In 1991, the world was graced with a brand-new invention- the World Wide Web. Since that time, more and more people have been able to access the internet. Every day, billions of people access the internet. With so many people being able to access this new source of connectivity came the rise of social media. In 2011, there were 1.2 billion people logging into social media sites on a daily basis. This number is up 6% from 2007 (Dijck, 2013).While social media helps to connect more people together than ever before it does have its dark side. With the rise of social media, the number of people being exposed to cyberbullying is increasing. These incidents of cyberbullying are leading to body image issues. Before we go further, it’s important to define a few terms. The first term that we’ll define is social …show more content…
Most people are familiar with the “traditional” form of bullying. Oftentimes it produces an image of someone at school threatening those that they deem weaker than them or harassing them either physically or emotionally. Cyberbullying is “willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices. As such, it covers a number of phenomena, including stalking, spreading rumors, impersonating victims, and anonymous online taunting to name a few”(Miller, 2017). Body image is “how you see yourself when you look in the mirror or when you picture yourself in your mind. It encompasses: what you believe about your own appearance (including your memories, assumptions, and generalizations;) how you feel about your body, including your height, shape and weight and how you sense and control your body as you move; and how you feel in your body, not just about your body” (National Eating Disorders Association, 2016). Traditionally, issues with body image have been seen a women’s issue. However, with the increase use of social media, more people are developing body image
Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are huge contributors to cyberbullying. These social network sites grant their members the privilege to engage in the actions of the attacker which is a menace. A majority of the cyberbullied population have committed suicide due to the abusive comments. Cyberbullying has gone into a hyper drive with new devices and faster types of social media.
No doubt, when people express how they feel on social media about other’s bodies, it can affect the people they have on their social media. Because they can be going through the same thing as the person they are describing. Alex Brunstad in “Body Shaming and Social Media”, explains how she feels about social media and that it actually affects her when someone talks about other people’s bodies. The author explains how she feels saying that “social media, originally a platform by which I hoped to give and receive support from likeminded individuals, quickly became a toxic environment for strengthening my relationship with my body”. People that feel insecure about their body expect that others would accept them on how they look and receive support on how they truly feel about themselves. Since they already know how they look, they do not need a remainder.
The first study examines the rates of cyberbullying, the second study examines the perceptions of cyberbullying, and the third is an extension of the first two studies combined. This article includes firm evidence that confirms the large role that social media has grown to play in the world of cyberbullying. For example, in Study Two, it was found that “The most common social media venues by which people reported becoming victims of cyberbullying were Twitter and Facebook” (19). The third study in this article was one that did not appear in many other articles I read. Instead of being conducted in the form of a survey, it was done by a “trained computer system to detect and interpret cyberbullying” (21).
Throughout history, body image has been determined by various factors, one of them being the media. In the article “How Social Media Is a Toxic Mirror,” written by Rachel Simmons, she shares the story of a woman who admits to being afraid of leaving her apartment without putting on makeup. “I don’t get to choose how I’m going to leave my apartment today,” one young woman told me, “If I could, my body would look different. But I cant choose which picture makes my arms look thinner” (Simmons). One word: Fear. The woman fears the opinion of others. She second guesses herself before she steps foot outside her apartment building. It displays the lack of confidence she has towards herself as an individual and the control the media has over her. The author goes on to discuss how teenagers look up to social media by obsessing over how many likes
Many people have a habit of asking others on the internet for opinions on what they look like. This creates body image anxieties. At the same time, women were being more objectified in media, with an extreme emphasis placed on their bodies (Klein). Some people believe that the answer to body anxiety is to give a bigger range of body examples in the media. Dr. Phillipa Diedrichs, University of West of England’s Centre for Appearance Research, said,“The more time spent on Facebook, the more likely people are self-objectify.” Media is everywhere, so telling them to ignore it is not going to work. Steps could be taken to help girls to not compare themselves to the unrealistic
Social media itself is a huge danger to society. It causes many suicides within the world because of the cyberbullying and spreading of rumors. “Recent studies have shown that one out of four teens have been the victims of cyberbullying and one out of six have admitted to having cyberbullied someone” (Trautner 1). The internet and social media is supposed to be used to communicate with friends and for searching information, “Kids use technology different than their parents do. Sometimes it is hard for adults to understand that this can even be a possibility” (Trautner 1). It is not supposed to be used to bully someone, especially not to the point where the victim would think about suicide. “One of the statistics that has been highlighted within this news coverage is the threefold increase in the suicide rate for girls ages 10 to 14. The rates for girls in this age group increased from 0.5 to 1.5 per 100,000 during this time period. The increases for boys in this age group were not as high, climbing from 1.9 per 100,000 during 1999 to 2.6 per 100,000 in 2014” (Olsen
Body image, by definition, is a person’s personal opinions and or descriptions on his or her physical appearance. A person’s opinion of his or her own appearance “may or may not parallel how others judge that person’s body image” (Atkins, “Body Image”). Bullies, for example, often degrade victims to a lower status than
Because of society we have bullying happening, and it has caused people to have eating disorders, and get surgical replacements done to their bodies. People have become anorexic, bulimic, and have or done other things to lose weight because they weren’t “pretty or cute” enough for others to see or like them. “When they begin puberty... the body goes through many changes... These changes, combined with wanting to feel accepted by our friends, means it can be tempting to compare ourselves with others. We might start to compare ourselves with other people or media images ("ideals" that are frequently airbrushed). All of this can affect how we feel about ourselves and our bodies... Family members might struggle with their own body image or criticize their kids' looks ("why do you wear your hair so long?" or "how come you can't wear pants that fit you?"). Although these often come from ignorance, sometimes they can affect body image and self-esteem” (www.kidshealth.org). Many parents seem to think that they know their kids like the palm of their hands, however very few of them see that they’re child struggles with their body image. Body image has influenced all of us, whether it’s in a minor or dramatic way, by making us shower more or brush our hair more, or maybe even by making we go anorexic or getting plastic surgery. Everyone wants to be something close to perfect but everyone is looking out
The magazines and the constant picture shooting of the “perfect” stars leads to their being an almost ridiculous idea of what the perfect body is. This has come from a long line of basing people off of what they look like, which is natural for humans. Body image is important and bullies use people’s body as the basis for the bullying. Although people believe this is solely a female problem, many men also fall victim to bullying based on their body.
