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Allegra T. Rodnunsky

Professor Rodrick

English 115

26 September 2018

Social Media Influence

Our day to day lives revolve around technology along with social media. The identity of

individuals have been altered and negatively changed due to the mass amount of technology in

our world today. Social media has become a toxic place where the impressionable youth has

access to social media influencers’ lives, which can lead to issues with life envy, body image,

and eating disorders. This content put up daily displays unrealistic body and life expectations

that have a negative effect on people’s mental and physical health. The type of substance that is

constantly in front of our faces has put society in an ugly state of constant jealousy. The life we

live in the 21st century is completely consumed by what other people post.

Social media is a world in itself. It has evolved into a mass cooperation that rules most

people’s lives. The article “​"I aspire to look and feel healthy like the posts convey": engagement

with fitness inspiration on social media and perceptions of its influence on health and wellbeing”

discusses how ​“people look to ​social media​ to connect with each other, create expressions of

self-identity, and seek information” which creates issues on how we view each other and

ourselves ​(​Michell​e, ​Wright​, ​Carrotte​, ​Jenkinson​, ​Mulgrew​, and ​Prichard​). We as a society rank

people on how many followers they have how many likes or retweets someone gets, or who has

the best photos; it has become an obsession. The people who have obtained millions upon

millions of followers by posting their extravagant life or perfect, photoshopped bodies are known
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as “social media influencers” and “instagram models”. Those titles are considered to be a job to

most and is a highly paid job that

gives these people opportunity to

travel and be put into situations that

seem to be like a dream. While

experiencing these amazing chances

they will film and take photos and

post to their millions of followers,

which creates jealousy and envy to

those viewing it. For example, an

“instagram model” by the name of

mylifeaseva posted to her 5.7

million followers the photo below

showing her living what looks like a

fantasy, in the Maldives, a

destination most people aspire to

visit one day. Posts like this are not

rare, in fact I stumble across a photo

or video like this no less than

twenty times a day. I admit that I get get quite upset that I am sitting in class, while this girl is

running around without a care in the world. It seems unfair because this person has an immense

amount of followers she’s able to get free trips to luxury places and all she has to do is post a
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photo she would have done anyway and tag the company, which is theluxedestination. This type

of post sparks envy into many people and it makes people reflect on to themselves and ask

questions like “what am I doing wrong?” and “why am I stuck here?”. It creates jealousy and

makes people feel utterly sad and worthless that they cannot go on a trip and live a life like this.

Across social media there are travel content that is seen by millions of people leaving them with

a sense of unfulfillment and shame. Humans are now expected to live up to these false realities

of having enough money to constantly go on trips and one up others on social media over who

has the most perfect online life.

Not only does travel content mess with a person’s mental health the people in those

photos do. It’s not solely a picture of the beach that is posted, someone is always in the photo

and it tends to be a physically “perfect” person which leads to issues with body image. Prieler

and Choi suggest “young women may use Facebook primarily for socializing and may encounter

pictures of thin women posted by their peers. Depending on the women’s level of self-esteem or

the centrality of appearance to their self-worth, such social media content may be more or less

influential in eliciting body dissatisfaction.” which is a strong claim (Prieler and Choi 381).

These are photos and videos the authors brings up are beautiful people with fit, tiny bodies in

luxury destinations. When a photo like that is posted for a mass group to see people get

“inspired” in an unrealistic way. Usually, what happens is someone will see that photo and start

to think well if I lose weight and look like that person I will be able to have a life like that

person, which is completely false. This idea is toxic and ridiculous, no one should have to lose

weight to live a better life, but unfortunately that is what society and social media has ingrained

into our brains. Throughout the past few years, the tables have slightly turned with the new wave
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of “body acceptance” and becoming more aware of altered photos. That thought is brought up in

the article “Social Media and Body Image Concerns: Further Considerations and Broader

