{"id":629,"date":"2019-03-28T15:24:41","date_gmt":"2019-03-28T15:24:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/2019\/03\/28\/socialmediaandmentalhealth\/"},"modified":"2020-09-05T19:34:42","modified_gmt":"2020-09-05T19:34:42","slug":"socialmediaandmentalhealth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/2019\/03\/28\/socialmediaandmentalhealth\/","title":{"rendered":"Social media &#8211; good or bad for mental health?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align:center;white-space:pre-wrap;\"><em>Exploring a mixed effect fueled by filters and realities<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;white-space:pre-wrap;\">By <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/knpaulson\">Kirby Paulson<\/a><\/p>\n<p>   <iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"embedly-embed\" src=\"\/\/cdn.embedly.com\/widgets\/media.html?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.knightlab.com%2Flibs%2Fjuxtapose%2Flatest%2Fembed%2Findex.html%3Fuid%3D7e3061a8-4bf2-11e9-8106-0edaf8f81e27&amp;src=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.knightlab.com%2Flibs%2Fjuxtapose%2Flatest%2Fembed%2Findex.html%3Fuid%3D7e3061a8-4bf2-11e9-8106-0edaf8f81e27&amp;type=text%2Fhtml&amp;key=61d05c9d54e8455ea7a9677c366be814&amp;schema=knightlab&amp;wmode=opaque\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Alissa Parker &#8216;s social media feed masked the horrific reality of her life as a college student mentally abused by an ex-boyfriend.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">But she never discussed it because social media clouded her judgment.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cI never talked about it because in social media you look good, you don\u2019t want to show that you\u2019re having difficult problems,\u201d said Parker, now a senior nursing major at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut.. \u201cSo instead of dealing with my problems, I posted all the time on social media how happy I was, look what I\u2019m doing because I thought that was a good way to kind of cope with the situation for lack of a better term.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>   <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"400\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?visual=true&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F593186718&amp;show_artwork=true&amp;callback=YUI.Env.JSONP.yui_3_17_2_1_1553114631612_9904&amp;wmode=opaque\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Parker, then a sophomore, knew she had to confront reality and do so without delay. She turned to her resident assistant for help and got the support she needed. She is an RA herself now, works in Quinnipiac&#8217;s admissions department as a tour guide and is a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Parker&#8217;s use of social media as a mask to hide her personal pain is just one example of how the apps that seem to dominate the lives of the young can work to harm them while seeming to offer endless connections to good times. <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cYeah, it may look like I have my life together on paper and on social media because I\u2019m posting with my boyfriend and I\u2019m posting with my sorority sisters and I look like I\u2019m doing great, but there are times inside I feel for a lack of a better term again, dead,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">She\u2019s not alone.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Nick Calderaro is a senior finance major who works in Quinnipiac\u2019s campus life office, runs an organization on campus, serves as a first-year seminar peer catalyst and is an orientation leader, among other things. <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">He too has seen social media used as a mask.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cSo it&#8217;s just so artificial in the sense that you can put whatever you want out there and you know, just make things out to be what they&#8217;re not at all,\u201d Calderaro said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">An informal survey of Quinnipiac students in class Facebook groups yielded some telling results about social media and its effect, with a lean towards it having a mix of both a positive and negative effect. <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Participants were asked how many social media accounts they use and if they believe their usage has a positive effect, a negative effect, a mix of both or indifferent.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"chart-block-container chart-type-1011\" data-settings=\"{&quot;dataTableId&quot;:&quot;5c9289ae6e9a7f21d3d8a05d&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Social Media and Mental Health: Survey Results&quot;,&quot;legend&quot;:&quot;visible&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Some 150 respondents participated in a Google Forms survey posted in Quinnipiac Facebook groups. One question posed was: do you believe that social media has had a positive effect, negative effect, a mix of both or indifferent on your mental health or personal judgment?