Olu Elegbede is a Civil Engineering student at UWM who experiences depression, and he says mental health can be affected by social media.

“It’s one of those things that we grew up with so it’s something that you’ve just learned to adapt to and it’s basically just a part of us, and it’s part of our culture,” Elegbede says.

According to a UCLA study, people who spend more time on social media will have double the risk of reporting an issue concerning body image versus someone who uses it less. Social media likes and comments boosts the brain’s reward center.

Elegbede says that he has turned off notifications because he sometimes gets wrapped up in how many likes he receives. He even admits that he’ll delete or archive a picture if it doesn’t get enough likes.

“People don’t really post their failures on social media, which is something that I didn’t realize when I’ve seen other people doing stuff. It’s like people have their lives together and I’m just here, and I don’t know what I’m doing,” Elegbede says.

Elegebede says that he spends at least three hours a day on social media, which is above average, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. The organization reports that people spend at least 15 hours a week on social media.

Social media can have a negative effect on the young minds of today and their mental health, but it can also be used as a safe space. Elegbede is an engineering student, but also a photographer, and he uses this creative outlet to cope with his mental health issues.

“Recently, people that I have connected with have been into photography. I don’t consider myself a model, but I’ve been getting better at modeling,” Elegbede says. “I think it’s just an outlet for me because with me , with school, it’s my top priority. It’s just a way for me to have fun outside of the typical class experience, and creating new hobbies for myself.”

TeJean Neal, a film student at UWM, says therapy has helped him with depression. Like Elegbede, he uses his creativity and social media platforms to help him feel better.

Neal is a photographer, and says throughout his work he wants to show his experiences, whether people understand that message or not.

Social media can be used as a platform to share, to create and to meet new people. Neal says he uses his platform to build his self-worth.

“I can turn my words, my feelings, my emotions into art. Whether it’s abstract or not, or if people care about it or not. That’s why I don’t care about the amount of followers I have on Instagram because I’m throwing out art. If people like it cool, but honestly it’s my coping mechanism,” Neal says.

Neal’s photo series from ‘the chaotic hair appointment’ and shots taken in Jamaica. @surreal_frames via IG

“Personally, just coming from an African background, more specifically a Nigerian background, mental health is just something you don’t talk about. It’s like you go to church, you pray about it, you’ll be straight,” Elegbede says.

According to the American Health Association National College Assessment, more than 18% of students in 2018 felt so depressed that they had problems functioning in everyday life.

Researchers from the Anxiety and Depression Association of America found that too much of social media can cause depression, impulsive disorders, ADHD, and loneliness.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, mood disorders are most common among people who are under the age of 45. Taking social media breaks can be essential for the mind at times, there are even ‘mental health days’ so people aren’t feeling as overwhelmed.

Critics feel that mental health days can hinder a person’s work ethic, but others feel that there should be days off. Neal says that when he went to Jamaica this past summer he logged off of social media. He felt that he needed to enjoy the time that he was there, and didn’t want to consume himself in his phone.

“I think Instagram and social media is a tool to expand yourself, but you kind of lose track of you. You reach so far, you can talk to people across the globe and stuff like that. But you’re never here in the now. I’d rather be in the now, so I take breaks often,” Neal says.

Neal and Elegbede have come to an understanding that tackling mental health through college is no easy task.

“It’s important to make sure your head is in the right space,” says Elegbede.

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