The role of social media in life continues to grow. It is very important to know how social media can positively influence people instead of encouraging them to present themselves in an idealized way. Growing up in this generation, social media is prevalent in everyday life. I want to focus specifically on teenage girls. It is scientifically proven that girls are growing up with less self esteem due to lack of body positivity.
As people using social media, we constantly estimate the degree of self idealization vs. someone who is authentic, based on the article Authentic self-expression on Social Media. This can be between a user’s self-reported personality and the automated personality judgment made based on their status on social media. It is proven that individuals who are more authentic when they express themselves have greater life satisfaction. This may appear differently depending on the girls’ personality and social status; however, everyone who maintains authenticity within themselves has a better chance in overall satisfaction compared to those who don’t.
Teenage girls’ exposure to pictures and videos on social media can contribute to body dissatisfaction. This ultimately can lead to triggers with mental health. Scrolling each day on social media and seeing people’s “highlight reels” can become mind altering. People may not accept it for what it is because it becomes so regular. However, it is unhealthy to only see the good things in people’s life instead of the bad.
Social media has a social support impact for not only girls but for everyone. Social and emotional connectivity between humans is a basic element of human existence. This is being taken away through social media. An example of this may be when a girl makes a post on Instagram. Another girl may comment on that picture in a positive way, but then goes and talks badly about it. This is a way that doesn’t represent yourself in an authentic way. It is very common for teenage girls to feel bad about themselves because of what they see on social media. Being a genuine person towards each other can help reduce the link between extreme anxiety, taking it back to self representation through social media. Overemphasizing how you look in a picture says a lot about your identity. I believe encouraging girls to value their identities as well as appreciating others can help with the jealousy that may occur with overemphasis in an image.
The article, Beyoncé and Social Media: Authenticity and the Presentation of Self puts into perspective how people present themselves and how as a person you have to be aware. It is important for girls to realize and understand what they are seeing and what’s being posted on social media. This article focuses on what celebrities post and how followers perceive it. Celebrities can be very transparent through social media, meaning they can make a post seeming how their lives are so great to get followers or attention. This is more common on a female’s account with what they post knowing a girl may see it. For example, Taylor Swift has a large teenage girl following. She may make a post that makes her look like she’s above everyone. When in reality it isn’t how it actually is in real life.
As social media continues to grow more than what it has already become, it is essential to realize what is being posted. Understanding the truth behind it can help you overall become a healthier version of yourself. It can also increase the mental health for yourself but also others around you. There is a lot of bad on social media that tends to cover up all the good. However, if we start using social media in an authentic way we could change this. Spreading positivity in the comments or even through body positivity could be a start to making social media a more authentic environment.
