Essay On Effects Of Social Media On Teen Self Esteem

As teenagers grow up, they are learning how they identify and who they are as a person. In a journal article, Media's Influence on Social Norms and Identity Development of Youth, Sabrina Worsham, a professor in psychology, shares more on the development media creates in adolescents, “Add in new media outlets, such as the internet, and media is now considered an ‘extension of everyday life and a tool of cultural change’. Thus, identity formation, as a social concept, is being transformed in new and even more global ways” (Worsham). As there are multiple aspects in the way that people form their identities, social media has changed the way that they live their lives. This can be thought of as the way that they conform with others in order to fit into their peers. Teenagers will see their friends or people in the media acting a certain way, and this will make them feel more obligated to do the same. The way that identity is proposed, it can be different for anyone, specifically based on who individuals are surrounding themselves with, similarly stated by Worsham, “identity is a social concept.  When we engage any media, no matter what form it may take, we are in essence receiving the ideas from those authors” (Worsham). As young teenagers are exposed to different information that makes them feel like they aren’t able to open up with who they truly feel as a person, this could mean hiding the gender they identify as or the actual people that they love. All going back to the psychology in what people are making others think is right or wrong. In an article written by Anu Sirola, a postdoctoral researcher, states, “A recent social psychological contribution in this regard is the identity bubble reinforcement model (IBRM), which examines individuals’ social identification with online networks, tendency to seek out similar others, and reliance on them as an information source” (Sirola). This “reinforcement” as stated in the quote, changes the way that these adolescents present themselves to the world, which harms them as they feel like they need to hide themselves in fear of judgment. This aspect of the way social media is dangerous towards the self perception of teenagers, can continue into more of the physical appearance that is altered due to the conformity that has grown over time as social media has advanced.