The Role of Social Media on Self-Image
Social media entails every kind of electronic communication, including microblogs, instant messaging platforms, and social networking sites where users make virtual friendships to share personal messages, ideas, and content such as jokes, videos, and images (Malinda, 2019). The number of social media users has increased over the years to about 3.5 billion users in 2019, which is about 45% of the entire population in the world (Malinda, 2019). According to Sajithra & Patil (2013), social media is merely the explosion and extension of traditional word-of-mouth networks. Sajithra & Patil (2013) acknowledge that word of mouth was the traditional way that was considered trustworthy and effective in information dissemination. However, with technological advancement, people started accessing the internet and realized that they could share their concepts and opinions through social media rather than word of mouth. This is what made the cultural shift in communication.
History of Social Media
It is crucial to comprehend the history of a concept to operate it. First, the initial communication method was the use of letters. The initial use of postal service traces its roots in 550 BC, which later spread to the following generations (Hendricks, 2021). According to Hendricks (2021), the telegraph was created, which permitted sending messages to longer distances faster than riding a horse. Despite the fact that telegraph messages were brief, they are considered revolutionary in the conveying of information and news. In 1865, pneumatic post and drive-through banking were invented as alternative ways of sending messages to people over long distances in a quick manner (Hendricks, 2021). The most important years were the 1800s when the telephone and radio were discovered and are still used in the contemporary world. These two laid the foundations of social media.
Social media dates back to the time of email. According to Sajithra & Patil (2013), scholars have debated whether email is part of social media or not. The main reason email is not seen as social media is the idea that mass communication and mass collaboration are different concepts, yet email is about engaging in a conversation online. Email is seen as a distribution mechanism, and social media is considered a collective mechanism (Sajithra & Patil, 2013). Nevertheless, the fact is that email was the start of many collaborations between people that are now used today in the form of social media. In 1971, Ray Tomlinson, a computer engineer, was the mastermind of internet email during his work time in Bolt Beranek and Newman (Sajithra & Patil, 2013). The United States Defense Department hired Bolt Beranek and Newman to create the Internet in 1968 (Sajithra & Patil, 2013). Under the leadership of Ray Tomlinson, his team developed TENEX, a time-sharing system that was run on Digital computers PDP-1. They supported a bigger group that worked on natural language. Before employing the TENEX system, Tomlinson had experimented with a program named CPYNET.
Sajithra & Patil (2013) found out that Tomlinson was making adjustments to a program called SNDMSG along with other single-computer emails that had been operational since the 1960s. The SNDMSG program allowed users to compose, put addresses, and send messages to other people through mailboxes. The mailbox could not be overwritten, but it could be appended. Using other programs like CPYNET, Tomlinson came up with an email where users could send direct messages to one another. Initially, ARPANET researchers and programmers used SNDMSG on PDP-10s to leave messages for other people on the same computer. Using his previous experiences, Tomlinson was able to send messages between two computers that were placed side by side with the ARPANET as the only physical connection (Sajithra & Patil, 2013). These were the earliest inventions of email.
With the advancements of technology, especially in the 20th century after the creation of the great initial computers in the 1940s, engineers and scientists started developing ways of creating networks between computers, like how Tomlinson did with the experiments of different programs. Hendricks (2021) argues that CompuServe, along with other internet technologies, was invented in the 1960s, giving birth to primitive email. Improvements were made and shown in the 1970s, and by 1979, Usenet users could interact virtually through newsletters (Hendricks, 2021).
By the 1980s, people started using home computers and opening up to social media, which was a bit classy. More people started using IRCs- Internet Relay Chats in 1988, and these became more popular in the 1900s. By 1997, Six Degrees became the preliminary recognizable social media that allowed users to make friends and upload profiles with friends. By 1999, blogging sites started becoming popular, creating a media sensation that is felt today.
After the introduction of blogging, social media became more popular, with websites such as LinkedIn and MySpace gaining fame at the beginning of the 2000s and Flickr and Photobucket encouraging the sharing of photos online (Hendricks, 2021). In 2005, YouTube came into the market, changing the way people associate with one another online through videos and the sharing of information, videos, and audio. This also paved the way for Twitter and Facebook in 2006, along with other sites such as Pinterest, Foursquare, Spotify, and Tumblr, and the creation of other sites like Instagram from the mother root, Facebook. In the modern world now, people are using various social networking sites without compromising their privacy because social media platforms have come up with ways of protecting the confidentiality and privacy of their users.
The Addictive Part of Social Media
Arguably, with the prominence of social media, all sectors of society have been penetrated. Notably, Steers, Moreno, & Neighbors (2016) found that about 90% of youths between the ages of 18 and 29 are now using social media, which is a 78% increase from a decade ago. Steers, Moreno, & Neighbors (2016) also add that youths attending college are the most users of social media compared to uneducated people without a diploma. A growing research body has indicated that using social media platforms, smartphones, video games, and the internet has an addictive potential (Andreassen, 2015; Kuss & Griffiths, 2017). Although social media addiction has not been considered a diagnosis, many scholars have held that it is a behavioral addiction (Chamberlain et al., 2016). The only addictive behavior listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders is gambling disorder, and internet gaming is recognized in its appendix as a state that needs more research (APA, 2013).