&quot;,&quot;chartType&quot;:1011,&quot;palette&quot;:&quot;Primary&quot;,&quot;flip&quot;:false,&quot;dataTable&quot;:{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;5c9289ae6e9a7f21d3d8a05d&quot;,&quot;data&quot;:[[4.0],[23.0],[118.0],[5.0]],&quot;seriesLabels&quot;:[&quot;150 Responses&quot;],&quot;sampleLabels&quot;:[&quot;Positive Effect&quot;,&quot;Negative Effect&quot;,&quot;Mix of Both&quot;,&quot;Indifferent&quot;]}}\">\n<h2>Social Media and Mental Health: Survey Results<\/h2>\n<div class=\"chart-block-body legend-visible\">\n<div class=\"chart-block-legend attach1\"><figcaption class=\"legend-content\"><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<div class=\"chart-block-content\">\n<div><canvas><\/canvas><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"chart-block-legend attach2\"><figcaption class=\"legend-content\"><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"chart-block-caption\"><figcaption>Some 150 respondents participated in a Google Forms survey posted in Quinnipiac Facebook groups. One question posed was: do you believe that social media has had a positive effect, negative effect, a mix of both or indifferent on your mental health or personal judgment?<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Some 117 students responded to a Google form posted on Facebook that asked questions about the number of accounts they had and whether or not social media generated positive or negative mental health effects, a mix of both or indifferent.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">A startling 89 respondents reported that social media generated a mix of positive and negative impacts on their mental well-being. <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">The idea of social media presenting unrealistic expectations and perhaps seemingly perfect lifestyles is no secret and fires up the idea that it may have an adverse reaction on someone\u2019s mental health.<\/p>\n<div class=\"\n  sqs-gallery-container\n  sqs-gallery-block-slider\n  \n  \n  \n  \n\n  \n    \n    \n  \n  sqs-gallery-block-show-meta\n  \n  \n\n  \n  \n\n  \n  block-animation-none\n  clear\"\n  \n  \n><\/p>\n<div class=\"sqs-gallery\">\n<p>              <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%281%29.png\" alt=\"Anonymous Google Survey Responses\" \/><\/noscript><img class=\"thumb-image\" data-src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%281%29.png\" data-image=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%281%29.png\" data-image-dimensions=\"800x800\" data-image-focal-point=\"0.5,0.5\" alt=\"Anonymous Google Survey Responses\" data-load=\"false\" data-image-id=\"5c93b618104c7b75c31be0cf\" data-type=\"image\" \/><\/p>\n<p>              <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%282%29.png\" alt=\"Anonymous Google Survey Responses\" \/><\/noscript><img class=\"thumb-image\" data-src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%282%29.png\" data-image=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%282%29.png\" data-image-dimensions=\"800x800\" data-image-focal-point=\"0.5,0.5\" alt=\"Anonymous Google Survey Responses\" data-load=\"false\" data-image-id=\"5c93b6184785d3d7611ad039\" data-type=\"image\" \/><\/p>\n<p>              <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%283%29.png\" alt=\"Anonymous Google Survey Responses\" \/><\/noscript><img class=\"thumb-image\" data-src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%283%29.png\" data-image=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%283%29.png\" data-image-dimensions=\"800x800\" data-image-focal-point=\"0.5,0.5\" alt=\"Anonymous Google Survey Responses\" data-load=\"false\" data-image-id=\"5c93b618a4222fffd3ed09a3\" data-type=\"image\" \/><\/p>\n<p>              <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%284%29.png\" alt=\"Anonymous Google Survey Responses\" \/><\/noscript><img class=\"thumb-image\" data-src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%284%29.png\" data-image=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%284%29.png\" data-image-dimensions=\"800x800\" data-image-focal-point=\"0.5,0.5\" alt=\"Anonymous Google Survey Responses\" data-load=\"false\" data-image-id=\"5c93b618c830257cc227d994\" data-type=\"image\" \/><\/p>\n<p>              <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%285%29.png\" alt=\"Anonymous Google Survey Responses\" \/><\/noscript><img class=\"thumb-image\" data-src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%285%29.png\" data-image=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%285%29.png\" data-image-dimensions=\"800x800\" data-image-focal-point=\"0.5,0.5\" alt=\"Anonymous Google Survey Responses\" data-load=\"false\" data-image-id=\"5c93b618b208fc0cdfa921b7\" data-type=\"image\" \/><\/p>\n<p>              <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%286%29.png\" alt=\"Anonymous Google Survey Responses\" \/><\/noscript><img class=\"thumb-image\" data-src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%286%29.png\" data-image=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%286%29.png\" data-image-dimensions=\"800x800\" data-image-focal-point=\"0.5,0.5\" alt=\"Anonymous Google Survey Responses\" data-load=\"false\" data-image-id=\"5c93b6186e9a7f086673d5b2\" data-type=\"image\" \/><\/p>\n<p>              <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%287%29.png\" alt=\"Anonymous Google Survey Responses\" \/><\/noscript><img class=\"thumb-image\" data-src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%287%29.png\" data-image=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%287%29.png\" data-image-dimensions=\"800x800\" data-image-focal-point=\"0.5,0.5\" alt=\"Anonymous Google Survey Responses\" data-load=\"false\" data-image-id=\"5c93b618419202e60c650d65\" data-type=\"image\" \/><\/p>\n<p>              <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%288%29.png\" alt=\"Anonymous Google Survey Responses\" \/><\/noscript><img class=\"thumb-image\" data-src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%288%29.png\" data-image=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%288%29.png\" data-image-dimensions=\"800x800\" data-image-focal-point=\"0.5,0.5\" alt=\"Anonymous Google Survey Responses\" data-load=\"false\" data-image-id=\"5c93b6194e17b65e89850e46\" data-type=\"image\" \/><\/p>\n<p>              <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%289%29.png\" alt=\"Anonymous Google Survey Responses\" \/><\/noscript><img class=\"thumb-image\" data-src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%289%29.png\" data-image=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.-%289%29.png\" data-image-dimensions=\"800x800\" data-image-focal-point=\"0.5,0.5\" alt=\"Anonymous Google Survey Responses\" data-load=\"false\" data-image-id=\"5c93b619971a1866cb6168a4\" data-type=\"image\" \/><\/p>\n<p>              <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.png\" alt=\"Anonymous Google Survey Responses\" \/><\/noscript><img class=\"thumb-image\" data-src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.png\" data-image=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/If-nothing-saves-us-from-death%2C-at-least-love-should-save-us-from-life.png\" data-image-dimensions=\"800x800\" data-image-focal-point=\"0.5,0.5\" alt=\"Anonymous Google Survey Responses\" data-load=\"false\" data-image-id=\"5c93b619c830257cc227d99d\" data-type=\"image\" \/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Quinnipiac counselor Kenneth Wenning, who holds a doctorate in clinical social work, said social media creates an environment of unrealistic expectations among individuals who believe their top goal in life is to be happy.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cI think it does give some people an unrealistic sense of what life is all about because life is always a mixed bag,\u201d Wenning said. \u201cIt\u2019s good stuff and it\u2019s tough stuff and it\u2019s drudgery and it\u2019s boredom, it\u2019s not always you know, what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure\n          class=\"\n            sqs-block-image-figure\n            image-block-outer-wrapper\n            image-block-v2\n            design-layout-card\n            combination-animation-none\n            individual-animation-none\n            individual-text-animation-none\n            image-position-left\n            \n          \"\n          data-scrolled\n          data-test=\"image-block-v2-outer-wrapper\"\n      ><\/p>\n<div class=\"intrinsic\">\n<div\n          \n              \n              class=\"\n                \n                image-inset\n                \n                  content-fit\n                \n              \"\n              data-animation-role=\"image\"\n              data-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Dr. Kenneth Wenning, a Quinnipiac University counselor at the Rocky Top Student Center&lt;\/p&gt;\"\n              \n  \n\n          ><br \/>\n            <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_7538.jpg\" alt=\"Kenneth Wenning PHD, LCSW - Quinnipiac Counseling Center, Counselor\" \/><\/noscript><br \/>\n            <img data-src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_7538.jpg\" data-image=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_7538.jpg\" data-image-dimensions=\"1585x1392\" data-image-focal-point=\"0.5,0.5\" alt=\"IMG_7538.jpg\"  \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-overlay\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"image-card-wrapper\" data-width-ratio>\n<div class=\"image-card sqs-dynamic-text-container\">\n<div class=\"image-title-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-title sqs-dynamic-text\"\n                \n  \n><\/p>\n<p>Kenneth Wenning PHD, LCSW<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"image-subtitle-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-subtitle sqs-dynamic-text\"\n                \n  \n><\/p>\n<p>Quinnipiac Counseling Center, Counselor<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">He also referenced an example drawn from a recent conversation with a patient. <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cSo, I had a graduate student tell me the other day she was done with social media, she stopped all of it and she said to me \u2018and I discovered, I still have a life\u2019 but it\u2019s like life is now being lived vicariously almost in a way,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you look at what\u2019s going on with these people, and these people and all of the monitoring and you know, thinking about everybody else&#8217;s life and I think that is a real problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>   <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"400\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?visual=true&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F593186931&amp;show_artwork=true&amp;callback=YUI.Env.JSONP.yui_3_17_2_1_1553114631612_9613&amp;wmode=opaque\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">But social media is not the evil that some may think.