Essay on Negative Effect of Perfect Image in Social Media

📌Category: Entertainment, Social Issues, Social Media
📌Words: 1008
📌Pages: 4
📌Published: 02 April 2022

Roughly 4.48 billion of the world’s population are active social media users, and over 40% of that myriad, report having a negative experience as a result. While this ubiquitous platform is widely known/eminent for its many pros, it also has several negative impacts that have yet to be brought to attention. Social media does more harm than good because it makes people feel insecure, creates an easy access for cyberbullying, and can lead to serious problems such as depression and mental health issues.

People all over the world utilize social media as a way to essentially broadcast their lives. While it has become a great way to connect and inspire others, it can often lead to insecurity and a decrease in self-esteem. To begin, growing up in such a digitally involved society has proved to create an unrealistic beauty standard, particularly for teenage girls. Filled with size 0 models and acne-free teenagers, social media has curated an unattainable expectation for individuals around the world. In reality however, even those seemingly ‘perfect’ people, are just normal human beings hidden behind photoshop and editing. While some may consider these posts as motivation or inspiration, the majority of the results have proven to be negative. According to research done by Huffington Post, 60% of social media users claim that it has negatively harmed their self-esteem, and 51% of people say social media makes them feel self-conscious about their appearance (Sklarov). Moreover, many people rely on the number of likes or followers they have to be happy and confident about themselves. Studies have shown that getting likes on social media has a similar effect on your brain as getting a reward. While this may seem rather frivolous, it indeed can have quite a damaging effect on someone's mood or happiness. According to research done by KSAT-TV, “A total of 54% of social media users feel upset when no one 'liked or commented’ on a picture they posted and nearly half were jealous when they saw a friend had more likes than they did” (Nowroozi et al). In addition, as a result of so many individuals faking their lives online, it becomes more difficult to accept their less-perfect, but real, selves. As reported by the Child Mind Institute, “Several students who have died had projected a perfect image on social media—their feeds packed with inspirational quotes and filtered images showing attractive, happy kids who seemed to excel with minimal effort. But behind the digital curtain they were struggling emotionally” (Jarocha). In light of this information, it is evident that being surrounded by the constant comparison to those online, and having the impulsive need to hide one's insecurities, can drastically damage someone’s self-confidence.

Furthermore, the more time people spend on social media, the greater of a chance they will be exposed to harmful experiences, specifically cyberbullying. Anonymity online has given people a false sense of security, which allows them to say and act however they feel, without having to face repercussions. A study conducted in Taiwan investigated the association between the use of an anonymous presence online and cyber bullying behavior. The results illustrated that, “the use of a high level of anonymity and reduced social cue lead to create higher degrees of cyber bullying behavior [...] If someone is bullying another person online, and the victim does not know who the bully is, then the bully might increase the abuse since he or she will feel like there is no way they could be traced or could be held accountable for their actions.” (“Anonymity and Social Media | Applied Social Psychology (ASP)”). Although some may say that social media is not responsible for the growth in cyberbullying statistics, there has been proof that coincides with the two. The Megan Meier Foundation elucidates that, “Individuals who have experienced cyberbullying at some point in their lifetimes, have more than doubled from 18% (in 2007) to 37% (in 2019)” (“Statistics”). This corroborates the juxtaposition/correlation between the time period during which social media became increasingly popular, and the rise in cyberbullying. Consequently, the effects of cyberbullying on social media have been drastic. In particular, suicide rates due to cyberbullying have skyrocketed. Research conducted by The Megan Meier Foundation depicts that students who have been subjected to cyberbullying are nearly twice as likely to attempt suicide (“Statistics”). Another study exemplifies that “Internet bullying impacts increases suicidal thinking among victims by 14.5%. Suicide attempts increase by 8.7%” (Dataprot).

Similarly, it has been researched, and further proven that too much activity online can result in depression, anxiety, mental health issues, and isolation. Fear of missing out in particular, has become progressively apparent among social media users. Statistics portray that roughly 56% of individuals that are active on social media, undergo the feeling of FOMO (Editorial Staff). Although FOMO existed long before social media became prevalent, research demonstrates that social media usage creates a new fear that someone else is living a better life than they are. This feeling can be detrimental to one's self-esteem, can trigger anxiety, and can even provoke further social media use. Furthermore, utilizing social media constantly can actually lead to loneliness and isolation. While some may argue that social media has become a great way to reach out and communicate with others, it in fact, does the very opposite. As stated by Dr. Alexandra Hamlet, PsyD, “The less you are connected with human beings in a deep, empathic way, the less you’re really getting the benefits of a social interaction” (Jarocha). Ultimately, without face-to-face human interactions, depression and anxiety will become increasingly predominant. Enveloped with the pressure to be perfect, the continuous feeling of loneliness, as well as the burden of FOMO, a large population of society is susceptible to serious mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. Studies demonstrate that, “teenage and young adult users who spend the most time on Instagram, Facebook and other platforms were shown to have a substantially (from 13 to 66 percent) higher rate of reported depression than those who spent the least time” (Jarocha). In addition, “[Out of 97% that use social media] 47% of participants were classed as anxious” (“Is Social Media Causing Anxiety among Young People?”).

To summarize, although social media plays a vital role in today's society, the fact remains that there are more negative impacts than positive. Insecurity, cyberbullying, depression, and other feelings and experiences no one should have to go through, are all being broadcasted through social media. For this reason, it is crucial that further social media usage be monitored and/or limited, for the better of our new generation, and overall society.
 

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