The constant online availability and presence have become a norm in people’s lives, especially with user-friendly and accessible smartphones and laptops. One of the main common activities on the internet is the use of social media, with nine out of ten young people using social media every day (Henzel & Hakansson, 2021). There are many activities that social media presents to users, including maintenance of life relationships via calls and chats, passing the time while looking at other people’s activities, sharing self or others’ opinions and content, and taking part in gambling, playing games, and communities (Kuss & Griffiths, 2017). The diversity of activities that social media offers makes it difficult to tell which parts of social media are considered toxic and which are not.
The more children grow to adolescence, the more they go through increased peer pressure and the urge to achieve a sense of identity, belonging, and community. According to Henzel & Hakansson (2021), this is satisfied by social media’s various services. Adolescents are mostly afraid of missing out and are, therefore, constantly checking their phones and using social media apps. Researchers have found that academic work has been critiqued about its inconsistencies in terms of the definition of problematic and normal usage of social media (Henzel & Hakansson, 2021). Malik, Dhir, & Nieminen (2016) found that overindulgence in social media by the youth is linked with loneliness and psychological distress. Henzel & Hakansson (2021) added that social media activities are mediators of maintaining and shaping the user’s belonging, identity, competence, and safety, satisfying fundamental psychological needs, and bringing greater psychosocial well-being, as in the case of youths.
Even though students may most get publicly viewable and positive support for their pro-substance use displays, it does not mean that the rest of the students who view such posts privately approve of their behaviors. Other students may stay away from negative views expressed on social media because they feel the assumptions expressed online are incorrect. The silent students may even view that the other students are engaging in addictive behaviors when they should not. Steer, Moreno, & Neighbors (2016) called this phenomenon pluralistic ignorance. Besides, the false consensus effect holds that people overestimate the level to which other people engage in or agree with risky behaviors. For instance, healthier drinkers may keep posting pro-alcohol content online due to the fact that they think that doing that is normal. On the contrary, moderate or lighter drinkers fail to express their views on drinking by posting online because they are scared of social ramifications. As people keep posting on social media, the chances of influence increase. When adolescents keep viewing a Facebook profile that depicts the consumption of alcohol, they are likely to engage in alcohol consumption and keep on checking on what items will be posted next. This keeps them engaged on their social media pages to gain what they are looking for and, even more, engage in risky behaviors that the social media page depicts.
However, overindulgence in social media and the constant view of negative posts are not considered an addictive behavior. Addictive activities or behaviors include behaviors that consume a lot of time and, in turn, disrupt the individual’s other social activities like health, interpersonal relationships, professional activities, and occupational activities (Zaremohzzabieh et al., 2015). Several research studies have shown a positive association between addiction to social media and mental health disorders. For instance, Azizi, Soroush, & Khatony (2019) found that there is a positive connection between addiction and stress, anxiety, depression, and narcissism character. According to Griffiths (2005), addictive behavior refers to behavior that has specific features like relapse, conflict, withdrawal symptoms, tolerance, mood modification, and salience.
In another definition, addition is repeated behavior or habits that increase an individual’s vulnerability to social problems and diseases (Azizi, Soroush, & Khatony, 2019). In the context of this definition, Azizi, Soroush, & Khatony (2019), studying a group of students, discovered that social media addiction entails features like ignoring problems in real life, mood swings, neglecting oneself, having mental concerns, and concealing behaviors. Some of the signs and symptoms of addiction may entail experiencing interruptions of daily activities, ignoring daily and work activities cause of social networks, being curious about seeing old friends’ profiles, and feeling stressed and anxious because of a lack of social media access (Sun & Wu, 2012).
Effect of Social Media on Self-Image
According to the Conversation (2022), all persons naturally tend to compare themselves to others, whether offline or online or intentionally or not. These comparisons help people evaluate themselves in terms of emotion, personality, skills, and achievements. High school students often pay too much attention to the presentation of themselves on social media sites (Akanbi & Theophilus, 2014). Akanbi & Theophilus (2014) argue that most high school students create online content and networks as a significant mode for their identity management, social relations, and lifestyle.
One main characteristic of social media such as Facebook is making personal profiles of the users so that friends and the public can scrutinize, view, judge, and give feedback via comments to ensure that the users understand people’s views on that individual’s personal life (Jan, Soomro, & Ahmad, 2017). The opinions of other people or friends posted on a person’s profile or content have a strong impact on the individual’s self-image. Whereas negative images reduce the self-image of individuals, positive feedback enhances their self-image. For instance, if a student finds that a friend or another member of the public has commented on their looks or their body shape or size, they are likely to see themselves as beautiful and even walk boldly and confidently, going around and doing things in school. On the contrary, if a friend comments on another individual’s content that they are ‘losers,’ the individual is more likely to be affected by such comments, especially because they constantly rely on people’s opinions and views to describe themselves.
