SIRS Issues Researcher

Social Media Can Be

Damaging to Esteem
Newspapers | University Wire. Mar 27, 2018.
| Lexile Score: 1520L

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Summary:  "Social media should not dictate how

someone feels about themselves, but it seems
to be becoming more and more common.
Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and Facebook all
have one thing in common and that is the
negative effect each platform has on its users.
More than a billion people have an active
Facebook account and over 100 million users log
into Instagram every month, according to a
press release on Facebook’s news site. With that
many people using social media platforms it
comes as no surprise that so many people equal
their worth to the amount of friends they have or
how many likes their photos get." (University
Wire) The negative impact social media has on
self-esteem is explored.

Publication: The Northern Star, Northern Illinois

University, Dekalb IL.

Social media should not dictate how someone

feels about themselves, but it seems to be
becoming more and more common.

Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and Facebook all

have one thing in common and that is the
negative effect each platform has on its users.

More than a billion people have an active

Facebook account and over 100 million users
log into Instagram every month, according to a
press release on Facebook’s news site.

With that many people using social media

platforms it comes as no surprise that so many
people equal their worth to the amount of
friends they have or how many likes their
photos get.

There is a strong association between social

media and self and body positivity.
Psychologists found evidence linking social
media usage to poor body image, dieting, and a
drive for thinness and self-objectification in
young people, according to 2017 research
published by The Journal of Research on
Adolescence. Too many teenagers and young
adults equate their self worth with social
media profiles which ends up being such a
huge negative impact on our lives.

“Social media has the ability to tear people

down because it’s all about the likes and how
much people look at your profiles. It all just
matters too much,” said junior communications
major Ebun Osayemi.

The different social media entities influence

the users by using public figures and exposing
secrets and lies. Snapchat has multiple news
sites on its app talking about the famous and
all the Hollywood rumors.

By Snapchat doing this, it also has a huge

influence on the users, and the impacts it can
cause are astonishing.

A survey that included the Generation Y and

millennial generations found that social media
sites, like Instagram, contributed to a
generation with body image and body
confidence issues, according to a May report
by the Royal Society for Public Health.

During the month of January, 88 percent of

adults in the United States had a social media
profile, according to a Pew Research Center
Study. There is also at least 800 million
monthly users on Instagram alone, according
to a Sept. 18 statement by the vice president of
Global Marketing Solutions at Facebook,
Carolyn Everson. With this many users taking
up social media profiles it’s no wonder that
people are comparing themselves to others
and letting social media run their lives.

People need to take a step back from the

computer and phones and focus on true
happiness and fulfillment that social media
isn’t giving them.

Social media is running people’s self esteem,

and it shouldn’t happen. Instead, they should
start owning their self worth and looking at
other outlets to promote their happiness.
Social media is doing more harm than good.

Copyright © Mar 27, 2018 UWIRE, a division of Uloop.

All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.

Related subjects:

Body image Digital media

Mass media, Influence

Online social networks Self-esteem

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