The Effects of Stress-Related Instagram Posts On University Students

Running head: STRESS-RELATED INSTAGRAM POSTS 1
The Effects of Stress-Related Instagram Posts on University Students
Sarah Arfsten, Karley Kemble, Chelsea May, Katie Simas, and Annie Welden
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

STRESS-RELATED INSTAGRAM POSTS 2
Abstract
This paper explores primary and secondary research to explain and understand the effects of
stress-related Instagram posts on university students. As social media has become increasingly
popular among university students, as proven in previous studies, it is now being used by this
population to communicate and disseminate affects or states, like stress. Noticing this trend, us
researchers delve into the effects this has on the audiences of the stress-related posts. First, we
created and analyzed three autoethnographies to understand self-reflexively the effects social
media has on us. Also, we completed a content analysis of stress-related Instagram posts
themselves to better understand the motivations and the content disseminated to audiences. We
find that this trend of sharing Instagram posts glorifying a stressful response to education not
only creates a standard for students in which they push themselves to succeed in the expectations
set out for college students, but also creates a resentment for this seemingly malicious college
education.
Keywords: Instagram, social media, stress, autoethnography, content analysis

The Effects of Stress-Related Instagram Posts on University Students
Our group came up with the idea of researching stress related Instagram posts because we
have all taken notice to this trend. Collectively, we acknowledged seeing these types of posts
during stressful periods such as finals week or midterms, and we have wondered about why this
happens and continues to occur every quarter. From the beginning of our time spent at Cal Poly
and at the end of every quarter, our Instagram feeds are flooded with pictures of students on
vacation or at festivals. This trend of posting a stress-free snapshot are usually accompanied with
a caption referencing that the student would rather be reliving that happy moment, instead of
studying for hours to prepare for finals. Many students also tag the Robert E. Kennedy Library as
a location, because that is where they are currently studying - and would clearly rather be
elsewhere. We have talked with other students and they mentioned that they have noticed the
trend as well.
Once we came up with an idea, the next step was deciding how we were going to go
about analyzing and researching the topic. After receiving feedback from our report-outs in class,
we decided on a content analysis and multiple autoethnographies as our primary methodologies.
We also decided to include a literature review of different articles we gathered to give us a better
understanding of the tangential research that has been done surrounding this idea as a
whole. The logic behind our pilot project was that we wanted to complete a smaller and more
reflective approach to understand our personal perspectives on this topic, and come back together
to come to a group consensus about our findings.
From this project we were hoping to accomplish a greater understanding of the stress
glorification trend on Instagram, and see if there were common themes or patterns that we could
find. It is our hope that