“You are ugly. You are imperfect. You shouldn’t wear a bathing suit or tight clothes. You’re not good enough for anyone. You don’t look good in that. Your hair's a mess. You have way too many pimples. Your arms are too hairy. You wear too much makeup. What makes you think you deserve anything? What makes you think you should even be here?”
This past month, I researched three articles related to the connection between culture and body image. This topic remains vital in modern-day society due to its dangerous effects and outcomes. People strive to be accepted socially, even when it results in unsafe measures. Implications of this issue not only include exclusion, but being bullied or judged by others for their appearance.
As the drastic increase of social media networks has increased, so too has the cyberbullying prevalence. Merriam-Webster defines cyberbullying as the electronic posting of mean-spirited messages about a person often done anonymously. Kassandra Gahagan and her fellow colleagues studied cyberbullying among students and its outcomes. Studies show higher rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors with victims of cyberbullying, along with higher rates of depression, anxiety and paranoia (Gahagan, Vaterlaus & Frost, 2015). While cyberbullying can be both intentional or unintentional, it is a negative process which effects the victim. This includes comments, posts without consent and messages. The study conducted sought to determine the prevalence of cyberbullying among young adults and the negative outcomes through asking three questions.
These studies highlighted the need for more data about appearance-related cyberbullying because they showed that there was prevalence of the issue. Another study that Berne, Frisén, and Kling (2014) discussed, found that girls are cyberbullied more often than boys about appearance. This information helps the authors to show how girls are often the targets of this issue, providing another area to explore. In addition, they discuss one study that found victims of cyberbullying tend to have lower self-esteem and two other studies that found girls exposed to the internet and social networking sites have lower self-esteem (Berne, Frisén, & Kling, 2014). The authors used these studies to create a story that showed there was an issue that can have negative effects, but there was little information about
Despite the positives, there are many negatives associated with social media. Using social media can make a person more vulnerable to predators and cyber bullying. In this age, “Cyber bulling is quite common, can occur to any young person online, and can cause profound psychosocial outcomes including depression, anxiety, severe isolation, and tragically suicide” (“American Academy of Pediatrics”). Cyber bullying impacts society in a negative way because it is harming young teenagers’ minds. Bullies, torment, threat, harass, and even embarrass their victims by using different forms of social media. Using social media can also decrease privacy for an individual. People often give out their personal information not knowing who can see it. To average internet users, “A false sense of security may leave social networking site users vulnerable to security attacks such as hacking, leaking sensitive information, and sending viruses” (“ProCon”). Furthermore, Social media can also lead to brain disorders and can cause people to have a hard time interacting with people face to face. “Social networking entices people to spend more time online and less time talking to a person face to face.” (“ProCon”)
Fat. Ugly. Skinny. Obese. Slim. Plump. Anorexic. Flabby. Thin. Scrawny. These are just a few terms that are used when people humiliate others on their appearance or body shape; in other words, body shaming. I am very passionate about the topic of body shaming. I believe that society needs to stop sending out images to young girls of the “perfect body” or the idea of “body goals.” Everyday, people see tweets or posts on various social networking sites harassing others, like Instagram, Ask.fm, Facebook, and Twitter. These sites give people access to comment on another person’s picture if they are following them or if they are not. They will go to any extreme to humiliate others and say things like, “ Shut up you’re fat” or “ What’s up with girls nowadays getting too damn skinny? Get some meat on your bones, YOU DON’T LOOK HEALTHY!!”. Anywhere you look you will see someone embarrassing another person on their weight or size.