Social Networking And Social Media

Social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) offers infinite connections and the ability to express oneself to the world. But are these connections and images of self-based upon fact or fiction? Through selective self-presentation, people often present the “ideal self” instead of the “actual self” in the online environment to achieve the feeling of positive self-esteem. In “The Way We Live Now: I Tweet, Therefore I Am”, Peggy Orenstein writes of how her Twitter posts reflected an idealized version of her life. Two studies support the hypothesis that such editing can have a positive effect on personal self-esteem. “Mirror, Mirror on my Facebook Wall: Effects of Exposure to Facebook on Self-Esteem” by Amy Gonzales presents a study demonstrating

The use of technology and social media has become very prevalent in the 21st century. Almost everyone in the United States owns some kind of social media account. According to Statista.com, “In 2017, 81 percent of U.S. Americans had a social media profile, representing a five percent growth compared to the previous year.” While the number of users increases every year, it seems as though the number of people who prefer to live in the “virtual world” also increases. I believe that social media sites create isolation for all individuals. There are so many distractions on these sites that most people cannot even focus on the present. These sites also provide an illusion of companionship. While many believe they are finding their “soulmates” online, in reality they are only living in a fantasy. A person’s self-image is also affected by social media. Some believe that all the “likes” and “comments” can boost self-confidence, but if you are not receiving any of these things, then what is the point.

In her article “Social Media’s Impact on Self-Esteem” Clarissa Silva analyzes the effects of social media. She is able to show how disconnected people have gotten because of being online. Which is causing many to suffer from the paradox effect and vanity validation, that has also contributed to negative impacts in many relationships. Different sets of data are used as evidence, the percentage of peoples fear of missing out (FOMO) being a prime example. Social norms have shifted from face to face conversations to online discussions. Silva demonstrates how it plays a big role in self-esteem because of the decrease of social skills. She sheds light on the issue to decrease the irresponsible use of social media without knowing

We are the generation that always wants to connect with everything and everyone which has never been common act for past generations. This mindset is causing others to question themselves and who they are. A technology that has helped drive this negative self-love is through social media which began to prosper in the early two thousands as just conversational sites that permitted friends to communicate over the internet. Over the years’ social media has become more of a pictured based hot spot which has persuaded children and even numerous adults that they aren’t good enough. The acuity of “perfect” has boggled many people’s minds into believing that they should strive to become this

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.

With evolving technology comes new types of social media, people have begin to question the internet’s effect on our mentality. It is a bit difficult to compare the pros and cons of social media, it has more to do with an individual’s experience.  Some could be having a horrible time due to social media, but others could be thriving off of it.  The more negative implications of using social media could be the way that we share our personal lives and how much of it we give to the public, regardless of social relationships, to consume.  Along with this, we are deeply impacted by what we see from others based on our viewing of what they share because of the ability to create falsified identities and unrealistic interpretations of who we are

We live in a world of false realities. Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram all offer an alternative view of who we are as individuals. We have fallen to the idea that we must uphold a certain image of ourselves in order to maintain a consistent image to others. Although, these social media platforms can be very beneficial in keeping in touch with others. Social media allows people to create any image of themselves they want, thus, creating an inaccurate representation.

There are two possible ways that the use of social networking sites can affect a person’s self esteem. According to a study conducted by Amy L. Gonzales and Jeffrey T. Hancock, Facebook helps amplify students’ level of self-esteem. They explained in their study that when people post something on their profile, they have the opportunity to filter the negative information that they would not like to be exposed, and only publicize the information that they consider as positive. By doing this, people can build an ideal image of themselves online, which consequently increase the level of their self-esteem (Gonzales and Hancock, 2011). On the other hand, the study conducted by The University of Gothenburg in Sweden, which

As people detach themselves from the world, they are putting their lives on the web. A picture, a snap, or a comment is all it takes for someone to undergo mockery. People are quick to judge in the comment section about a particular photo or video because they are blanketed behind their computer. A serious issue is arising that a University of Pennsylvania student, Kathryn DeWitt, almost became the seventh person from Penn state to take her life. She noticed that a classmate was insulting her through text message. That classmate turned out to be her friend. Her insecurity and betrayal from her friend caused her self-esteem to plummet, which almost resorted to taking her life. A study done by Amanda Hess in “Cause of Death” reveals how “Suicide rates among 15-24 year olds has steadily increased over the years from 9.6 deaths per 1000 to 11.1 in 2013”. For quite some time human beings competed against one another in regards to activities. Whenever DeWitt went on social media she would notice how they had more friends, went out to move parties, and had fun. She wanted to have fun and party just like the people on her news feed. What she fails to realize is these people are more concerned about keeping a “perfect” image on Instagram or Facebook, but in reality they suffer. Most people post the explicit selfies for the attention but some people post other pictures or ridicule others to make their lives seem in command. These people are looking for a way to escape their problems in the real world. Instead of confronting them they are blanketing themselves behind social

