Social Media and Self-Esteem

By: Kathleen Brown

Facebook is now part of most people’s web lives. Twitter is where a lot of people are

reading the breaking news and if you want to be entertained then just dial into Youtube. -21 awesome social media facts, figures, and statistics

for 2013 by Jeff Bullas

In an age of hyper sharing and high engagement, how has social media affected our

self image? -The Social Psycology of the Selfie by Christine Erikson

The opinion of others has been a part of identity development for more than a century - The Social Psycology of the Selfie by Christine Erikson

"Now that we can interact with hundreds — no, thousands — of people simultaneously, we've strengthened the impact that others have on our self-value” – The Social Psycology of the Selfieby Christine Erikson

The "looking-glass self" is a psychological concept that suggests we develop our sense of self based on the perceptions of those we interact with. - The Social Psycology of the Selfie

by Christine Erikson

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram allow people to emphasize their good qualities

while hiding their flaws

A recent study showed more online photo sharing from people whose self-esteem is based on "public contingencies”-The Social Psycology of the Selfie by Christine Erikson

Studies have shown that the comments on your Facebook profile picture strongly affect

your level of perceived physical, social and professional attractiveness- The Social Psycology of the Selfie by Christine Erikson

Social media has made it very easy for people to hide behind their computer screens and be

whoever they want to be.

People are only going to put the best of their lives and their favorite moments

forward. – Does Social Media Affect your Self Esteem? By Sierra Barter

Visual social platforms like Facebook, Instagramand Tumblr, encourage social comparison.

Comparison is a normal feature of human behavior, and that comparison doesn't stop

when people shut the laptop or phone and go to school or work. - The Social Psycology of the Selfie

by Christine Erikson

This comparison can be poisonous to those who struggle with self esteem.

People who tend to have low self-esteem and depression are more likely to engage in

recurrent distorted cognition about the self -The Social Psycology of the Selfie by Christine

Erikson

Teens are especially vulnerable to low self esteem.

Teens are now exposed to more images of unattainable beauty than ever before, thanks

to social networking.

• Virtual social platforms do not always accurately depict the real world

In this day and age, it is important for people to not obsess over their online self image, and

the images of others.

Technology doesn’t have to be all bad

We can learn how to preserve our self image, while still getting to take part in

the great qualities of the sites.

Sources

• http://mashable.com/2013/02/15/social-media-and-the-selfie/

• http://proud2bme.org/node/244

• http://www.levoleague.com/lifestyle/does-social-media-affect-your-self-esteem

• http://www.wbur.org/2013/02/20/facebook-perfection

Credits

• All photos are licensed under the Creative Commons agreement, and sourced from Flickr