Picture Went Viral

A photograph, painting, canvas, or drawing today is not the same as it was a decade ago. Technology has evolved to the point where we can photoshop a person into a picture, enlarge a person’s butt, or even whiten people’s teeth. At what point do those technological advances cross a line? With social media ranging from Facebook and Twitter to Instagram and Tumblr, do these media sites promote egotistical behavior? In January of 2013, John Paul Titlow discusses some of the disadvantages and advantages that Instagram has in his essay: “#Me: Instagram Narcissism and the Scourge of the Selfie” that was posted on a website called ReadWrite. Although Instagram was primarily created to simply share pictures, it has evolved to do much more than that. Some businesses use it to advertise, some people use it to share their art, but then there are some people use it to flaunt their own personal lives in the form of pictures. Titlow acknowledges that Instagram is a desirable way to share art and diverse imagery, but additionally acknowledges that it can be a place where one can promote their own self-popularity. He explains that Instagram has become remarkably important in people’s lives to the point that they cannot view life past those Instagram likes (Titlow). Ultimately, Titlow succeeds in emphasizing the issues that Instagram has created by reason of the way he expresses his text, while furthermore expressing who the audience of his essay is, and by making his overall purpose clear.

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

Millions of people are posting pictures of themselves and their life experiences online for the world to see. And of course, people only post things that will make themselves seem more cool, adventures, and pretty, basically, a better person. People make an effort to present themselves based on what others like to gain popularity. This effort to be “perfect” is now being seen through people in the real world. People view others based on what they see of them online rather than in the real world. In the articles, “Should We Ditch the Idea of Privacy?” by Don Tapscott and “#Me: Instagram Narcissism and the scourge of the Selfie” by John Paul Titlow. Both authors show us without question, how the internet and social media have impacted the ways we view others and how we present ourselves to others negatively.

The internet is perhaps one of mankind’s greatest milestones. It connects people from all over the world, thus eradicating traditional boundaries of land and sea. Along with this connectivity comes the availability of information and instant communication. This sort of digitalization of human interaction is evident in social media websites like Facebook. People are able to communicate with each other and share aspects of their lives constantly. A popular form of self-expression present across all social media platforms is the ‘selfie’: an informal photograph of oneself taken by that person either with a front facing camera or other form of unprofessional photography. It has become such a phenomenon that it was named Oxford English Dictionary’s

Social media's main purpose is to connect with others and socialize in a spectacular, and modern way online. According to ¨the upside of selfies: social media isn't all bad for kids” by Kelly Wallace (CNN), Wallace interviews Eileen Masio, a mother of two in New York that are big users of instagram; social media. In the interview Masio states,” ‘i think as damaging as social media could be, it can… help to build self confidence,too,’ ” Masio also reveals an example of how social media builds self confidence,” ‘when they post selfies, all the comments I usually see are ‘Your beautiful,’ ‘You’re so pretty,’ oh my god gorgeous,’” evidently, this shows that social media doesn't just help connect people, but can also help build confidence to those who might need some, or think that they are less than what they are.

The ability to exchange weight challenges and thin body photos is at an all time high due to the Internet. There is a constant stream of images that have global platforms to support self-destructive behavior. These platforms can support eating disorders such as bulimia, anorexia, and binging (Rojas). According to Marcela Rojas, "Social Media, where users exchange information and photos and communicate over common interests, has become a bastion for some struggling with eating disorders. Images of spindly, concave stomachs and jutting ribs emerge on various sites" (2). Today's media creates dissatisfaction on various platforms; but bullying creates social conflicts as well as inner conflicts. Bullying can cause extreme emotional distress. It can lead to depression, which can lead to eating disorders. This constant cycle of depression leads to a repetitive cycle of eating disorders. As bullying can happen face-to-face or online, it can slowly dig away at a person's self-worth. Bullies can degrade individuals suffering with eating disorders' self-image, which can lead to worse things than eating disorders ("Does Social Media Cause Eating Disorders in

I think the picture shows that in this day and age all we are concerned about is how we look, what pose we just did, what clothes we wear, and how we get judged by other people. We now live in a technology and social media driven world where people post pictures every few minutes of where they are, what there doing, what there wearing, what foods there eating, and every other thing imaginable in this world. There is an endless list of what people tweet, snap, and share that now a days that all we are doing. I think that sometimes social media make us self centered because all social media has become is us just talking about ourselves and our lives. Social media has also created people who are unaware of the actual world around them not the social media driven world online.