We found that most students use captions or words that have a negative connotation related to
their education. This builds on the idea of having a stress culture where it is normal to feel very
whelmed due to the fast paced quarter system. A theme that arises is that if a student is very
stressed out than that is okay because thats normal and part of the culture. Those who dont
experience or promote levels of stress can be seen as lazy, unmotivated, or less hard working.
People use Instagram as an outlet to connect with other people by sharing similar experiences.
College Students, Instagram, and Stress Explored
That visuals are a persuasive mode of communication is no longer contested. According
to rhetorician J. Anthony Blair, visuals, like those posted on contemporary platforms such as
Instagram, can indeed make arguments. He outlines the properties of arguments as: the presence
of a claim, the presence of support for the claim, clearly written support, clearly explicable
claim, and an attempt to communicate the claim and its support (Blair, 1996, p. 24).
Additionally, he states, Visual arguments are to be understood as propositional arguments in
which the propositions and their argumentative function and roles are expressed visually (Blair,
1996, p. 26) Therefore, by definition, we can consider the visual features of Instagram posts as
arguments. Their argument is only heightened by the textual reinforcement included within the
optional caption. As our focus is on Cal Poly students, we recognize through Blairs literature,
that Cal Poly students are essentially persuading each other and communicating an argument
through their Instagram posts. However, are these Instagram posts being viewed and received?
According to the following studies, yes, as Instagram is a prevalent driver behind student cell
phone usage.
Whether or not the students are conscious of forming and disseminating these arguments,
the message is being received by others because they have a use for the social media sites.
According to an application of Katz et al.s (1973) Uses and Gratifications Theory by Calisir et
al. (2013), behavioral intention to use, perceived enjoyment, perceived ease of use, perceived
usefulness and social influence has either direct or indirect effects on use of social networks on
Smartphones among students (qtd. in Korhan & Ersoy, 2015, p. 1803). Further, in the study
conducted by Korhan and Ersoy, college students specifically indicated that Instagram is one of
the most used SNS applications. Additionally, in applying Uses and Gratifications Theory to the
case, they found that one of the primary reasons of use to receive gratification were to keep in
touch with friends (2015, p. 1812). Therefore, college students are not only perusing social
media without purpose; rather, they feel a need to use it as it gratifies them, allowing them to
keep in touch with friends by viewing friends content, like Instagram images. However, this
study did not expand upon the actual content posted on Instagram by the college students, which
is worth looking into from a different perspective.
Still, it is not only uses and gratifications of social media that drive college students to
use them. According to Roberts, Yaya, and Manolis, there is a darker side to cell phone usage
amongst students. That university students are generally addicted to their cell phones is a
common sentiment amongst students and non-students alike. But, what does addiction really
entail? According to Roberts and Pirog (2012), behavioral addiction is best understood as a
habitual drive or compulsion to continue to repeat a behavior despite its negative impact on ones
well-being (qtd. in Roberts, Yaya, & Manolis, 2014, p. 255). Thus, if we claim college students
are addicted to their cellphones, it implies a negative, unhealthy relationship with them. In order
to investigate this common claim further and prove its validity, Roberts, Yaya, and Manolis
conducted a survey of 2,500 college undergraduates, asking them how much time they spend
daily on various cell phone activities. Results indicated that the addiction symptoms are highly
correlated with applications, including Instagram, and the results found that college students
spend nine hours per day, on average, on their phones (2014, p. 259).
As university students are spending this much time and energy on their cellphones, there
are definite effects on their mentalities. This relationship between digital media and stress is
explored by Hampton, Lu, and Shin (2016). While their results did not show a direct, positive
correlation between general use of digital media and psychological stress, they did find a
correlation when it came to perceptions of others stress. They found that digital media provides
heightened awareness of network life events in the lives of both close and more distant
acquaintances. An awareness of undesirable, major life events in the lives of others can be a
source of psychological stress; this is the cost of caring (p. 2). We hypothesize that this cost of
caring comes into play with Cal Poly students interactions with stress-related Instagram posts.
Along Hampton, Lu, and Shins findings, when college students are acting as audiences to
acquaintances stress-related Instagram posts, they will also feel a certain level of psychological
stress.
Narrowing it from digital media and stress to specifically Instagram and stress, we turn to
work by Stapleton, Luiz, and Chatwin (2017). They conducted a study on 237 young adults
(arguably college-aged), aged 18-29, to measure the relationship between intensity of Instagram
usage and self esteem of the users. More specifically, they investigated this relationship on the
basis of social comparison, seeing if participants comparisons of themselves to others affected
their relative levels of self-esteem (2017, p. 142). While the researchers did not find a direct
correlation, they did find social comparison on Instagram mediated the relationship between
self-worth contingent on approval from others and self-esteem, and that self-worth contingent on
approval rom others plays a significant role (Stapleton, Luiz, & Chatwin, 2017, p. 148).
Just by reading the already-established literature on the subject, it is clear a relationship
exists between the content posted on Instagram and the audience. Many different facets and
specific correlations have already been explored, including ones with university students, stress,
self-esteem, all social medias, and visual argument. However, in reviewing the literature, we find
an important relationship remains unexplored: a relationship between stress-related Instagram
posts sent by college students and the effects on their fellow college-student followers. We will
investigate this by first conducting a content analysis of Cal Poly students stress-related
Instagram posts. Then, we will conduct a collective autoethnography to gain further, qualitative
insight.
Methodology
Our study consisted of a variety of methodologies. By conducting primary research we have
gathered an immense amount of information on the Instagram trend. By analyzing this
information we have been able to find themes that stand out and address our research question.
Primary Research
We began by conducting primary research in order to gain information about the kinds of posts
people uploaded to Instagram in response to a stressful time period. Individually, we all found
peer-reviewed sources which explored topics regarding social media use at-large, and Instagram
specifically. Additionally, we also explored the motivations behind why people post the things
they do.
A major component of our research included looking at Instagram posts themselves. All five of
us searched for posts on our own feeds, as well as public posts from people we do not follow.
With these posts, we examined the correlation of stress within Cal Polys campus and social
media involvement. By screenshotting pictures to conduct a content analysis and having three
group members write autoethnographies, we were able to help fill in gaps that we had not
previously thought of, and seek out patterns with this newfound information.
Autoethnographies
Three members of our group conducted autoethnographies to self-reflect and share their personal
experiences and observations on Instagram, and the trend of posting during the finals time
period. This gave more insight to how people of different majors and academic progress see and
react to this trend. This was done on a smaller scale for the pilot project, however it could be
increased to more people with a greater variety of differences. For each autoethnography, the
group member discussed their connection to social media and what kinds of interactions they
have specifically with Instagram. This could include whether they tend to use to frequently it or
on occasion, how often they post and so on. Then each member went into depth on how they see
the trend and what their emotional and personal experience has been with it.
Content Analysis
The content analysis that was preformed took part in two phases. The first phase entailed each
member of the study contributing screenshots of posts that reflect his social media trend. There
were a total of twenty four posts in which we analyzed a multitude of factors from. We analyzed
the following aspects of each photo:

