The Influence of Audio-Visual Landscape Content on Emotional Well-Being of FELC Students on Instagram

Abstract

In today’s era of highly developed information technology, social media has become the main platform for university students to consume content. With the booming development of Instagram, audio-visual landscape content has become increasingly popular among many content types. This study investigated the emotional effects of audio-visual content on Instagram among students at the Faculty of Education, Language and Communication (FELC) of University of Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), focusing on the role of background music. Guided by Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT), a quantitative questionnaire survey was conducted on 50 undergraduate students. Data analysis employed descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, and Pearson correlation analysis. The results showed that students perceived background music as enhancing their viewing experience, with a moderate and statistically significant positive correlation between this and their sense of relaxation. However, no significant correlation was found between students’ preference for content with background music and overall emotional well-being. These results suggest that background music can enhance short-term emotional responses but does not benefit sustained emotional well-being. This study highlights the distinction between immediate emotional gratification and long-term emotional well-being in social media use.