Social Media Adverse Impacts on Western Women Essay

Introduction

Technology has made people closer, but whether this closeness is good is rather debatable. Social media have become a great alternative to sometimes costly or time-consuming methods of communication (sharing information) such as telephones or mail. At the same time, such extremely popular social networks as Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter also tend to shape users’ lives as people change their behavior to fit into the online community. Some say that the benefits of social media overrun negative effects. Nonetheless, many researchers stress that the use of social networks may lead to body image dissatisfaction, life dissatisfaction, eating disorders, and associated psychological issues (Ferguson, Muñoz, Garza & Galindo, 2014). Young females are regarded as the most vulnerable group that is affected. However, sometimes people tend to overestimate some trends existing in society. It is possible to analyze briefly major concerns associated with the use of social media to understand their true impact on young women.

Meeting Unrealistic Standards

First, social media’s basic function is concerned with sharing information that is often revealed through images (especially Instagram). Young females often try to make sure they fit into the larger community that is characterized by rather unrealistic features (thinness, glamor, and so on). Thus, Perloff (2014) claims that young women often feel frustrated when they compare themselves with other users. One of the female users aged 18 admits, “I do feel insecure if I see girls who look prettier than me” (as cited in Gajanan, 2015, para. 14). It is noteworthy that Hollywood and fashion icons introduced particular beauty canons, and young women try to look accordingly. Ferguson et al. (2014) stress that this can have significant adverse effects on women’s psychological state including the development of depression due to body image and life dissatisfaction. Females tend to create images that are consistent with the existing trends rather than their real selves. In some cases, digital personalities and lives are created as people do not want to seem boring due to their boring life.

Seeking Approval

Another significant problem is concerned with the search for approval. Females (especially younger generations) expect that their photos or any other kinds of posts will receive positive feedback. If this does not happen, their self-esteem can be significantly damaged, and they can develop anxiety, depression, and other disorders (Staff Reporter, 2015). According to the survey implemented by Matikainen (2015), people share information to receive approval from their peers and ensure that their posts will be liked. A young woman, aged 24, notes, “I feel anxiety over how many likes I get after I post a picture” (as cited in Gajanan, 2015, para. 6). Clearly, this addiction to getting approval is harmful, but it is rather natural for humans as well (Perloff, 2014). People are eager to fit into a larger community, they even tend to shape their behavior, and social media can be regarded as another way to do it. It could be an effective platform to promote basic values and create the perfect society of the future. Nonetheless, in reality, the community created is consumerist and image-based. As a result, young females want to look like particular icons, and positive feedbacks are regarded as the assessment of their success.

Decreasing Productivity

Furthermore, the use of social media consumes a lot of time. Instead of focusing on work, on studies, people (especially women) start their day by checking their profiles (Smarty, n.d.). It is necessary to add that a lot of social networks exist, and many people keep their profiles in many of them. Users also want to know what is going on with other people and inevitably spend a lot of time to look through their profiles as well. Of course, taking pictures and especially editing them takes a lot of time as well. Instead of working, studying, or communicating face-to-face, women spend hours to create unrealistic images. Productivity decreases, which can lead to issues at work and, as a result, anxiety, depression, and so on. Apart from personal issues, this can lead to economic losses on a larger scale. Of course, this assumption requires detailed research, but the existing trend is likely to result in such outcomes. Importantly, people leave less time to communicate face-to-face. The feeling of connectedness is false as people may lose ties with their peers in the real world.

Advertising, Cyberbullying, Harassment

Finally, social media users can be exposed to excessive advertising, cyberbullying, and harassment. Social networks are often used for marketing purposes and, hence, females are bombarded by various messages, which is rather an unfair practice as women are specifically vulnerable. Companies use social media to advertise their products. Again, the need to fit in, and to get positive feedback is used as women are willing to buy things that help them comply with standards created. Besides, Marcum, Higgins, Freiburger, and Ricketts (2012) stress that young people (both females and males) post gossip online with a particular intention to hurt other users. Such cases often result in the development of depression and anxiety in the victims of cyberbullying. The situation is rather serious as people are unprepared to resist.

Communication Platform

Clearly, it is necessary to add that there are some positive sides to social media. One of the most important arguments for the moderate use of social networks is that it may have a relieving effect on people who can communicate with their close ones and share precious moments with them. People can provide “a glimpse” into their lives and keep their friends updated on their situations (Gajanan, 2015, para. 7). This creates a feeling of connectedness. Users of social networks do not have to bother about distances, which is crucial in the modern globalized world. Apart from personal benefits, social media can be helpful in linking people and businesses. Non-profit organizations have acknowledged the advantages of the use of social networks when pursuing their goals (Smarty, n.d.). They can approach thousands through this easy-to-use platform.