Picture Location: Location Description on Instagram
Direct mentions of school: Amount of negative words/phrases used
Comments, whether directed toward school or picture: If friends were featured in photo
If user was having fun: Emoji Use (Positive or Negative)
Direct mention of self: Direct mention of school assignment
Rather Be Message: Positive or Negative overall
Popularity of post compared to followers: If the user was in the picture
Furthermore, we performed a cross comparison on several aspects of these features. These cross
comparisons gave us a better look at how these aspects interact with each other to create trends.
Direct Mention of Assignment vs Positive or Negative overall
Average number of negative words or phrases per post
Picture Location vs Location Description
Location Description vs Rather Be Message
Rather Be Message vs Positive or Negative Overall
If user was having fun vs If user was in picture
Popularity of post vs If user was in the picture
Popularity of post vs Rather Be Message
Popularity of post vs Positive or Negative overall
Popularity of post vs Use of negative words
Popularity of post vs Direct mention of school assignment
The second phase of the content analysis included coding of the auto-ethnographies. In
coding the auto-ethnographies, key phrases and themes were noted. After coding each individual
auto-ethnography, the three were analyzed together to find common themes and categories.
These categories include: self value, comparison/competition, Cal Poly culture, glorification, and
distraction. This cross comparison allowed us to analyze the effects that these posts have on
students lives by analyzing similar trends.
After performing this content analysis, we analyzed themes that may have been
unaddressed within the original content analysis of the posts. For example, after completing the
coding of the auto-ethnographies, we added an analysis of the popularity of the post as well as
whether the user themselves were featured in the picture. We used both new data points in
additional cross comparisons to contribute to our analysis. Lastly, the content analysis of the
auto-ethnographies and the Instagram posts were compared. The two sources, while producing
their own data, were heavily tied and influenced by one another.
Analysis
In the content analysis, we looked at several features of each post (as discussed in the
methods section) and used information gathered from the auto-ethnographies. With this
information, we engaged in a cross comparison to analyze this Instagram trend. Our data analysis
showed that 79.17% (19/24 posts) of the posts using this trend portrayed an overtly negative
image of the college education experience. The other 20.83% (5/24 posts) of posts portrayed
neither a negative or positive image of college education, with no posts portraying it positively.
This suggests that these posts are used to reinforce the ideology that college work is hard and
unenjoyable; the rest of our findings solidify this idea.
More specifically, 58.33% (14/24 posts) of the posts included words or phrases with
negative connotations; averaging 0.95833 per post. Some of these include: drowning,
overwhelming, struggling, and not rad. These negative phrases were used in 61.9% of all
posts that directly referenced some aspect of college education: whether that be an assignment,
graduation, etc. This reinforces a finding from the auto-ethnographies in which the participants
believe that these posts perpetuate an expected student experience. Karley stated in her
autoethnography that We are expected to be stressed out all the time, especially on the quarter
system. By associating these negatively connotated words and phrases with school work,
students are reinforcing these expectations. While this technique is used the most, we see that
these posts receive less popularity than posts that do not contain overtly negative comments
about school (popularity index of 0.201 for posts with negative phrases vs. popularity index of
0.254 for posts that do not feature negative phrases).
The use of a negative perception of school is a trend commonly talked about in our
autoethnographies as well. In coding the autoethnographies, we found that our participants found
Instagram users to be more willing to participate in this trend in order to fit in or receive likes
(likes are often associated with self value). For example, in Karleys autoethnography, she states
I think it is more likely that these specific posts are using the stress culture embedded within
Cal Poly to their advantage. Since this culture is so prevalent, why not use for attention? The
data we found on the use of negative words and popularity, and the data collected from other
cross-analyses suggests that this negative portrayal of college education of school is often
detrimental to the success of a post. Specifically, posts that simply portrayed a negative image
of college education overall had a lower popularity index (0.235) than those that showed school
impartially (0.268).
Our findings in the content analysis of the autoethnographies suggested that students find
a sense of value or self-worth through the popularity and interactions by others with their posts.
In Sarahs autoethnography, she stated that she believes that after a student posts a picture while
studying, the likes and comments flood in and it becomes a self esteem booster. In fact, we
saw a high correlation between pictures featuring the Instagram user themselves, receiving a
higher score on the popularity index (0.2568) as compared to pictures that do not feature the user
(0.2066). It appears that followers are more interested in viewing the Instagram user themselves,
than they are of their negative opinions of school work.
The only other possible benefit we found from engaging in this trend included a brief
distraction from school work. Katie explains the motivation behind personal engagement with
Instagram by stating that Personally, when I study and find myself opening Instagram, I am
using this to pull away from my work. Whether it be as a subconscious way to distract myself or
a conscious break Without a followup interview with those who engaged in this trend
directly, we have no additional data besides those gathered from the autoethnographies.
A key aspect of this trend is one in which we called the Rather Be complex. As
discussed by Sarah: The trend is to post a picture of a stress free moment in your life that you
wish you could go back to or revisit instead of studying for finals...The caption that comes with
the photo tends to include wish I was here instead of studying for finals. This trend was seen
in 66.67% (16/24 posts) of the posts we analyzed. This Rather Be complex played into what
the participants of the auto-ethnography noted as a disconnect between reality and displayed
reality. The Rather Be complex was most likely to appear in a picture in which the location
description showed that the picture was taken place somewhere on their school campus, while
the picture itself was in an alternate location (occurred in 45.83% of photos). In fact, of the
pictures that featured a destination location, 55.56% of them had their location as school. By
suggesting that school work was the less preferable thing to be doing, this negative image is
further perpetuated.
The Rather Be complex called us to look into why students are so likely to state that
they would rather be doing something or going somewhere else. In addition to the high
expectations placed on college students, as noted in the auto-ethnographies, our participants also
noted that Cal Poly in specific has a stigma round its name. Karley discusses this Cal Poly
culture by stating that Cal Poly is a very prestigious and esteemed in reputation and the rigor of
the Quarter system is a major component to the curriculums accelerated nature.
This college culture of stress and constant workloads has created a trend of competition
and comparison among Instagram users who use this platform to discuss the topic. Karley
explained that a trend I have noticed specific to Cal Poly is that people often try to one-up the
rigor of their schedules over one another. We can see this in the way that individuals interact
with one another on Instagram, in particular the comments. Of the 12 posts that warranted
captions from followers, eight of those comments were directed toward the college education
experience (66.67%). Once post in particular, with the caption Raise your hand if you would
rather be here!!!! *sad face emoji*, had several comments like *raising hand emoji* (to show
agreement) and Meeee *crying emoji*. This comparison showed negative affects on our
participants, as Karley explains her interaction with other students, explaining that I have
received many side-eyes and unnecessary comments directed towards my light course load and
easy choice of major (English).
The autoethnographic findings suggest that these posts have seasons to them. In fact,
this phenomenon is even mentioned in a caption in which the user directly says midterm
season. Both Karley and Sarah speak about this trend in their autoethnographies. Karley
explains that, These posts are usually tailored to stress and happen during peak midterm season
and during final two weeks of the quarter. Aside the perceived constant rigor that a college
education entails, these seasons are supposed to be the most stressful. 37.5% (9/24 posts) of
our posts directly mentioned midterms or finals. This season of difficulty is part of the shift in
how Instagram users describe schools, as explained in the autoethnographies. The
autoethnographies suggested that as a student goes into higher levels of education, their depiction
of their education shifts from optimistic to pessimistic (as Katie put it). She explained this
more in depth by suggesting that This points toward a shift in perspective from having
completed a goal, to being at the start of a new goal...the elevation of difficulty from high school
to college and signifies the stress culture at Cal Poly.
Discussion and Conclusion
Our analyses of both the posts and autoethnographies provided us groundwork for
theories behind this Instagram trend. First and foremost, it is clear to see that these posts and
their implications are real in the world of Instagram users who attend college. Most of these
implications on the viewers of these posts are negative. In addition, we see a certain expectation
of the college experience being reinforced again and again through common themes and
practices.
Many students portray a negative image of their college education experience through
their Instagram posts. These negative words create an association between negativity and school
that is reused in this trend. Just as we have seen, there are unspoken expectations of what ones
college experience should look like. The study suggests that college students should be stressed
and overworked, this shows that they are doing it right. This negative image is being
capitalized on by college-aged Instagram users to connect with the perceived experiences of their
peers, and creates a herd mentality in which students are under them impression that everyones
college experience must be this hard.
Instagram provides a platform for students to share their college education experiences
with one another. Despite the popularity of this trend, we saw that portraying a negative image of
college education didnt necessarily equate to a more popular post (i.e. high levels of comments,
likes, etc.) Therefore, we speculate that students participate in this trend more so to to fit in with
a culture, or expectations of the college experience.
Though there are clear negative consequences that stem from engaging in this trend,
students are driven to participate like a behavioral addiction that is discussed by Robert and
Priog. (qtd. in Roberts, Yaya, & Manolis, 2014, p. 255) Instagram, as cited by out
autoethnographic participants, has been a source of connection between its users. If the users on
Instagram engage in this trend to show that they share the same experiences, others will view this
and do the same as explained by Katz, constantly reinforcing expectations of a successful
college student. (qtd. in Korhan & Ersoy, 2015, p. 1803)
These posts reinforce the idealized college student that we must strive for. However,
Instagram provides a wider platform for people to share their experiences. In sharing their
college education experience, viewers are likely to compare their experiences to those that they
are viewing on anothers profile. Comments on these posts were likely to be in reaction to the
school aspect of the photo, whether that be the caption, picture or location. The
autoethnographies provided a personal account on how these comparisons affect their school
lives. We believe that by comparing oneself to posts that follow this trend, that students are more
likely to heighten the expectations held for themselves.

