A Phenomenological Study of Students Experiences in Understanding Mental Health Campaign Messanges on Instagram

Rizka Ais Kurniawati (Departemen Ilmu Komunikasi, Fakultas Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu PolitikUniversitas Diponegoro)
Yanuar Luqman (Department of Communication Studies, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia)

JURNAL ILMIAH GLOBAL EDUCATION
Vol. 7 No. 3 (2026): JURNAL ILMIAH GLOBAL EDUCATION

This study aims to explain  how college students interpret  mental health  campaign messages on Instagram, focusing on the accounts @catatan_psikologis and @wantja. Using a phenomenological qualitative approach, participants were selected through purposive sampling and interviewed in depth; the data were then analyzed using thematic analysis. The results revealed five main themes: Instagram is positioned as a safe entry point for learning about mental health; visuals, storytelling, and everyday language facilitate message comprehension; students actively negotiate the credibility of accounts before trusting the content; there is ambivalence between feeling helped and fearing self-diagnosis; and campaigns can trigger self-reflection and encourage some students to seek professional help. These findings underscore the role of social media as a space mediating young people’s mental health experiences and the importance of message design that is empathetic, accurate, and accompanied by clear service referrals.