
role in can play in professional networking. While platforms such as Upwork and Fiverr do not
exactly qualify as social media platforms, they still serve the purpose for helping freelancers
meeting companies who are looking to outsource projects. This serves a key role as it helps
undergraduate students who are looking to make money or gain experience through these
projects. LinkedIn is another platform that is utilized by undergraduate students, it helps by
providing listings for jobs and internships, it also is a platform that allows users to reach out to
recruiters around the globe. LinkedIn helped me land an internship opportunity myself and hence
I can vouch for it, although it took a lot of scrolling and reaching out to dozens of people with no
responses, eventually I got a response and gained an internship opportunity at one of the top
companies in my locality. If utilized the right way, these platforms can help undergraduate
students in making key connections that can help them land jobs or internships which can help
grow their careers.

While the use of social media has a handful of upsides for undergraduate students, it can have
several harmful impacts as well. The biggest harm that is associated with the usage of social
media by undergraduate students is that most students end up spending a lot of time on social
media which has adverse impacts on other parts of their lives as they do not allot sufficient time
to other tasks they have. Excessive usage of social media by undergraduate students often leads
to social media addiction as well and individuals just make a habit of mindlessly scrolling
through social media platforms for hours. Constant usage of social media may also create an
unintentional need of validation through social media for individuals which can have a negative
mental impact and make students dependent as well. If students end up being hooked on social
media, the countless hours spent on these apps has harmful repercussions as students end up
struggling in academic tasks as they do not allot sufficient time to studying for tests and
completing assignments. A meta-analysis published in the journal "Computers in Human
Behavior" (2016) analysed the relationship between social media usage and the impact it had on
academic performances of students. This study concluded that individuals with high usage of
social media were more likely to have adverse effects on their academic performance as they had
lower scores. [Source: Kirschner, P. A., & Karpinski, A. C. (2010). Facebook® and academic
performance. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(6), 1237-1245]. Eventually this can lead to
deteriorating their mental health as well.

Another key mental pressure that is faced by undergraduate students today is the lives that are
portrayed on social media today. Social media users have a tendency to only show the glitz and
glam that their lives have, overall, this promotes a very positive image of their lives which are
portrayed as perfect lifestyles where everything is good. This can promote unhealthy
comparisons, low self-esteem and excessive obsessions with achieving perfection, and overall
adding a mental burden on individuals who aim to achieve the perfections that are portrayed by
social influencers. Social media users can also face excessive criticism or cyber-bullying by
peers or complete strangers. While social media promotes free expression and discussions, some
users tend to utilize social media in negative ways by making fun of others, insulting others for
their physical features or even their personalities. Bullying in all forms is a very serious issue and
cyber-bullying carries the danger of completely destroying an individual’s confidence. Amongst
undergraduate students, cyber-bullying can be a common occurrence which can have major
harmful impacts on the mental health of those that are bullied.

Social media usage by undergraduate students is a highly charged debate with positive factors
and negative impacts both to be considered. While the positives outweigh the negatives, the
harmful impacts are still significant. Overall, in my opinion social media usage has a vital role in
the lives of undergraduate students and should be utilized as it really provides great help.
However, the biggest factor to focus on is that social media should be used mindfully, in
moderation and while keeping our priorities straight. While social media has the power to aid our
relationships, help provide quick and easy access to information and help create new relations,
we as individuals should never forget that these platforms are meant to aid these parts of our
lives and should not be relied on solely. For relations, real-time interactions are still necessary,
for gaining knowledge, studying and learning from experts and books are still the primary
method. So in conclusion, while social media is a great asset to have for undergraduate students,
at the end of the day it is meant to assist us and should not become something we solely rely on.