Again, we were unable to gather data from the individuals who posted these images, we
are able to see that there is a negative impact on the stress of its viewers as suggested by the
study done by Stapleton, Luiz and Chatin (2017). We believe that this can lead to additional
burnout of students and a dissatisfaction with their education.
More specifically, our analysis suggests that these sort of posts are likely to come in
seasons. These seasons take place during midterms and finals as well as highly busy and
stressful times of the quarter/semester. Seasons suggest that there are more specific times in
which students are expected to be overwhelmed and/or working their hardest. This trend is a
subset of the larger expectations perpetuated by this trend. While a small trend, we believe that
this increases seasonal changes in students behavior and their perceptions of their expectations
at the given time. This plays into the Rather Be complex. We theorize that because students are
expected to be overworked in this unenjoyable educational experience, that they would rather
be doing other things. This reinforces the enemy-ness that students feel with their education, that
it is out to get them.
We believe that this trend of posting on Instagram posts glorifying a stressful response to
education not only creates a standard for students in which they push themselves to succeed in
the expectations set out for college students, but also creates a resentment for this seemingly
malicious college education. As discussed by Blair, these visual images within this Instagram
trend are used as arguments to college students of how they are expected to perform in this
overly rigorous education system (Blair, 1996, p. 26) If students are not performing to these
expectations, they are able to compare themselves, using these posts, to their peers. We believe
this type of comparison using social media does nothing beneficial for students, but instead
increases the pressure on them. Ultimately, we have found that this Instagram trend has created a
cyclical process that is only detrimental to students experience in the college education system.
On a larger scale, we mutually agree that examining this trend using alternative social
media platforms will add to this pool of research. We recognize that each social media platform
has a different audience and unique method of posting/conveying information. Specifically,
Snapchats influence has been rampant since its debut five years ago and we acknowledge there
is a strikingly similar stress posting trend. It would be very interesting to conduct a similar study
and compare the findings we have found from this one.
Going forward, we hope that our findings will be useful to current and to incoming
students. Our intentions all along have been to bring awareness to this form of social media
interaction. While there is not anything inherently wrong with using social media to vent about
the stresses and pressures of college, it is important to be informed about sharing these
experiences in the public sphere.

References
Blair, J. A. (1996). The possibility and actuality of visual arguments.Argumentation and
advocacy, 33(1), 23.
Hampton, K. N., Lu, W., & Shin, I. (2016). Digital media and stress: the cost of caring 2.0.
Information, Communication & Society, 19(9), 1267-1286.
Katz, E., Blumler, J. G., & Gurevitch, M. (1973). Uses and gratifications research. The Public
Opinion Quarterly, 37(4), 509-523.
Korhan, O., & Ersoy, M. (2016). Usability and functionality factors of the social network site
application users from the perspective of uses and gratification theory. Quality &
Quantity, 50(4), 1799-1816.
Roberts, J., Yaya, L., & Manolis, C. (2014). The invisible addiction: Cell-phone activities and
addiction among male and female college students.Journal of Behavioral Addictions,
3(4), 254-265.
Stapleton, P., Luiz, G., & Chatwin, H. (2017). Generation Validation: The Role of Social
Comparison in Use of Instagram Among Emerging Adults.Cyberpsychology, Behavior,
and Social Networking, 20(3), 142-149.