Perspectives”, they believe “that the internet includes both realistic and unrealistic images, in the

longer term some of these images may lead to less body image concerns and provide a more

supportive and naturalistic environment for young girls.” which is a naive point of view

(Williams and Ricciardelli 390). It does not logically make sense that society is not affected by

this type of material when tiny, petite people are glorified and praised, they are the people in

most magazines, commercials, runways, and social media. They are the people we are shown to

look like even if the photo is photoshopped or altered. Body image has always been a problem,

but it has been amplified with the evolution of technology and social media. It seems everyday I

go online and feel insecure and uncomfortable in my own body after seeing a photo of a tall, slim

woman with a tiny waist, large breasts, thigh gap, and a flat stomach. People will see this type of

material and feel unworthy in their own skin which is sickening and should not still be an issue

in 2018. Insecurities and body image issues from seeing posts from stick thin “instagram

models” make people want to change themselves and lose touch with their own identity and

confidence.

With beautiful, fit people consistently shoved in online feed the feeling of shame in your

body arises. This can lead to many different types of eating disorders throughout all people, most

of them being young women. People have the tendency to compare themselves to others whether

it be money, fame, talent, and most often bodies. The article “Social Media and Body Image

Concerns: Further Considerations and Broader Perspectives” brings up the point that ​“via the

internet young women may be exposed to a higher dose of body images, which are available
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anytime and everywhere, and this may lead to more body dissatisfaction.” this is correct

(Williams and Ricciardelli 390​). ​We look at a photo of an “instagram model” and want that for

yourself and people will do almost anything to obtain even if it means developing an eating

disorder. When people want to lose weight or resist gaining weight they turn to the idea of less

calories equals losing weight. Also, these models promote fad diets that promises weight loss

like “flatummy tea” and appetite suppressant lollipops, which creates false expectations. That

mentality leads to people developing a bad relationship with food, anorexia, bulimia nervosa,

binge eating disorder, body dysmorphia, pica, over exercising, using fad diets, and other eating

disorders. All of these disorders have an extreme, detrimental effect on the human body. It is

incredibly unhealthy to be doing this to ourselves that so many people suffer from these issues. I

for one have several eating disorders and know how devastating it is to live a life of never feeling

good enough in your body. It is miserable to see other perfect people online, so happy while I

have to feel insecure and put my body through torment. These posts are toxic and are an

unrealistic expectation to want.

Our identities are controlled by what we post and what we see online. Social media has

taken over the morals of society and as human beings. We are living in a world obsessed with

social media blades, where we travel, what we look like, and who we are associated with.

Frankly, it is completely wrong to glorify these people who get highly paid to post unrealistic

body and life expectations. It is time for society to take a step back and look at life through their

eyes instead of a screen.

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Work Cited

Mylifeaseva. “Jumping to Conclusions Like”. Instagram. ​https://www.instagram.com

/p/BdwlJXJjlKC/?hl=en&taken-by=mylifeaseva​. Accessed 9/18/2018.

Prieler, Michael, and Jounghwa Choi. “Broadening the Scope of Social Media Effect Research

on Body Image Concerns”.​ ​SpringerLink,​ Humana Press, 22 August 2014​.

Page # 378 - 388. Accessed 9/15/2018.

Raggatt, Michell​e, ​Cassandra J. C. Wright​, ​Elise Carrotte​, ​Rebecca Jenkinson​, ​Kate

Mulgrew​ and ​Ivanka Prichard​. “​"I aspire to look and feel healthy like the posts

convey": engagement with fitness inspiration on social media and perceptions

of its influence on health and wellbeing”. ​BMC Public Health, Gale, 1​ 0 August

2018. Accessed 09/15/2018.

Williams, Robert J. and Lina A. Ricciardelli. “Social Media and Body Image Concerns:

Further Considerations and Broader Perspectives”. ​SpringerLink, Humana Press,

​ ccessed 09/15/2018.
15 Nov. 2014. Page # 389 - 392.​ A