The Research Journal #1 assignment helped me brainstorm ideas and clarify what I wanted to explore further. I ended up deciding on social media’s effect on mental health because I was hoping that learning more about this topic would motivate me to stop using or at least cut down on my personal social media usage. I’ve always been aware of how much time I spend on social media, so researching this topic felt both relevant and personal.

There were a lot of directions I could have taken with this topic, and it was tempting to dive into multiple subtopics. I found it challenging to stay focused and keep my research connected to my original thesis. I had to narrow down my focus, which wasn’t easy since the topic is really broad and has so many different layers to it.

Going into the project, I had a general idea that social media could be linked to anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. However, I didn’t realize the extent of the cognitive effects it could have. One of the most surprising discoveries was that excessive social media use may decrease attention span and impact memory retention. This made me think differently about how often I scroll without really thinking about it.

Initially, I considered creating a podcast for my topic, but I eventually decided that wasn’t the best fit. I felt stuck on how to present the research I had gathered until Professor King introduced me to a platform called Padlet. I first chose the brochure format on this site to present my information, but felt it didn’t work with the amount of information I had. I finally decided to present my information in columns/sections so that the presentation is easier to navigate.

To find images for my presentation, I searched for visuals related to social media effects and selected ones that matched the subtopics I covered. For example, for a section on social media addiction, I used an image of a handful of pills with social media app icons on them. This was a powerful metaphor for how addictive these platforms can be, and I think it helped emphasize my point in a more striking way.

I struggled with the layout of my Padlet and how to arrange the topics in a logical order so the information flowed smoothly and didn’t feel all over the place. I also wasn’t sure how much content to include and whether I was giving too little or too much in each section. The visual presentation was another challenge. For example, I went back and forth on which background picture to use, but I ultimately settled on an image of a blue sky. I felt it added a calming contrast to the heavy nature of the topic.

The AI tool I used was Grammarly. After writing all of my information, I used Grammarly to correct grammar and punctuation errors. This helped polish my writing and made it easier to communicate my ideas clearly. I didn’t rely on AI for the content creation itself, but it was a helpful tool for finalizing the presentation and making sure that everything was grammatically correct.

Best,
Camilla Casper

Minamitani, Kenta. “Social Media Addiction and Mental Health: The Growing Concern for Youth Well-Being.” Stanford Law School, 20 May 2024, law.stanford.edu/2024/05/20/social-media-addiction-and-mental-health-the-growing-concern-for-youth-well-being/.

Montag, Christian, and Sebastian Markett. “Social Media Use and Everyday Cognitive Failure: Investigating the Fear of Missing out and Social Networks Use Disorder Relationship.” BMC Psychiatry, vol. 23, no. 1, BioMed Central, Nov. 2023, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-05371-x.

Robinson, Lawrence, and Melinda Smith. “Social Media and Mental Health: Social Media Addiction.” HelpGuide.org, HelpGuide.org, 20 Jan. 2025, www.helpguide.org/mental-health/wellbeing/social-media-and-mental-health.

Sperling, Jacqueline. “The Social Dilemma: Social Media and Your Mental Health.” McLean Hospital, 29 Mar. 2024, www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/it-or-not-social-medias-affecting-your-mental-health.