UNL professor publishes study highlighting social media impacts on new mothers [Video]

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – It’s something many social media users find themselves doing. Comparing their lives to the lives portrayed on social media.

That common occurrence is what pushed Assistant Professor at UNL, Ciera Kirkpatrick, to kick off a study about social media traps on new mothers.

“So I became interested in combining my expertise in studying the media and how it affects people and what was happening in my own life,” said Kirkpatrick.

The Marketing and PR professor said new moms found themselves comparing their lives to what they were ingesting on social media.

Mother of two, April Kelso, said pressures that come with comparison as well as harsh interactions online could make for a contentious online society.

“Every decision you made, someone had an opinion on it,” Kelso explained. “And whatever choice you made was the wrong one and people were happy to tell you what you should’ve been doing.”

In the study, Kirkpatrick explains that …