What do these results indicate?
More than half of the survey respondents are female, while others are males. Around 65% comprised the age group 19-21, followed by 30% 16-18. There were barely any respondents aged 22 and above.
One of the things that caught my attention was that slightly more than half of these students spend 4-7 hours on social media per day, which is not little. It shows that our reliance on social media is increasing and its presence in our lives is inevitable. Moreover, 9.4% spend even 8-11 hours on social media, which is almost half of the day.
Most students use Facebook and Instagram mainly to connect with friends, followed closely by following celebrities’ news, along with posting about their lives, and other uses. A response that is not to be overlooked is that 37.5% of these students feel insecure because of social media; for example, they mainly states that social media makes them feel watched all the time, overexposed, that it provided “extremely distorted versions of what beauty, friendships, and generally happiness, look like in real life. It also makes them develop trust issues and makes them feel like the life they are living is not good enough and the people posting updates on social media have “perfect lives.” It also makes them compare themselves to other people. This in itself is saddening.
The most alarming result is that 85% of these students think that social media can trigger depression. This is unexpected because social media is originally meant to add to the quality of our lives, make us connect easily with our friends and relatives, and entertain us without harming us.
A whopping 85% either agrees or strongly agrees with the fact that social media sets unrealistic examples for adolescents. This was shown in one of the students’ responses in the question about insecurity, that social media makes them compare themselves to other people. In addition to that, 62.5% feel envious or jealous of others because of social media.
The final question directly looks at possible existence of symptoms of depression in these AUC students. Symptoms that scored highest include: Loss of interest in daily activities, loneliness, and emptiness. However, it is not to be ignored that 4 students feel a sense of worthlessness and 4 are experiencing suicidal thoughts. This shows how drastic social media’s side effects can be although it has its advantages.