Appendix A
Autoethnographies
Autoethnography of Sarah
Personal Background
I began using Instagram in 2012 when I was fifteen. Most of my friends at this point had
an Instragram and were present on Facebook. I resisted getting a Facebook till I was a senior in
high school because I thought there was drama surrounding Facebook as I was growing up but I
had to get one at my teachers request for my Economics class. One of my friends persuaded me
to get an Instagram and I became hooked soonly after. I waste so much time looking at my feed
and scrolling through other peoples pictures. I go on Instagram a least once a day but sometimes
I will check on it up to 8 times a day. It has become a habit when I am bored or waiting in line or
walking to class.
While I admit this can seem excessive there are benefits to checking regularly. Instagram
is a great way to connect with other friends and people close to your age. In my opinion I would
say that most of my friends from high school and in college have an Instagram. It is one of the
main ways I keep in contact with my friends from high school. I can see what they are involved
with or if they have any major life updates. I rarely post on Facebook and rely mostly on
Instagram to update people on my life. It can also be my source of current events that become the
topic of conversation at school or with friends.
Observations
Since I started college at Cal Poly Ive noticed differences in how people I follow use
Instagram. I see a lot more organizations promoting themselves such as greek organizations or
clubs or even Cal Polys own social media. Many of the girls I follow post pictures of them
dressed up highlighting the exciting parts of their lives or posting pictures of hikes and nature.
Some people I know have a finsta which is known as a fake instagram or an account where
people post less edited and flattering photos as a place to vent or express a different side of their
life that they only allow a few people to see. There are trends when students at Cal Poly tend to
post on their Instagram. This can include large events that occur, festivals, during holidays, and
during finals and dead week.
The trend that I have been closely observing is about students posting during midterms,
finals and dead week. The trend is to post a picture of a stress free moment in your life that
you wish you could go back to or revisit instead of studying for a final. They could be on
vacation, at the beach, hanging with friends and so on. The caption that comes with the photo
tends to include wish I was here instead of studying for finals. Or the caption is some variation
of the sort.
My thought process behind why I think people tend to participate in this trend is that
people use it as a break. In college, finals are very stressful. In some classes, a students entire
grade depends on a midterm and final score. Their grade doesnt include homework or
participation and up to sometimes 60% of a persons grade can depend on that one test. Students
put a lot of pressure on themselves to study and cram for the exams. People will constantly
complain about how many hours they have been at the library. Posting a picture for some can
take a little bit of time. Scrolling through their pictures, finding the perfect one, editing it, and
asking around their friends about the perfect caption can take anywhere from five minutes to an
hour. If a student has been at the library for eight hours they may want to take a break and use
the time to post a picture. Then the likes and comments flood in and it becomes a self esteem
booster. A student could be really tired from studying for days, and wearing sweats and no
makeup at the library. But once they post a picture from their trip to Cabo and people comment
how great they look, they feel a sense of gratification. And looking at photos from happier times
can be a motivator to just get through the week and usually a break follows where they can just
relax.
On the other hand while posting a picture can give people a sense of gratification,
students who just look at their feed can feel a slight more sense of stress. Its common for
students to spend long hours studying and want to take a break by looking at all their social
media platforms. However, going through all the photos can take a lot of time and students can
get absorbed and realize how much time they just wasted on it instead of studying. People
naturally compare themselves to others and students will gauge how much they should be
studying based on the people they follow or the people around the. If their friends are posting
pictures and captioning that they have been in the library for ten hours, than that student can feel
like they have to study just as much or that they arent studying enough.
Personal Experience
My Instagram has definitely evolved over the past five years. A lot more thought and
editing goes into each post. I think about details like if the picture is good enough or if the
caption works with the picture. I believe it has caused me to spend more time looking at other
peoples pictures and I catch myself comparing myself to them. Whether it be about how fit they
are, their clothes, or their lifestyle.
My experience with this trend of posting during finals week is interesting. I would say
that although I go on Instagram frequently I only post a picture every once in awhile. The reason
for that is because I dont want to overwhelm people with pictures or because I dont have a
good picture of something exciting. I think there are these unspoken rules about Instagram.
These rules include not posting more than once in a day or only really highlighting the good or
happy aspects of your life. Although these rules arent set in stone they seemed to be followed by
a majority of people I know. I havent participated in the trend because I think Im one of those
people who take forever to decide on a photo and caption. I like to take breaks during studying
but I think I would feel guilty if I took up a good amount of time trying to find the best picture of
myself to share. I definitely look at other peoples pictures and think instead of being on
Instagram I should be studying as much as the people on Instagram say they are.
Conclusion
By actively following this trend of stress glorification and taking the time to analyze the
pictures Ive come to notice a few things. Although both male and females participate in the
trend there tends to be a higher percentage of females who post. I believe that this trend occurs
mostly during dead week and finals week. In my personal opinion, I think most people who post
a picture do so to take a break from studying and give themselves a confidence boost. While this
is mostly harmless, I also believe that students compare themselves to their friends posts and can
put pressure on themselves to study more or feel as though they dont live an as exciting life. I
dont think this trend is going anyway soon. I come from a generation that loves technology and
oversharing on social media platforms and until we graduate from college or grad school we will
continue to vent about our stress and finals over Instagram.
Autoethnography of Katie
Apart of the Centennials Generation, including those born 1996 or later, I am
categorized among the generation foreign to a time without the constant stream of technology
incorporated within daily life; however, being born within a cut off of the Millennial Generation,
my personal relationship with technology has been shaped differently than what falls under the
broad umbrella of Generation Y or Z. I am situated in an specific position, having seen both the
absence, steady growth, and further expansion of technology. Observing this immersion in those
around me and in self-reflecting my own participation within this model, it is easy to recognize
the traces of technologys influence. It has encroached upon not only our actions, and the manner
by which we enact them, but the motivation and intent behind these as well. Technology is
engrained within modern mind, unconsciously inseparable from the self.
Growing up, I have vivid memories of going to the AT&T store to buy my parents new
Motorola flip phones and having an image of when I myself would have the newest Razor cell
phone. Though, not more than a few years later, when I got my first phone at the end of the 7 th
grade in 2011, this formerly coveted phone was already out of date. Even with a cell phone, it
was used for communication with a maximum of 4 people, 2 of which were my parents, and with
a limited set of text messages that could be used throughout the month. Even the sedentary
technology in my home was limited, having one desktop computer set in the computer room. It
was from 2010-2012 that I remember experiencing the largest jump in technological involvement
moving from having my first cell phone to having my own laptop to, perhaps the largest leap,
getting my own iPhone. This period, from 7 to 10 grade, is when I saw technology become
th th
portable, transitioning from tool to companion. With the iPhone came all the mobility and apps,
specifically, Instagram. This app has slowly grown in influence and is one of the top apps used
today growing from a place of momentary posts to a site were hours are spent daily.
I currently use Instagram as a platform for keeping updated and active in my friends and
familys lives. I open the app daily, though post about 1-2 times a month. On my close friends I
speak with daily and my immediate family, I comment on every post they upload; but on others,
I do not just scroll thorough the photos liking all that are on my feed. I have observed through
comparing my own use with that of my peers that I am in the minority of liking only a few posts
that I have some kind of personal connection with. I also interact with Instagram in my job,
running the business company page. This has exposed the corporate and strategical side of
Instagram attempting to post and market each picture and caption to reach the widest audience
and receive the most user feedback (likes and comments). This involvement has granted me an
opportunity to grow in recognition and connection with the audience this posts are reaching,
impacting my interaction with them while at work. Since taking on this job, I have realized this
is not much different than how individuals use Instagram to market themselves becoming more
involved and recognizable in their self-built communities.
Given the trend growing exponentially of a constant merger of reality and the display of
it on social media, I see it as a logical development that school is beginning to be depicted more
and more on Instagram. I have observed a shift in the tone being used to reference school, from
optimistic to pessimistic, in my own transition from a time in high school when college decisions
were being made to an immersion into the Cal Poly community as a current second year student.
In the final months of high school, one college decisions are being announced, Instagram posts
display excitement and school pride. Admitted students proudly announce their college as a prize
for completing high school; however, once enrolled and acclimated to college, Cal Poly
specifically in my experience, these big fish realize the very big pond they have just swam
into. During college, when their romanticized ideals are gone, you get captions such as The hills
are alive with the sound of midterms and Honestly just trying to college rn. This points
toward a shift in perspective from having completed a goal, to being at the start of a new goal
(the move from graduated high school senior to college freshman), the elevation of difficulty
from high school to college (and perhaps the unpreparedness of feeling confident to excel at this
new level of difficulty) and signifies the stress culture at work at Cal Poly that there is a
desire/need for so many students to market themselves online by posting about their stress and
busy schedules.
Primarily during the times during the quarter when everyone is facing assignment
deadlines and exams, around weeks 6 and 12 (midterms and finals), it is especially interesting to
speculate about the incentives and motivations for posts calling attention to the stress and
necessity of studying on a platform that hinders this from happening. Personally, when I study
and find myself opening Instagram, I am using this to pull away from my work. Whether it be as
a subconscious way to distract myself or a conscious break I designate, Instagram is how I feel
reconnected with a community even if I am alone at a desk. I hypothesize that this is how others
use Instagram as well, though, being more apt to participating in positing themselves than I
would be naturally inclined to, they post pictures and find themselves with their studies on their
mind the very thing they are distracting themselves from. In this way, not only do they receive
a renewed sense of connection but with every notification, there is a new excuse to pull away and
look at the phone. With each individual having this mindset and being reinforced by others doing
the same, it seems that a culture has developed among Cal Poly students a cyclical sequence of
need and production of distraction that elevates the degree and glorification of stress among the
community.
Through analysis of the posts of Cal Poly students and their posts on Instagram during
the primary weeks that midterms take place (ranging from week 5-7), it is evident there is a trend
taking place among Cal Poly that there is an influx of students posting about their stress and
coursework in various manners. If not addressed and resolution cannot be worked toward, our
culture is at risk of snowballing into glorifying stress online and transferring such to the reality of
students mental health.
Autoethnography of Karley
My Social Media Use and What I Make of Cal Polys Instagram Culture
I am an avid social media user. I made a Myspace without my parents permission in
junior high, only to be forced to suspend the account when they found out about it. But that
didnt stop me: I secretly kept my account until Facebook came into my life and took over. Since
2010, I have been a pretty active user and have ventured into the realms of Twitter, Snapchat,
and Instagram. I use each app on a daily basis.
Until college, I was a very quiet and stayed to myself. I lacked confidence and self-
assuredness. Social media allowed me to put myself out there and yes I am aware of the
oxymoron. By participating in the Myspace and Facebook cultures that my peers were a part of, I
felt connected to them and felt like they accepted me. I sent messages to people who I would not
normally speak to in-person and would comment/interact with their pages. I was generally more
open about my thoughts, feelings, and general personal thoughts on my own posts, too.
Throughout high school I wasnt lucky enough to have a smartphone because my
parents didnt want to pay for a data plan. In the latter years, I heard whispers about this
exclusive application called Instagram, which was an iPhone-only platform. I felt like I was
again missing out, and knew it would stay that way until I was able to get my hands on a
smartphone. That didnt happen for a while, but I was able to join the Instagram World in 2012
after I purchased an iPod Touch which had all the capabilities that an iPhone had minus the
phone. I think one of the first things I did after setting up Wi-Fi was set up an Instagram account.
I was that excited about it.
In my early days of Instagram, I remember posting on a daily basis but realized I didnt
need to be doing that. Rather, I wanted to post. I then would post weekly or bi-weekly, but in the
past few years I post once a month (on average). Many of my original posts have been deleted. I
went through a phase of removing those which did not receive a lot of attention; posts I thought
were too embarrassing to be given credit to my name.
Since opening my account I have spent two full academic years in community college
and (almost) three full years at Cal Poly. From what I remember, my community college did not
have an active or well-established social media presence. Cal Poly, on the other hand, definitely
does. Almost every office and club has an Instagram account, which says a lot about the
influence that the platform has on this generation. Cal Polys social media presence is active
because they know that a large portion of their current students, alumni, and prospective students
are online.
Though Instagram has only been in my life for about five years, Ive always been
interested in the photo/caption relationship. I have noticed that a frequent trend is that people will
post photos with captions that have nothing to do with the photo, i.e. a selfie with a clich
inspirational quote. Since transferring and actively partaking in the Instagram culture within Cal
Poly, I have noticed this trend is very prevalent. Not only with selfies, but also with photos of
friends, animals, or even nature. These posts are usually tailored to stress and happen during
peak midterm season and during the final two weeks of the quarter.
As it is well known, Cal Poly is very prestigious and esteemed in reputation and the rigor
of the Quarter System is a major component to the curriculums accelerated nature. Everyone (I
know, I am being hyperbolic) is stressed out a lot of the time, and their stresses are put on a
pedestal within their social media accounts. I have even participated in this form of sharing in
April before this project began by posting a selfie on my last first day of school with the last
part of my caption saying here is a pic of me from yesterday!! You cant even tell I have at
least 1 crisis a day over my future!! I was trying to be funny, but I was unknowingly
perpetuating this stress culture that festers within Cal Polys Instagram culture.
In general, I think most people who post captions similar mine are probably making jokes
and trying to be funny or witty for the sake of a like. This argument can certainly be made for
four of the five photos I pulled from the Kennedy Library location tag:
a. Bookshelves with the caption grind grind grind jk I was struggling to get through class.
b. A mock-table setting with the caption I wish MY midterms consisted of designing a
floral arrangement inspired by a painting. #ichosethewrongmajor #isilllovescience
c. A photo of a group of friends from an unknown location (but still tagged at the library)
with the caption Two very different Sundays
d. A partial photo of a painting of a woman staring off into the distance with the caption
Sitting and contemplating my future like Ernestine here. Who came up with the myth that you
have to have your life figured out as soon as you graduate? Cause I sure as hell dont!
I dont think these posts were necessarily made public because of stress, but it is certainly within
the realm of possibility. However, when I assess my own Instagram habits, I dont reach for my
phone and browse my social media platforms when I am stressed, I am more focused on the task
at-hand. Thus, I think it is more likely that these specific posts are using the stress culture
embedded within Cal Poly to their advantage. Since this culture is so prevalent, why not use for
attention?
On a similar note, a trend I have noticed specific to Cal Poly is that people often try and
one-up the rigor of their schedules over one another. Everyone (again, I am aware that I am
being hyperbolic) thinks they are busier than the next person. Since my tenure at Cal Poly has
begun, I have been enrolled in 12 units each quarter. I have received many side-eyes and
unnecessary comments directed towards my light course load and easy choice of major
(English). This one-upping dominates social media as well, and is best seen in one of the photos
I found. Posted from within the library, it is a photo of the world outside of the library through
the windows with the caption week four vibesssss *eye roll emoji*. While this is certainly a
relatable post by week four we are well into midterm season it directly contributes to this
prevalent hierarchy. The amount of time spent in the library is correlational but not equivalent to
the amount of ones studiousness.
In my opinion, posts like these are more problematic than the ones that are meant to be
funny. These ones certainly are rooted in stress, but they are motivated by attention and a need to
brag about misery. The reality of the situation is that we are all busy. Just because someone
elses busy looks different than your personal busy, does not mean they are busy. I think this the
real issue that needs to be addressed to combat the stress culture.
It is clear to me that Instagram is being used to make light of the feelings we are
supposed to have in college. We are expected to be stressed out all the time, especially on the
quarter system. In fact, we are warned of this stress way before college even begins whether it
is in high school or through other mediums (i.e. television or movies.) Posting on Instagram is
meant to be fun, but it is important to think about the content we are putting out there.
Appendix B
Coding of Autoethnographies
Cal Poly Climate
Cal Poly Usage
o My community college did not have an active or well-established social media
presence -Karley
o Cal Poly...definitely does,,, every office and club has an instagram account. -
Karley
o Cal Polys social media presence is active because they know that a large portion
of their current students, alumni, and prospective students are online. -Karley
o I see a lot more organizations promoting themselves such as greek organizations
or clubs even Cal Polys own social media. -Sarah
Cal Poly Stigma
o Cal Poly is a very prestigious and esteemed in reputation and the rigor of the
Quarter system is a major component to the curriculums accelerated nature. -
Karley
o Cal Poly specifically in my experience, these big fish realize the very big pond
they have just swam into. -Katie
o ...signifies the stress culture at work at Cal Poly. -Katie
Interactions with Users
Connection to Peers
o By participating in Myspace and Facebook cultures that my peers were a part of,
I felt connected to them and felt like they accepted me.-Karley

