Over the last ten years, with the growth of technology and the Internet, social media websites gradually become more and more popular in society such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Nowadays, teenagers do not only use social media just talking with friends, but they also create social media as a place for them to discover information and express themselves. In fact, there are the number of teenagers who spend most of their time to post and check-in on Instagram. It is wondered whether social media has any negative effects on the individuals who use them usually. As the report “Instagram Is Killing Teen Girls’ Self-Esteem”, the author states that almost every girl teenager feels isolated and unsatisfied with what they have. Indeed, they …show more content…
With this issue, Instagram may affect the point of view of the teenager about body image. For example, a lot of Instagram users make this app as a platform for them to promote themselves. In the past, Facebook used to be a platform for posting everything such as pictures, status, or even blogs. Unlike Facebook, Instagram is especially focused on photos (Moreau). It allows users to take a photo from their mobile devices and edit it by using filters, blurring effects, color adjustments, etc., in order to enhance the image before posting it on the profiles. According to the studies on the Internet, the author argues that “Most teens and tweens only post the good news such as a college acceptance letter, a new award, or information about that wonderful date the night before” (“Social Media and Self Esteem - Dos & Don’t For Teens and Parents”). As we can perceive from that article, most teenagers would probably never choose to post that shabby, rolled out of bed late and barely got to school on time while still wearing sweats image on Instagram. Instead, they post their best pictures. However, the good compliments are not always received on those photos. Instead, some comments may be rude and impolite giving a lot of words such as “fat”, “ugly”, etc. Consequently, these images combined with those words only increase negative body image and low social media …show more content…
Nowadays, many teenagers imitate famous people that they followed on Instagram. This could have an effect on another factor such as their self-esteem. Following strangers such as celebrities and models may cause the individuals to have a lower self-esteem and feel dissatisfied with their life by seeing the pictures celebrities post day-to-day about their lavish lifestyles, “perfect” bodies, and pretty faces (Wallis 2015). Next, other studies done to test the exposure of images of models to girls have found that participants who viewed pictures of the models reported a significantly lower body satisfaction and self-esteem report than those in the control group who were not exposed to any models (“Social Media and Self Esteem - Dos &Don’t for Teens and Parents”). In addition, another study in Germany call this phenomenon the “self-promotion-envy spiral,” and it happens when Instagram users compare themselves to the people they’re connected to on the platform (Dion, “The Effect of Instagram on Self-Esteem and Life Satisfaction”). Therefore, we could realize that if we addict in the imaginary world of Instagram, we may lose our own lifestyles and immerse into the unreal life on social media. However, this reason is still a small impact on the confidence of teenagers. For instance, some accounts, solely have the one picture, and a link
Social media has become mainstream, but should we go with or against the current? “Its Complicated” by Danah Boyd is a comprehensive guide on the teens of today and how they interact online. Boyd is a social media scholar and a youth researcher who has spent almost a decade compiling data in order to grasp what social media is doing to the modern day teens. There are three overall main concepts the book focuses on: What is and isn’t new about life with social media, what does it add and take away from teens’ social life, and how can we take advantage while still limiting the potential abuse of social media. The purpose of this review is to give a well thought out summary of the three main points in the book while also giving arguments that show another side.
The implications of social media on teens, adults, and children have forever altered the standards of beauty as well as the general upbringing of young adults. Today, teens globally use apps like Instagram, Tiktok, and Snapchat daily, scrolling through pictures and posts of friends, family, mutuals, or celebrities. It has created empowerment but also unease for many females. How people present themselves on social media today has the same effect as how people would have presented themselves at Gatsby’s parties then. The value in society of having “things” is still prevalent as material things like named brand clothing and other items, along with the status associated with cars and even with private schools, are viewed by many from a social or wealth perspective.
In today’s modern culture, almost all forms of popular media play a significant role in bombarding young people, particularly young females, with what happens to be society’s idea of the “ideal body”. This ideal is displayed all throughout different media platforms such as magazine adds, television and social media – the idea of feminine beauty being strictly a flawless thin model. The images the media displays send a distinct message that in order to be beautiful you must look a certain way. This ideal creates and puts pressure on the young female population viewing these images to attempt and be obsessed with obtaining this “ideal body”. In the process of doing so this unrealistic image causes body dissatisfaction, lack of self-confidence
Forty million people a day view Instagram stories, 79% of teenagers use Snapchat once a day, and 51% use it at least eleven times a day. In fact, teenagers use on average five screens a day (Patel, “10 Tips”). The use of social media makes teenagers happier and cures their boredom after school. However, problems arise when young people find all their satisfaction on social media. All this time spent on social media and whether you get enough “likes” could result in a bad outcome and cause poor health.