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">After the Super Bowl ended on Feb. 3, 2019, content featuring the \u201cworld_record_egg\u201d aired on Hulu. The storied egg had been posted on an Instagram account that wanted to break the record for being the most liked post. Through a series of multiple posts, the egg cracked a little bit more each time. When it finally did crack on Super Bowl Sunday, it revealed a message about cracking due to the pressure of social media. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The World Record Egg, now the most-liked photo on Instagram, teamed up with <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hulu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@hulu<\/a> to raise mental health awareness after <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SuperBowlLIII?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SuperBowlLIII<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/EggGang?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#EggGang<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/TalkingEgg?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#TalkingEgg<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WeGotThis?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WeGotThis<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bPBcoHs5JY\">pic.twitter.com\/bPBcoHs5JY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Early Today (@NBC_EarlyToday) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBC_EarlyToday\/status\/1092380314519961601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 4, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Mary Dunn, an assistant teaching professor of advertising and the instructor of the Strategies for Social Media course at Quinnipiac, said the campaign worked in unexpected ways.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cThey didn\u2019t truly think it was going to turn into what it was and it wasn\u2019t until they had the audience like of ten million that they sat down and decided what they were going to use it for and I think it\u2019s a happy story, a charming story, an inspiring story that they\u2019ve decided to use it as a platform for social messages and campaigns like mental health awareness,\u201d Dunn explained.<\/p>\n<figure\n          class=\"\n            sqs-block-image-figure\n            image-block-outer-wrapper\n            image-block-v2\n            design-layout-card\n            combination-animation-none\n            individual-animation-none\n            individual-text-animation-none\n            image-position-left\n            \n          \"\n          data-scrolled\n          data-test=\"image-block-v2-outer-wrapper\"\n      ><\/p>\n<div class=\"intrinsic\">\n<div\n          \n              \n              class=\"\n                \n                image-inset\n                \n                  content-fit\n                \n              \"\n              data-animation-role=\"image\"\n              data-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Mary Dunn, assistant teaching professor of advertising and the instructor of the Strategies for Social Media course at Quinnipiac&lt;\/p&gt;\"\n              \n  \n\n          ><br \/>\n            <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/MaryDunn-copy.jpg\" alt=\"Mary Dunn - Quinnipiac School of Communications, Assistant Teaching Professor of Advertising\" \/><\/noscript><br \/>\n            <img data-src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/MaryDunn-copy.jpg\" data-image=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/MaryDunn-copy.jpg\" data-image-dimensions=\"2500x2044\" data-image-focal-point=\"0.5,0.5\" alt=\"MaryDunn copy.jpg\"  \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-overlay\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"image-card-wrapper\" data-width-ratio>\n<div class=\"image-card sqs-dynamic-text-container\">\n<div class=\"image-title-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-title sqs-dynamic-text\"\n                \n  \n><\/p>\n<p>Mary Dunn<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"image-subtitle-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-subtitle sqs-dynamic-text\"\n                \n  \n><\/p>\n<p>Quinnipiac School of Communications, Assistant Teaching Professor of Advertising<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Dunn said social media can drive powerful narratives but not all social apps are on-board with that idea.