Journalist Anna Hart argues this is the new era of people sharing selfies on a daily basis, that society has reached into “the age vanity, the digital vanity, you can argue no generation is immune from the selfie craze” (Hart,2014). A selfie has a variety of audiences from children capturing their best look to The Pope, it’s the new way of capturing evidence of your interaction with different people, better than asking for an autograph. However, in Hart’s (2014) article she argues that the idea that there is a need to look a certain way all of the time, especially when you are posting a selfie on social media, it almost has to be perceived in a positive way, showing the best selfie. Hart (2014) said “I need to look healthy, glossy and polished

As technology editing tools have become even more prevalent, many feel the need to excessively use photoshop before they share an image online. In a pervasive world where images of unrealistic standards fuel the media on how one should look, social media has one of the most significant impacts on body dissatisfaction. Throughout the last decade, social media has become one of the most common and favored ways for people to communicate, connect, and share. Thus, there have been many debates and discussions on whether the media has a positive or a negative impact on the way an individual perceives him or herself. As the rapid growth of smartphone usage among adolescents and adults has increased, social media has become an essential part of one’s daily life. In today's society, when most adolescents and adults turn on their smartphones, often times, the first thing they will refer to is a social media site. It has become a place where they are exposed to news, images, and expectations. Often times, these images, ideals, and expectations are ingrained in their brain and bombarded with what is considered to be beautiful. Moreover, these unrealistic standards will often lead to a form of comparison, influencing them to take extreme measures. Although social media serves as a platform where people can connect, communicate, and share, it has a negative impact on one’s body image, because it can lead to a lack of self confidence and severe

But on this canvas, people tend to paint beautiful lies about themselves, blotting over the imperfections. Now, this may not seem like such a bad thing. What’s wrong with people telling lies here and there if it boosts their self-confidence? But that’s where researchers are finding the problem. “”The onslaught of Photoshopped images gives us a false standard to aspire to," she says. “We know logically we'll never look like those women-but those images are powerful in shaping our expectations of ourselves.” …says relationship expert Natasha Burton, author of 101 Quizzes for Couples.” (Tomko) The phenomenon that people are finding to be true is that the constant bombardment of seemingly perfect people is making people wonder why they aren’t as perfect as the people they see in the pictures. And it’s not just social media. Society in general has this proclivity towards perfection. People that fall out of that sphere of perfection that the media projects begin to feel inadequate about themselves. “Girls already insecure about their weight can feel even worse when they compare themselves to ultrathin models” (Thin Fashion Models). This insecurity and self-loathing may even lead to eating disorders, like anorexia and bulimia. Media puts so much pressure on people, especially young girls, to strive to be something they’re not simply because they were taught that it was the only way they would be loved or cared about. “While

“No one is forced to take selfies, but the preponderance of selfie culture inspires a heightened self-consciousness of our personal images online.” This is apart of the Times Article, and how peer pressure is the cause of people being self-consciousness about what they post online.

Minh-ha raises the point that now; women in particular have the potential to be “co-creators” in regards to their body image. She argues that the images of women – particularly those previously marginalized – have been radically transformed and that they now have agency to portray themselves wherever, however and if they chose. Gone are the days where the object of an image was controlled and objectified. Now, one may control how and if they are to be objectified and to what audience. She muses over Giroux promoting the idea that selfies (and thus other forms of self-presentation on social media, inclusive of reality TV shows) are simply

Also, Molly Fosco says selfies are a way to get to know ourselves better. She says we post selfies as a way to feel fulfillment and self-worth (Fosco). This data proves Syme’s argument that selfies truly are

Here is an example of a modestly viral piece of content. For anyone who didn’t click through, the image is often referred to as “Old-Fashioned Selfie” or “Selfie with Old Phone”, and it is two women posing for a selfie, but they are looking and smiling at an old corded telephone. In the interests of full disclosure, I actually know the woman on the left and I

Instagram impacts user’s self-image and self-esteem. Young girls and boys are being shot down by users not liking their image, commenting, or even sharing one’s post. Americans check Instagram multiple times a day, because they are looking to see how many likes, or comments they get. If these users’ do not get a certain amount of likes that exceeds their expectations they think, “I’m I pretty enough?”, “is the picture taken well?”, or “does anyone like me?”. This breaks down young Americans emotional health and well-being. Americans today that use Instagram are commenting publicly about how their self-esteem was jeopardized because of this form of social media. For example, Michelle Linker states “I feel anxiety over how many likes I get after I post a picture. If I get two likes, I feel like, what’s wrong with me? Some people judge Instagram by deleting photos that don’t get enough likes” (Gajanan). This quote is an example of how Instagram effects user’s emotionally. Some users even check their “like” count multiple times a day once uploaded for