Effects Of Social Media Essay

Teenagers are constantly bombarded with media on how to dress, how to act, and who to hang with to be considered “cool.” As stated by the Common Sense Census, the amount of time teenagers spend on some form of media is on average nine hours. More than half of the hours they are awake is spent consuming media, making them vulnerable to the ideas of the media. In recent years, the number of teenage girls that suffer from eating disorders has increased drastically due to this increase of media exposure, but it isn’t so much the amount of exposure as the kind of exposure. The question of how much influence media has on eating disorders

To conclude, I believe that the media does play a role in the cause of eating disorders in women however other factors such as peers and the family have an impact on the issue too and can help cause it. Yet the media, a form of secondary socialization, didn’t portray women as being skinny females may not feel threatened by it and wouldn’t want to become the females portrayed by the

Eating disorders are mental illnesses that affect more than 7 million American women and usually develop in girls ages 12-25. The most common age for a girl to begin having an eating disorder is 17 years old (Discovery Health?). The National Eating Disorders Association states that eating disorders are conditions that arise from factors including physical, psychological, interpersonal, and social issues. Media images help define cultural definitions of beauty and attractiveness and are often acknowledged as one of the factors that contribute to the rise of eating disorders (NEDA). It is evident that the media influences teenage girls to develop eating disorders based on these reasons: the

The research question of this Psychology Extended Essay is “What is the Extent of the Media’s Influence Regarding Eating Disorders?” To further investigate this question, I researched what the media is and what it does, how people are affected by the media and many different studies and experiments. Through the use of several sources, mostly online and experiments, I was able to learn exactly what the media does to possibly be considered an influence on the development of eating disorders. I was able to find a multitude of experiments and studies deciding whether or not women are actually influenced by what the media has to say about body image. While typing this paper, I realized that, of course, the media was not the only

Social determinants are another way psychologists research and try to explain disorders like binge eating disorder. The origins and effects of social interactions includes many different example, but social media is one of the most frequently discussed determinant in eating disorders. One specific study asked the question of what the role of media has in the development of eating disorders. The subjects of this study were college women in the western world. In attempts to answer their question, researchers followed the social media exposure of the women, as well as, the measurement of body discontent and the development of eating disorders. The conclusion of this study was that media exposure leads to a desire for thinness, which in return contributed to the development of eating disorders in women of the Western world.

An eating disorder is any of a range of psychological disorders characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits such as anorexia or nervosa. Due to the high volume of time spent on social media from teenage girls encourages them that thin is beautiful and they would take any necessary approaches to live up to that standard. According to a research conducted from the University of Haifa 248 girls ages 12 to 19 found that the “more time girls spend on Facebook, the more they suffered conditions of bulimia, anorexia, physical dissatisfaction, negative approach to eating and more of an urge to be on a weight loss diet.” The media have a huge effect on young women because it is now a part of their everyday lives and it is hard to depart from it because of the easy accessibility that came from cellphones. “The internet and social media have brought us amazing things. The downside, specifically related to the clients with Facebook and Instagram, in particular, is it floods us with images that are very often unrealistic,” said Dr. Constance Quinn. The media can be used for positive things such as marketing, endorsing, and etc., but it does more harm for the young women who look to the internet for conformation of who they could possibly become. The media is a huge source of comparison between celebrities and their peers. “The effect of media on women’s body dissatisfaction, thin ideal internalization, and disorder eating appears to be stronger among young adults than children and adolescents. This may suggest that long-term exposure during childhood and adolescence lays the foundation for the negative effects of media during early childhood.” (National Eating Disorders Association) Spending an ample amount of time on the internet, social media, or watching TV encourage young women to become these “skinny and fit” women and that’s where the eating disorders come in place. Young women don’t correctly diet and also in the midst of dieting

The National Institute of Mental Health lists the multiple origins of the issue: “complex interaction of genetic, biological, behavioral, psychological, and social factors” (2). The elements of an eating disorder are mostly psychological; therefore it is difficult to prevent the mental causes of the issue. People’s behavioral state can construct an eating disorder, but social media plays a major role as a stimulator as well. The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders published that “47% of girls in 5th-12th grade reported wanting to lose weight because of magazine pictures” (Collins 12). Factors such as social media may not directly cause eating disorders, but they influence the public to lose weight. Unhealthy eating habits and a lack of self esteem can be affected by the outcome of media’s portrayal on the body. Eating disorders directly affect an individual’s self-esteem, but they also have an expanding effect on the rest of an individual’s

