Final Project (Sociology)

November 24, 2023

Part 1: Topic Selection

State your topic:

Association between Social Media Usage and Mental Health Illnesses

Discuss why this topic is significant:

We use our phones daily, and people have become very reliant on them. Phones have proven to be useful, but nothing is perfect and it is important to see the negative effects of using this technology.

Provide a short explanation of what you hope to learn from researching this topic:

I hope to better understand the impact social media can have on mental health (specifically anxiety or depression).

Explain what potential bias could enter into your research and intention of preventing this:

Many people like to blame everything on technology while others act like technology is perfect. I plan to look for sources that show multiple perspectives, this would show that it is un-biased. It is important to prevent this bias because although I do believe that social media can be harmful, I know it also has many positive effects. The idea is to find a balance between pros and cons because then it is clear that bias isn't shown. People are often in denial, and their bias may lead them to not accept that there is a relationship between social media and mental illnesses. However, if more research was done, and the findings were promoted, people would be more informed.

Disclaimer: Some participants skipped questions, down below are all the responses I recieved.

10 participants (Female - Age Range: 16-22 y/o), 10 questions

Part 2: Research Questions

Questions for Poll

How does social media negatively affect mental health?

1. Social media forces people to compare themselves to others they see on the internet which can lead to FOMO. also knowing an individuals opinion on everything can cause someone lots of stress and create a bias towards others before getting to know them personally.

2. Causes increase self-esteem.

3. Social media affects the way people view themselves and their mental health. When they see someone else doing better than them they may either strive to do better or tear themselves down because they can't do as well.

4. I have to say social media affects both women and men in the same way. For example, in the social media apps like TikTok or Instagram they see these pretty girls or good looking guys & they start to compare themselves to them. Which effects their self esteem.

5. People become too fixated on what they see on social media which can give them a false reality. This can cause an unhealthy obsession with creating a "picture perfect" online image.

6. I get distracted which leads to procrastination which leads to frustration.

How does social media positively affect mental health?

What social media do you use most often?

How has this Social Media App positively affected you?

How has this Social Media App negatively affected you?

Overall, how has social media positively or negatively affected you?

Does social media promote or minimize growth in an individual? How?

Are you diagnosed with Anxiety or Depression? If yes, at what age were you diagnosed, and what were you diagnosed with?

If no to the previous question, you can skip this question. If you were diagnosed, were you active on social media at that time? For example, when you got diagnosed with either or both, were you actively on Instagram (or any other social media app)?

Finally, do you think that social media causes mental health illnesses?

Guiding Questions

Did people use social media actively with Anxiety or Depression?

Part 3: Research Method

My methods of research will include poll everywhere and secondary data analysis. Poll Everywhere will give me primary information and will give me more insight into the teens of today (who spend the majority of their time on social media). This is important because most people develop Anxiety or Depression in their teenage days, but why? However, sources from the past can be useful when they prove a common pattern which is good because I get accurate information. Also, there is more information located in secondary data which would be useful in a research project.