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cSo platforms like Twitter resisted this for a really long time,\u201d Dunn said. \u201cThey wanted the character limit, they wanted to force people to be succinct in their messages but when you\u2019re succinct in your messages and you limit yourself, it can lead to misunderstandings, to oversimplification and so Twitter had to expand as well, right, and so I think that\u2019s part of why they\u2019re still alive and now they\u2019re actually doing well this year, go figure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">She also talked about the method of \u201cscrubbing your social,\u201d which involves unfollowing accounts that might be harmful to an individual. Olamide Gbotosho is a sophomore and one of Dunn\u2019s students. In high school, she dealt with depression and said social media had a big influence in that. <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Gbotosho has \u201cscrubbed her social\u201d before and finds it effective. While she has unfollowed some accounts of famous individuals that have an \u201cideal of perfection,\u201d she has also followed others that play a more positive role.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cSometimes I follow some positive Instagram accounts, so I do have that also,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n<p>   <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"400\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?visual=true&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F593185884&amp;show_artwork=true&amp;callback=YUI.Env.JSONP.yui_3_17_2_1_1553114631612_9314&amp;wmode=opaque\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">There\u2019s also the opportunity for social media to be used as a community builder of sorts for those suffering from mental illness. John Naslund, who holds a doctorate in health policy and clinical research, is a Harvard Research Fellow and has been doing studies on the benefits of peer-to-peer networking and support on social media.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cSo we know that this peer-to-peer support is happening naturally online, it\u2019s happening in forums, it\u2019s happening in all kinds of places, well how can we kind of tap into that, tap into these positive interactions to actually support the delivery of some kind of services or programs that can be really helpful,\u201d Naslund said. <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">While this research has promise to possibly provide support, he made it clear that it should not be replacing the care from a professional.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cThis isn\u2019t something that would be a replacement for existing mental health care, it\u2019s most definitely not, it\u2019s not a replacement,\u201d Naslund said. \u201cBut what we see across the United States and especially in other parts of the world, the vast majority of people who have mental illness don\u2019t have access to adequate care or don\u2019t have access to adequate services and don\u2019t have access to adequate support most of the time and this is consistent across the entire country where people really, the vast majority of people with mental illness don\u2019t have the support they need.\u201d <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Naslund said that despite its negative associations, social media could be used to support mental health.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cWhere we really need to think about this going forward (is) just thinking of the future of how social media can potentially be used for promoting mental health is I think really making sure that people who live with mental illness or have mental health issues are informed about how they can use social media in a positive way,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">While social media may be a potential support network moving forward, Gbotosho believes that the best source of comfort may be in the form of the people in your respective circle.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cIf you\u2019re looking for comfort, social media isn\u2019t the best place to find it,\u201d Gbotosho said. \u201cRather finding it through the people that you surround yourself with.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">The future of social media as it pertains to mental health and society in general might be uncertain. <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">But Allissa Parker, Nick Calderaro and Olamide Gbotosho may be able to sleep soundly tonight, knowing that hope may be on the horizon and that they are not alone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"><em>Exploring a mixed effect fueled by filters and realities<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":630,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66,142,6],"tags":[113,4,321],"class_list":["post-629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-capstone-projects","category-homepage","category-quinnipiac","tag-mental-health","tag-quinnipiac","tag-social-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/81"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=629"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2203,"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629\/revisions\/2203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=629"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=629"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}