In recent times, more information on eating disorders has become available. As a result, there has also been much debate on whether media contributes to the increase in eating disorders and body image issues. Michael P. Levine and Sarah K. Murnen, in their article, “‘Everybody Knows That Mass Media Are/Are Not [Pick One] A Cause Of Eating Disorders’: A Critical Review Of Evidence For A Causal Link Between Media, Negative Body Image, And Disordered Eating In Females,” seek to evaluate the influence mass media have on young girls. In a similar way, the article, “Concurrent and Prospective Analyses of Peer, Television and Social Media Influences on Body Dissatisfaction, Eating Disorder Symptoms and Life Satisfaction in Adolescent Girls” by Christopher

There are a few causes to eating disorders, but one of the biggest ones is how the media portrays body images. With photo shopped pictures and thinspirations, young girls see these and think they are realistic. “The effect of media on women’s body dissatisfaction, thin-ideal internalization, and disordered eating appears to be stronger among young adults than children and adolescents. This may suggest that long-term exposure during childhood and adolescence lays the foundation for the negative effects of media during early adulthood,” (National Eating Disorder Association). Everywhere they look, there are images of skinny woman on the internet, magazines covers, and in advertisements on TV. Unfortunately, women are given this image to aspire to and an idea of what is visually perfect. In reality,

A cultural fixation on female thinness is not an obsession about female beauty, but an obsession about female obedience (wolf, 1991). The purpose of my research paper is to demonstrate different viewpoints on how the media plays a role in today’s era. My research will study the influence of media on eating behaviors and the significant studies regarding this topic. My paper will also cover the outcomes of media portraying unhealthy body images, weight loss ads, and the influence of the internet encouraging eating disorders. Based on the research, it can be clear that the media is responsible for the increase of eating disorders in today’s society. Therefore, it is important to take counteractive measures and look into this matter before

The media consumption can lead to dissatisfaction and even have a correlation with eating disorders. “Social Media effects on Young Women’s Body Image Concerns: Theoretical Perspectives and an Agenda for Research” by Richard M

Mass media consists of a range of multimedia technologies that have enhanced our way of communication. The media conveys norms and attitudes that socially construct those who are involved. Inadvertently, the media depicts a widely accepted misconception of personal image. “Influence of Mass Media on Body Image and Eating Disordered Attitudes and Behaviors in Females” reveals the high correlation between media content and females’ idea of beauty. Although the article does not specify on their intended audience, the reader can infer the audience to be adolescent females and important familiars to them, i.e. mothers and friends. Appealing to individuals who have the most impact on an adolescent female may evoke guilt through the pressures

This line brings forth the question to whether or not society’s use of social media is a factor in the today’s world that is influencing significant changes in a negative light upon out younger generation. An article published in the Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology focused on the role of social media in adolescents along with the advancement of social norms. This article introduces the idea behind how social media can be beneficial but also detrimental to adolescents. To support the idea of contrasting ideas behind social media, it is mentioned in the article that,“Despite the promise of enhanced socialization, communication, and education, however, many adolescents' lived experience of social media use has been negative on balance (Cookingham, Ryan 2014)”. Through social media, society is able to create any message it desires and spread it for the world to see. It is significant to note that while social media is capable of increasing communication and useful for spreading ideas across the globe in a simple manner, the effects of social media have potential to taint the younger generations’ minds with its endless capacity for information of all

Have you ever looked at a picture of someone and thought to yourself, wow I wish I looked like that? From Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, it’s easy for companies to get their advertisements out there. Many women around the world today are experiencing or have experienced body dissatisfaction. Women are constantly viewing social media websites that heavily have the appearance of beautiful, skinny models. Social media is causing many harmful effects among women and young girls. Stated in an article titled “Does Social Media Impact on Body Image?” by Philippa Roxby, “Social media has a huge effect on young people's body confidence, she explains, because it cannot be ignored.” Even women who some would see as perfect can find themselves wishing they had toned abs, thick long hair, big breasts, tanned skin, and everything else that goes along with the “perfect body” ideal that society wants women to be.

Today we live in an era where there is no need to travel around the world to meet loved ones, share memories and stay in touch. Social media can be defined as “websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking” (Lubbe). Social networking sites have made it unbelievably easy to talk to friends and families who live far away, and share pictures and videos of every special event in one’s life. The facility however doesn’t end there. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are also commonly used to pour out emotions and share whatever a person has on his mind. It’s no wonder that a typical teenager and adult in the 21st century spends quite some time of their day on such social networking sites. Since every action has some kind of reaction social media affects people in various ways. The most prominent effect is on teenagers since they are the most popular and common users. However social media does not only affect teenagers but also adults in various parts of their life including education, work place, and social life. Social media can be harmful but at the same time it can be beneficial; it all depends on the way it is being used.