Wellness with Wellman: How Assistant Professor, Mariah Wellman, Combines Social Media and Wellness in Class
By: Abbey Raymond
In a culture that is so focused on social media followings, influencers and the next big trend, one professor looks at the rise and fall of influencers but also, how to become one.
ADPR assistant professor, Mariah Wellman, earned her Ph.D. in communication from the University of Utah and a B.A. in journalism at the University of Iowa. She teaches CAS 825, Mass Communication and Public Health, and PR 330, Social Media Management. Wellman has a focus on social media, influencers and the growth of the wellness industry. Specifically, she has prior research on wellness influencers that have been able to build a community of people who trust their opinion without having education and background in health.
Wellman strives to create connections with her students by finding common ground. She says she does this is by adjusting class content that includes topics that match students’ interests. Wellman’s background in health, social media and influencer culture often intersects with interests of her students. She says she has found that most people can find a connection to these topics based on common experiences of growing up in the 21st century and chronically online.
“I have found that, thankfully, my work does translate to a lot of different people. Whether they like influencers or don’t like influencers, follow wellness or not, they can understand what it means to be interested in their own body, to be interested in their own well-being, and to potentially use the internet or social media when they’re finding that,” said Wellman.
Wellman excels finds universal experiences and brings them into the classroom in fun and creative ways. She says the ability to take what is familiar and known and apply it to new concepts and ideas can help students get a better grasp on what they are learning. Wellman has also studied what happens to influencers who are forced to new social media platforms with which many students do not have prior experience.
“Platforms like Rumble or Telegram are really interesting platforms that folks who have actually been de-platformed from Instagram or from TikTok for spreading misinformation or conspiracy theories,” said Wellman.
With new platforms introduced, students are forced to consider what being active on social media looks like from the point of view of an entire lifecycle of an influencer, not just the mainstream platforms or typical path taken.
Wellman successfully brings new concepts into the classroom based on her expertise to introduce students to new topics and ideas while also teaching to the interest of students. To learn more about Wellman, including her research and background, check out her university bio.