o I currently use Instagram as a platform for keeping updated and active in my
friends and familys lives.-Katie
o Instagram is a great way to connect with other friends and people close to your
age. -Sarah
o ...and rely on Instagram to update people on my life.-Sarah
o Instagram is how I feel reconnected with a community even if I am alone at a
desk.-Katie
o In this [posting pictures] way, not only do they receive a renewed sense of
connection-Katie
Fit In
o I was fifteen..most of my friends at this point had an Instagram...one of my
friends persuaded me to get an Instagram and I became hooked soon after.-Sarah
o I felt like I was again missing out, and knew it would stay that way until I was
able to get my hands on a smartphone.-Karley
o I was trying to be funny, but I was unknowingly perpetuating this stress
culture.-Karley
o Thus, I think it is more likely that these specific posts are using the stress
culture embedded within Cal Poly to their advantage. Since this culture is so
prevalent, why not use for attention?-Karley
Value
o Then the likes and comments flood in and it becomes a self esteem booster.-
Sarah
o But once they post a picture from their trip to Cabo and people comment how
great they look, they feel a sense of gratification.-Sarah
o I think most people who post a picture do so to...give themselves a confidence
boost.-Sarah
o I went through a phase of removing those which did not receive a lot of
attention-Karley
o ...not much different than how individuals use Instagram to market themselves -
becoming more involved and recognizable in their self-built communities.-Katie
o ...attempting to post and market each picture and caption to reach the widest
audience and receive the most user feedback (likes and comments).-Katie
Comparison and Competition
o On a similar note, a trend I have noticed specific to Cal Poly is that people often
try to one-up the rigor of their schedules over one another. -Karley
o Everyone thinks they are busier than the next person.-Karley
o I have received many side-eyes and unnecessary comments directed towards my
light course load and easy choice of major (English).-Karley
o Just because someone elses busy looks different than your personal busy, does
not mean they arent busy.-Karley
o People naturally compare themselves to others and students will gauge how
much they should be studying based on the people they follow or the people
around them. -Sarah

