The relationship of excessive use of Instagram and loneliness: an autoethnography: a young woman’s exploration of excessive Instagram use and loneliness
Author
Faculty Advisor
Date
2019
Keywords
social media, loneliness, Instagram
Abstract (summary)
Studies show that social media, particularly Instagram has been affecting women’s feeling of loneliness negatively in the 21st century. Comparing one’s self to others negatively and getting addicted to Instagram are some of the suggested connections found between excessive Instagram use and feeling of loneliness. In this paper, I—a busy university student, a young woman, and a part-time worker—examine my own experience of feeling lonely with correlation to my excessive Instagram use through an Autoethnography: Auto-fieldwork, Journaling, Self-examination (Behavioural Activation Treatment, 2019), and Self-improvement (SLaM-IAPT, 2012). The purpose of my Autoethnographic research is to show a personalized way of understanding the power of reflective use of Instagram in developing my identity. My findings show that excessive use of Instagram affects my feeling of loneliness in three ways: comparing myself to the “ideal” society, lack of positive source of wellbeing, and addictive effect of using Instagram excessively.
Publication Information
DOI
Notes
Item Type
Student Report
Language
English
Rights
All Rights Reserved