Applications such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, is an open range for comments or posts that won’t ever be deleted. In a way our social media accounts can be seen as an extension of identity. People have this sense of approval from how many likes, comments, or followers they get. Based on how much attention that is received, determines their self-worth. In a lot of ways, people rely on their social media. It does have its positive aspects, being that it can be used to communicate with peers in an easy, efficient way. But it’s a constant addiction for most people. Claire Mysko, an award-winning author, stated: “Social media creates an environment where disordered thoughts and behaviors really thrive,” Facebook challenges like the “don’t judge challenge” takes imperfections like acne, gaps between the teeth, unibrows, and magically wipes it away and shows how good looking they are without flaws. This challenge is really contradicting because the people who have flaws like this can’t just wipe them away. Where does this leave those people feeling? People can’t be comfortable with little flaws like that because people mock them in ways like that. Even if it's not what people who do this challenge intentionally mean to do, it still pushes the issue on how people are pushed to look a certain

Facebook is viewed one of the greatest innovations of the last decade. Suddenly, everyone could connect with their friends online from anywhere. With greater mobility and customization than competitors, Facebook’s popularity exploded and was soon used by myriads of people. Emboldened by Facebook’s success, Twitter, Instagram and many others were created. The world was soon interconnected as all of these outlets were available at the click of a mouse or as a cellphone app. Almost everyone possesses some form of social media that links them to the rest of the world. Society and culture are so intertwined with social media that it is natural for “myths” to emerge. These myths include the notions that social media boosts self-esteem, that people’s privacy is protected as long as only friends are able to view their profiles, and that it is an accurate, effective news outlet. Despite the benefits of the connection brought by social media, there are serious drawbacks and many negative aspects related to its use.

Social media continues to grow in popularity as more websites and applications create various ways for people to share their lives through pictures and words. It has become increasingly popular among teenagers and college students, resulting in everyone having the opportunity to judge and compare others to themselves. This creates the problem of if social media can lower or raise the self-esteem of teenagers. As they spend more time looking at various profiles, people will feel positively or negatively about themselves and their body. Even if someone is following a friend or another person with good intentions, it can begin to affect the person negatively as he or she compares themselves.

People hurt their self-esteem by imitating other people and not being the person they truly are. According to Huffington Post, data professionals,” individuals are presenting hyper-realistic versions of themselves on any type of social media.” (T1) Instagram is one of the main sources to exploit these different types of persons individuals try to be. They compare themselves to false images on social media (T4). For instance posts from other individuals cause people to feel like they are missing out in life, they make them hate their life and try to change to be like the person they saw on Instagram or Snapchat, but it only makes it worse by imitating people since it leads to severe depression, even those on Instagram with luxurious lifestyles are not perfect. There is no perfect in this world. According to Huffington Post, “ imitation allows individuals to establish themselves and get a better perspective of who they truly are.” (T1) The Huffington Post article states that” this can enhance people's intellectual ability to generate decisions related to their social and personal life” (T3). For example, this leads to individuals actually believing that they are the person that they have been imitating, that leads to loss of identity. According to a Psychology today Post, “those influenced by the media have encountered physical problems.” (T1) The Huffington Post article states, “people often receive plenty of criticism for showing who they truly are and not portraying those that everyone is familiar with and eventually also imitating”(T3). To illustrate, individuals hate themselves for not being perfect as those on social media. This will eventually lead to self-destruction on the human mind, depression, and severe diseases. People have actually stated that imitating others does not hurt someone’s self-esteem rather it helps a person develop their true persona. According to psychology today research, “the number of individuals imitating others has increased over the years”. These individuals need to

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

Social networking sites such as Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram are changing the youth’s focus from productive activities, to the indulgence of their adolescent egos. Many teenagers growing up today have chosen to pursue accomplishments that hold no meaning, such as getting 100 likes on their photos. What is worse is that the youth subconsciously know that having this-many followers or that-many likes will get them nowhere yet they still devote so much of their time to social networking sites. These social networking sites take a psychological toll, as well as a toll on their social lives. It also leaves people prone to other dangers such as cyber bullying.