o I definitely look at other peoples pictures and think instead of being on
Instagram I should be studying as much as the people on Instagram say they are.
-Sarah
o I believe it has caused me to spend more time looking at other peoples pictures
and I catch myself comparing myself to them. -Sarah
o ...I also believe that students compare themselves to their friends posts and can
put pressure on themselves to study more or feel as though they dont live as
exciting lives.-Sarah
o If their friends are posting pictures and captioning that they have been in the
library for ten hours, than that student can feel like they have to study just as
much or that they arent studying enough. -Sarah
Benefit of Technique
Distraction
o My thought process behind why I think people tend to participate in this trend is
that people use it as a break.-Sarah
o If a student has been at the library for eight hours they may want to take a break
and use the time to post a picture. -Sarah
o ...I think most people who post a picture do so to take a break from studying-
Sarah
o Personally, when I study and find myself opening Instagram, I am using this to
pull away from my work. Whether it be as a subconscious way to distract myself
or a conscious break-Katie
o ...They post pictures and find themselves with their studies on their mind-the
very thing they are distracting themselves from. -Katie
o ...with every notification, there is a new excuse to pull away and look at the
phone.-Katie
Normative Ideas of School
Season
o These posts are usually tailored to stress and happen during peak midterm season
and during gimal two weeks of the quarter. -Karley
o Posted from within the library, it is a photo of the world outside of the library
through the windows with the caption week four vibessss *eye roll emoji*.
While this is certainly a relatable post - by week four we are well into midterm
season-Karley
o The trend that I have been closely observing is about students posting during
midterms, finals and dead week.- Sarah
o I believe that this trend occurs mostly during dead week and finals week.-Sarah
School Depiction over time
o I have observed a shift in the tone being used to reinforce school from optimistic
to pessimistic, in my own transition from a time in high school when college
decisions were being made into the Cal Poly community as a current second year
student.-Katie
o Admitted students proudly announce their college as a prize for completing high
school; however, once enrolled and acclimated to college, Cal Poly specifically in
my experience, these big fish realize the very big pond they have just swam
into. -Katie
o This points toward a shift in perspective from having completed a goal, to being
at the start of a new goal...the elevation of difficulty from high school to
college and signifies the stress culture at Cal Poly. -Katie
o My Instagram has definitely evollved over the past five years. -Sarah
Expectations of Students
o If a student has been at the library for eight hours.-Sarah
o It is clear to me that Instagram is being used to make light of feelings we are
supposed to have in college.-Karley
o We are expected to be stressed out all the time, especially on the quarter
system.-Karley
o In fact, we are warned of this stress way before college even begins - whether it
is in high school or through other mediums (i.e. television or movies).-Karley
False Reality
Reality vs Display
o I have noticed that a frequent trend is that people will post photos with captions
that have nothing to do with the photo, i.e. a selfie with a cliche inspirational
quote.-Karley
o Given the trend growing exponentially of a constant merger or reality and the
display of it on social media -Katie
o These rules include not posting more than once in a day or only really posting
the good or happy aspects of your life.-Sarah

