SOCIAL MEDIA & WELL-BEING
One of the most widely debated and consequential issues of our time is how social media use affects users' well-being. Examine the ways in which social media use can promote well-being (e.g., by being a source of self-affirmation, social support, and social capital) and hinder it (e.g., by provoking envy and fear-of-missing out). Special attention is paid to how users' well-being deficits (e.g., low self-esteem, depression, anxiety) prompt them to use social media in beneficial or harmful ways.
Prerequisites & course information
Requisites: Sophomore standing Course Designation: Core GenEd - Social & Behavioral Science Breadth - Social Science Level - Intermediate L&S Credit - L&S Liberal Arts and Science Repeatable for Credit: No Last Taught: Summer 2026 Learning Outcomes: 1. Define well-being and its multiple components, including positive (e.g., high self-esteem, relationship satisfaction) and negative elements (e.g., depression, anxiety) Audience: Undergraduate 2. Apply theories of human behavior to understand how social media activities can benefit or hurt users’ well-being, and how users’ well-being shapes their social media activities Audience: Undergraduate 3. Synthesize current research findings on the relationship between social media use and well-being Audience: Undergraduate 4. Analyze how characteristics of users (e.g., life experiences, personality traits), specific social media activities and information (e.g., browsing, actively posting) and social media design features (e.g., access to audiences) work together to shape users’ well-being Audience: Undergraduate 5. Evaluate the potential of various social media platforms to support users’ well-being Audience: Undergraduate Learning Outcomes: 1. Define well-being and its multiple components, including positive (e.g., high self-esteem, relationship satisfaction) and negative elements (e.g., depression, anxiety) Audience: Undergraduate 2. Apply theories of human behavior to understand how social media activities can benefit or hurt users’ well-being, and how users’ well-being shapes their social media activities Audience: Undergraduate 3. Synthesize current research findings on the relationship between social media use and well-being Audience: Undergraduate 4. Analyze how characteristics of users (e.g., life experiences, personality traits), specific social media activities and information (e.g., browsing, actively posting) and social media design features (e.g., access to audiences) work together to shape users’ well-being Audience: Undergraduate 5. Evaluate the potential of various social media platforms to support users’ well-being Audience: Undergraduate
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026-2027