Besides, Jan, Soomro, & Ahmad’s (2017) research study shows that adolescents and youth are more prone to people’s comments and views and would believe what their peers say about them, whether social, physical, or even economic. Some researchers found out that social media sites such as Instagram and Freedom give people a sense of identity and freedom and enlighten the individual’s confidence by cheering them up even during hard times. Jan, Soomro, & Ahmad (2017) write that Facebook assists introverted and shy students who find it hard to start a conversation to create social capital as it minimizes the restriction level of communication and provides an environment for building strong and healthy relationships and bonds. Since most introverts find it difficult to build face-to-face relationships or even hold face-to-face communication, social media networks such as Instagram and Facebook are likely to make them feel normal and confident enough to initiate and maintain a relationship. Besides, feelings of not being able to meet people as people would portray them are limited because they can find a platform to engage with people virtually before they can meet with them physically. According to Jan, Soomro, & Ahmad (2017), most people who consider themselves lonely find themselves less lonely when they engage in social media platforms. However, Jan, Soomro, & Ahmad (2017) find that their lives are less satisfied at the end of the day.
In another research, scholars discovered that people who engage in social media platforms like Facebook have a very strong and firm belief that other social media users, those whom they do not know in person, live more prosperous, happy, healthy lives than themselves (Chou & Edge, 2012). These assumptions about other users’ lives cause them to view themselves as losers, not progressing in life and stressed about life. These feelings are conducive environments for low self-image, psychotic disorders, depression, and anxiety. For example, if a teenager sees that their peers are dressed in jeans and crop tops with make-up and find out that they have more followers than themselves, they may tend to believe that they do not dress well and that they are less social than others. They would also be more concerned about how other people perceive them in terms of their looks and sense of style.
Effects of Social Media on Society
Effect on Psychological Health of the Society
Research scholars have developed a new concept known as ‘Facebook depression’, which refers to depression that comes about when people spend more time on social media and start experiencing classic depressive symptoms (Amedie, 2015). Amedie (2015) argues that staying in touch and seeking acceptance from peers is a crucial part of life. However, it has been found that as people increasingly engage in the online world that requires consistent engagement, they become more self-aware, which triggers depression in some people. Also, Jacobs (2017) found that people with Facebook depression are more vulnerable to social isolation and are likely to resort to using toxic websites such as those that encourage the use of drugs, self-destructive behaviors, and unsafe sexual practices. In other words, depression is among the psychological effects of social media and not just Facebook but other platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and WhatsApp.
Additionally, being continually alert for new messages from social media platforms to one’s flight limbic or instinctive system is like being continually alert for predators, thus causing the release of the stress hormone cortisol (Amedie, 2015). Another way is when one has stress from continually trying to project unachievable and unrealistic perfection perception within a social circle. The social anxiety that young people who use social media platforms have is mostly linked to their effort to project a perfect self every time (Amedie, 2015).
In addition, social media has presented a sound ground for bullying, and this has mostly affected adolescents in recent years. This is because it has allowed perpetrators to post things about their victims to humiliate them before others. While social media has benefited youths in sharing information and even relating socially and sharing knowledge, it has allowed some individuals to pose false identities and publicly terrorize their victims. For instance, the National Children’s Home research study in the UK showed that one out of four children reported that they were bullied on the internet (Campbell, 2005). In addition, Amedie (2015) found that these issues left adolescents with intense mental scars and suicidality.
Akram & Kumar (2017) highlighted some of the positive effects of social media. These include sharing physicians’ prescriptions with colleagues, relatives, and friends; consulting doctors in a virtual setting anywhere and anytime; sharing suggestions about life with friends, colleagues, and relatives; increased accountability to sellers and buyers; and readily available information for health researchers. The negative impacts they found include reviews that are harmful to an individual’s self-image and self-esteem and disruption of normal activities like work responsibilities, school work, and social life (Malinda, 2019). Moreover, academic knowledge has become compromised because of myriads of people posting information, opinions, and concepts that are not scientifically proven or supported by research (Akram & Kumar, 2017). This means that education or professional career fields are prone to false and misleading information.
Conclusion
To conclude, even though social media has benefited society in terms of sharing information, it has enabled people to disguise themselves and have superficial and fake relationships with people at the expense of their mental and social lives. According to several research studies, the most affected people are adolescents who are at the phase of self-identification and discovery. The views and opinions of their peers and friends on their social media pages affect how they view themselves and how they think others think about them. The constant use of social media has shaped the behavioral actions of the youth, and the more they indulge in it, the more they want to be online to be updated on the current affairs and posts of peers and the public so that they are not left out. While this may be a good feeling given that one is updated about other people’s lives, the interruptions of daily activities have been affected. As a result, some researchers have arguably stated that social media addiction is a disorder. Although it is not listed among other disorders, the medicalization rate that comes with social media use is apparent since excess use of something is toxic. This is why most psychologists suggest non-social media interventions when addressing disorders such as insomnia, anxiety, depression, and stress (Malinda, 2019). They mostly recommend meditation and less screen time for people dealing with depression.
References
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i need a 10-page paper on the subject, including 8-10 references
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The Role of Social Media on Self-Image
1. short history of social media /trends
2. the addictive part of social media
3. the effect on self-image
4. a critical review of what social media effect has on society