Rather Be
o The trend is to post a picture of a stress free moment in your life that you wish
you could go back to or revisit instead of studying for finals.-Sarah
o The caption that comes with the photo tends to include wish I was here instead
of studying for finals.-Sarah

Appendix C
Content Analysis of Instagram Posts

The Effects of Stress-Related Instagram Posts On University Students

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Running head: STRESS-RELATED INSTAGRAM POSTS 1

The Effects of Stress-Related Instagram Posts on University Students

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Keywords: Instagram, social media, stress, autoethnography, content analysis

The Effects of Stress-Related Instagram Posts on University Students

we decided on a content analysis and multiple autoethnographies as our primary methodologies.

to come to a group consensus about our findings.

find. It is our hope that

College Students, Instagram, and Stress Explored

That visuals are a persuasive mode of communication is no longer contested. According

Additionally, he states, Visual arguments are to be understood as propositional arguments in

is worth looking into from a different perspective.

basis of social comparison, seeing if participants comparisons of themselves to others affected

Just by reading the already-established literature on the subject, it is clear a relationship

an important relationship remains unexplored: a relationship between stress-related Instagram

Our study consisted of a variety of methodologies. By conducting primary research we have

gathered an immense amount of information on the Instagram trend. By analyzing this

the following aspects of each photo:

Picture Location: Location Description on Instagram

Direct mentions of school: Amount of negative words/phrases used

If user was having fun: Emoji Use (Positive or Negative)

Direct mention of self: Direct mention of school assignment

Rather Be Message: Positive or Negative overall

Popularity of post compared to followers: If the user was in the picture

Direct Mention of Assignment vs Positive or Negative overall

Average number of negative words or phrases per post

Picture Location vs Location Description

Location Description vs Rather Be Message

Rather Be Message vs Positive or Negative Overall

If user was having fun vs If user was in picture

Popularity of post vs If user was in the picture

Popularity of post vs Rather Be Message

Popularity of post vs Positive or Negative overall

Popularity of post vs Use of negative words

Popularity of post vs Direct mention of school assignment

students lives by analyzing similar trends.

unenjoyable; the rest of our findings solidify this idea.

0.254 for posts that do not feature negative phrases).

than they are of their negative opinions of school work.

the Quarter system is a major component to the curriculums accelerated nature.

easy choice of major (English).

how Instagram users describe schools, as explained in the autoethnographies. The

to college and signifies the stress culture at Cal Poly.

Discussion and Conclusion

college experience must be this hard.

a culture, or expectations of the college experience.

and do the same as explained by Katz, constantly reinforcing expectations of a successful

college student. (qtd. in Korhan & Ersoy, 2015, p. 1803)

likely to heighten the expectations held for themselves.

burnout of students and a dissatisfaction with their education.

it is out to get them.

has a different audience and unique method of posting/conveying information. Specifically,

and compare the findings we have found from this one.

experiences in the public sphere.

Blair, J. A. (1996). The possibility and actuality of visual arguments.Argumentation and

advocacy, 33(1), 23.

Information, Communication & Society, 19(9), 1267-1286.

Opinion Quarterly, 37(4), 509-523.

Quantity, 50(4), 1799-1816.

addiction among male and female college students.Journal of Behavioral Addictions,

Comparison in Use of Instagram Among Emerging Adults.Cyberpsychology, Behavior,

and Social Networking, 20(3), 142-149.

topic of conversation at school or with friends.