From works like Jonathan Haidt's (2024) The Anxious Generation to anecdotal (and often unsolicited) commentary, the discourse around social media is predominantly negative. While we cannot ignore the significant research correlating aspects of social media over-usage with adverse mental health outcomes, examining the positive implications social media can offer is equally imperative. Consider your positive experiences online, such as reconnecting with a childhood friend or learning a new hobby. Social media platforms, from Quora to TikTok, have had a positive impact on all of us. As it continues to become the primary way the world connects, it behooves us to examine how we can maximize its potential for greater well-being. This paper and teaching tool employ Seligman's (2011) PERMA model as an applicable framework to explore how individuals can leverage social media to foster well-being online. Furthermore, it will investigate how the PERMA elements of positive emotions and engagement result from the actions of positive relationships, meaning, and accomplishment, which will inevitably lead to social media well-being (SMWB). By examining the positive potential of social media through the lens of PERMA, this paper and four-part curriculum seek to shift the narrative surrounding social media's impact on well-being.

Keywords: positive psychology, social media, PERMA, well-being, social media well-being