Beneficial or Harmful?

However, as has been mentioned above, social media are very addictive, and people tend to abuse them. Perloff (2014) stresses that social networks are mainly used for such purposes as social comparison, self-expression as well as the development of online identities. People tend to trace the changes in the lives of each other by looking at numerous photos and reading their remarks or lengthy posts (Smarty, n.d.). This consumes far more time than face-to-face communication that often presupposes interactions with a particular number of people while checking profiles is not confined to looking through information concerning one or two users. Social networks are also tools to spread gossip, which can hardly be seen as communication.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is possible to state that social media have entered people’s lives comparatively recently, and various negative effects are apparent. Thus, females can develop depression due to their inability to meet unrealistic standards, social comparisons, or cases of cyberbullying. At that, social media are still an efficient platform for communication and feeling connected. However, it is important to make sure that exposure to social networks is moderate. Otherwise, the issues discussed above come into play. It is also clear that further research in the field is needed. Researchers should conduct a survey to understand the particular effects the excessive use of social media has on people. Besides, it is beneficial to consider the impact of social networks on productivity as well as the performance of companies or even entire sectors of the US economy. Finally, it is crucial to work on the development of educational programs to make people aware of their negative effects and transform them into moderate users of social media.

Annotated Bibliography

Gajanan, M. (2015). Young women on Instagram and self-esteem: ‘I absolutely feel insecure’.The Guardian. Web.

This article deals with different people’s attitudes towards social networks, Instagram in particular. Ideas of females, as well as males, are provided. In the majority of cases, the use of social media has a detrimental impact on females’ self-esteem. People tend to share positive images revealing an interesting side of their life. Many users feel frustrated when they do not receive positive or any reviews of their posts. Some users understand that many posts are unrealistic.

The article is recent, and it provides valuable insights into people’s behaviors. The source is also reliable as it is published in a reputable newspaper. The author does not include any analysis but offers a number of quotes that enable the reader to make conclusions.

I used the source to get particular ideas of females’ behavior using social networks to collect the necessary qualitative data for my paper.

Matikainen, J. (2015). Motivations for content generation in social media. Participations: Journal of Audience & Reception Studies, 12(1), 41-58.

The article dwells upon the reasons for using social media as seen by active users. It has been found that people tend to use social media to gain popularity. This is also a means of their self-expression as young users want to share details concerning their lives. The author also notes that users are willing to become a part of a community. The researcher uses quantitative and qualitative data collection methods, but the focus is made on qualitative data.

This is a recent article published in a peer-reviewed journal. It is based on substantial research. The researcher provides a theoretical background and identifies the gap in the existing research. The author checks some motivations considered as instrumental in the use of social media.

I used the article to support the argument concerning the benefits of social media which consist of connectedness and satisfaction.

Perloff, R.M. (2014). Social media effects on young women’s body image concern: Theoretical perspectives and an agenda for research. Sex Roles, 71(11), 363-377.

This article is concerned with the impact social media has on young females’ self-esteem. The author stresses that young adult females try to fit into the developed standards of beauty that are promulgated through social media. The theoretical approach to address the issue is concerned with people’s psychological traits that need to be a part of the community. The researcher states that social media use often contributes to the development of eating disorders.

It is a valuable source as it provides insights into the problem as well as the theoretical framework to employ when addressing the impact of social media. The researcher also notes that the existing research focuses on such dimensions as approval seeking, social comparison, and eating disorders.

I used the article when highlighting the negative effects of social media on females’ self-esteem associated with body image.

Reference List

Ferguson, C.J., Muñoz, M.E., Garza, A., & Galindo, M. (2014). Concurrent and prospective analyses of peer, television, and social media influences on body dissatisfaction, eating disorder symptoms, and life satisfaction in adolescent girls. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 43(1), 1-14.

Marcum, C.D., Higgins, G.E., Freiburger, T.L., & Ricketts. (2012). Battle of the sexes: An examination of male and female cyberbullying. International Journal of Cyber Criminology, 6(1), 904-911.

Smarty, A. (n.d.). Social media and society: The good, the bad and the ugly. Web.

Staff Reporter. (2015). Social media pressure may cause anxiety, depression on teens–study.Latinos Post. Web.