Teenagers have become much more focused on what he or she looks like. This is because, they are searching their identity, and trying to be someone that the media expects them to be. With social media, comes the stereotypical version of what a man or woman should be like. For example, women are expected to dress sexy, and have the perfect barbie doll body. Whereas men, are expected to be muscular and tall.
Social media plays a big role in how society portrays body image. “Alternatively, an increased number of Facebook friends may provide girls with greater opportunity to rapidly make multiple social comparisons, itself shown to be associated with body image concern”(Tiggemann and Slater 82). According to the survey that was taken by Marika Tiggemann and Amy Slater, the more Facebook friends the girls had, the more likely it was that they had body image concerns. They were able to compare themselves to the other girls that they were friends with, which led to them to have an increase in their drive for thinness. “Further, these comparisons are likely to be with somewhat idealised images, in that girls mostly post photographs in which they look good or are doing something ‘cool’ (and can be digitally altered)”(Tiggemann and Slater 82).
What is sociological imagination? C. Wright Mills defined the sociological imagination as the capacity for individuals to understand the relationship between their individual lives and the broad social forces that influence them. In other words, the sociological imagination helps people link their own individual biographies to the broader forces of social life: "Neither the life of an individual nor the history of a society can be understood without understanding both" (Mills 1959). In this assignment. I will use the sociological imagination to analyze a situation which had a huge impact on me, which will be body image and how media and family affect it.
In one 's teen years a lot is changing, from the way you look to the way you feel, and social media is making this transition from children to adult harder. Social Media is creating an image of what a person should look like that is not healthy and it makes the healthy human being look abnormal and unattractive. Teens are taking big risks every day in order to look like social media’s definition of perfect and it is not safe which is why it is important to not believe everything posted in this platforms and be
Meaghan Ramsey's TED Talk "Why thinking you're ugly is bad for you" is a powerful speech about low body confidence. Ramsey talks about how society's pressure to be perfect is one of the main reason for young girls' (and boys') low body confidence and how these feelings of low esteem can impact their lives and futures. I chose to analyze this speech because I have experienced low body confidence and I have felt those feelings of low self-esteem. In Meaghan Ramsey's speech "Why thinking you're ugly is bad for you", she discusses how low body confidence is undermining academic achievement, damaging health, and limiting the economic potential of today's youth who are growing up in a world of social media. Ramsey has a strong start to her speech, using a photo and a story about her niece to gain the attention of the audience.
Social media is a powerful source in today’s society, 81% of the population in the United States alone has set up a social media profile. Many use the media for useful things, like educational opportunities and business inquiries. Although there are people who may look at it more in a concerning aspect. Many people today view the social media as a stage where they are judged and told what the real way to look and act is, more specifically, body image. Social Media has a negative impact on body image, through creating a perfect view physically which affects someone mentally, targeting both male and female, and turning away from the real goal of social media.
Young Adults And The Emerging Trend Of Depression In Instagram According to the American Psychiatric Association, depression is a “common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act” (“What is Depression”). Depression is known to be more prominent in young adults, especially with the increasing use of social media, such as Instagram. Many extrinsic and intrinsic factors that contribute to how we, as humans, feel, think, and act, but most importantly social and psychological factors that are leading to depression. Social factors such as loneliness, parasocial relationships, and validation.
I. INTRODUCTION Social Networking Sites (SNSs) are online platforms that users use to create Personal profiles, associates with companion and fuss in different parts. Social networking sites exhibits individual profile and facilitates with various other activities such as sharing information with each other. Social networking sites grab million of people in the globe who are united these websites into their daily life style. Social networking sites will become famous all over the world.
As the technology era change over time, the social media becomes an important part of our life. We use social media to connect with friends and family, also to found out the latest news or fashion trends. Especially after the great success of Facebook, many other social media follow along such as Snapchat and Instagram. Numerous young age children gradually sink into the virtual world of Social Media. According to the Pew Research Center survey, that majority of Americans use Facebook and YouTube, but young adults are especially heavy users of Snapchat and Instagram.
On the other hand, many others believe that it helps society in ways such as keeping people physically fit and boosting self confidence by posting selfies. While society has its opinions on whether the media helps them or hurts them, it contributes both positive and negative impacts on body image and self esteem. To Selfie or not to Selfie With the rise of technology and the easy access the world has to the internet, social media had dramastically evolved and expanded over the past few decades. This social media allows us to share posts with the public, increase our followers, and increase our likes we
Nevertheless, social media plays a huge role in our society, it connects people all over the world, provides an opportunity to work or study being at home and it gives space for self-expression. Involving in numerous sorts of social media has become a daily activity for most teenagers and grown-ups. According to a survey, 22% of adolescents log on to their preferred social media site more than ten times a