Impact of Social Media on Self-Esteem

Conversations are happening whether you are there or not- Kim Garst.

Over the years, we have become a witness of increasing affecting rate of social media activity on an individual. Internet bestows endless online gateway of communication to everyone present in this world. Just a few clicks and we found ourselves on the other page that represent the information of relatable searches. This is enough to describe the potential of social media to reach someone.

Users usually access media for transforming information, ideas, career interest and other form of experiences via a login. Affiliations, schedules, announcements, and more personal content have become normality to disclose on the Internet and share with the world. It has almost converted into a lifestyle for modern culture. A network formed through social media changes the way a group of people communicates. Exchange of messages with relevancy mostly one place to another at the same time differentiated their activity and merging groups together.

In social media context, things that get viral will remain viral. It will hard to take it back and delete in seconds. The text reaching velocity is enough higher that of light. Within a second, text delivered another person absolutely and shared it correspondingly. When a certain post gets viral, they get retweeted again and again. What if viral text causes damage to someone’s’ personality?  The answer of this question depicts by the feeling of inadequacy or self-loathing which is most frequently faced by teenagers or social media addicted persons.

Generally people who have low self-esteem compensate their Ego by posting happy photographs on social media sites. This continuously knitting a web which formulates ideas and others are happy and has fun lives in contrast to their own. The need to be accepted plays a great role in social acceptance. It seems that social media creating a paradox. Given below is suggested data that gives information about social media impact-

·         63% of people using social media reported that it has impacted their self-esteem in a negative way

·         52% reported social media having negative effects on their relationships

·         83% reported that is easier to be cheated by others through their sharing on social media.

Self-esteem is the appraisal of value or worth of the self. It can be perceived in both positively and negatively and has shown to be interpreted differently stages of life. Some with low self-esteem have the characteristic of introvert often face social anxiousness, loneliness, shyness, etc. the need to be accepted socially plays a major role in portraying ones’ life. This causes nothing but low self-esteem in both types of a person whether he/she is introvert or extrovert. According to Chen and Lee (2013), individuals with generally low self-esteem tend to self-disclose as a way to gain acceptance. According to a study, people who have low self-esteem attempt to compensate the level through social media. There frequent social media sites correlated with low self-esteem and mental distress.

A study conducted by Igor Pantic (2004) of one hundred Facebook users at a local university showed that people who had more self-promoting content and spent more time on the social media application had lower levels of self-esteem. They considered if they have a higher number of followers or likes, it poses a social acceptation of them. Those are more concerned with uploaded image, what their friends commented on their picture and how others react if they see that snap. This entire factor compensates their social fulfillment, idealizing that more friends on social media sites indicates a higher level of popularity. However, it is noted that females spend more time social media comparatively male and have a number of followers and admires. This shows women consciousness regarding their look and body weight.  

Social media allows a person to create a neoteric persona which is so different from their individuality. Presenting only flattering images, posting partaking activities, and engagement on other groups led to confusing lifestyles. The requirement of portraying glamorous lifestyle gravitate a person negatively. In a few cases, this impact gradually converts the whole image of the person what he is real life or what he is on social sites. The people tend to post more alluring images and sharing contents that stigmatize social issues. Addition to all of this, research conducted by Pantic (2014) associated excessive Facebook usage with a variety of psychiatric disorders including anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. The study revealed that approximately fifty percent of females reported dissatisfaction in relation to their bodies. This is the main cause behind body-shaming even if the person is physically fit.

Conclusion-

Social media has a huge impact on self esteem, and in the case of females, these data are proportionate to a number of users. There are incredible risks if the issues are not raised publically. Self-awareness with what is available on the internet and how one should carry ones’ comment can change decrease the social media impact. There would be lesser cases occur of distress if we take this medium just a mode of communication rather than portraying a glamorous lifestyle.