Presenting an Ideal Self on Social Media
People come to know themselves in large part by observing others’ reactions to them when engaged in face-to-face social interaction. The popularity of and reliance on social media (e.g., Facebook) for social connection interferes with the self-knowledge process. This interference is compounded, further, by the tendency for people to pose as who they wish to be but are not (Wright, White, & Obst, 2018). Others’ reactions to them as a source of self-knowledge is based, then, on an idealized presentation, and social feedback on this idealized presentation can have little self-knowledge value.
Reference:
Wright, E. J., White, K. M., & Obst, P. L. (2018). Facebook false self-presentation behaviors and negative mental health. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 21(1), 40–50.
Review the Learning Resources for this week and consider how people present themselves on social media and the influence this may have on how people use introspection, self-observation, and other people’s reactions to know themselves.
Also, consider how reliance on social media for meaningful connection affects a person’s confidence when meeting new people.
When relying on social media for social connection, think about the unavailability of others’ perception of you and why that information might be relevant to building self-confidence.
Submit 3–5 pages, excluding title page and reference page:
What implications does the pressure of presenting an ideal self on social media have in terms of how people use introspection, self-observation, and other people’s reactions to know themselves?
If relying on social media for social connection fails to provide useful information for developing an authentic self, then how confident might a person be when meeting new people face-to-face?
What information about how others perceive you might you need but do not get when relying on social media for social connection?
Your arguments and conclusions must be supported by social psychology theory and research.
In addition to the Learning Resources, search the Walden Library and/or Internet for peer-reviewed articles to support your Assignment. Use proper APA format and citations, including those in the Learning Resources.
The Self-Knowledge Process Essay
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Social media platforms are widely used for sharing, co-creating, discussing, and modifying user-generated content. Social comparison and self-presentation on social media sites is an area that warrants research to understand how other people's reactions to them in online and offline interactions influence their behavior and self-concept. Social media, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, are widely used platforms for social connection and self-knowledge creation. There is increased pressure to present the best version of oneself via social media platforms to seek approval and meet social expectations online. Other people's reactions to our online content constitute a significant source of self-knowledge, idealized presentation, as well as social feedback based on supposedly admirable attributes. This paper examines the implications of the need to present the best version of the self on social media on self-observation, introspection, and other individuals' self-awareness reactions. In addition, it includes the impact of failing to gain crucial information for self-concept development on one's confidence levels. Moreover, the paper considers information I have unsuccessfully wanted to obtain from others on social media platforms.
Presenting the Ideal Version of Self on Social Media and Implications
The pressure to present the ideal self on social media platforms affects how people use introspection as well as self-observation. Traditionally, introspection is defined as a privileged approach to developing beliefs concerning one's observable psychological states as well as the perspective that it is different from non-introspective belief system process dynamics both epistemically and psychologically (Caporusico, 2021). Self-observation is a kind of introspection that enables people to address a mental phenomenon that is not easy to observe based on traditional third-person observation techniques. Introspection can be conceived as a kind of self-observation where the individual reports their subjective thought processes and feelings. The need to present an ideal self via social media affects an individual's self-observation and introspection by driving them to consciously compare themselves with other users, particularly in unhealthy ways. According to social cognitive theory, observing others' experiences influences self-observation and introspection, leading to social media use expectations. Individuals' mental processes are likely to drive them to follow others' behavior, thus the tendency to compare themselves with and impress other social media users (Kocabiyik, 2021). This creates expectations where an individual feels the need to organize and demonstrate a specific behavior in order to deal with online life discontent.
The pressure to present the best self on social media impacts other people's reactions to knowing themselves via self-esteem development and social influence. Other people can base their self-concept on other social media users' impressions. Some users are likely to hide or masquerade their authentic selves for various reasons, including privacy concerns, which could authenticate other social media users' development of self-concept and exemplary social media conduct. Individuals with low self-esteem are inclined to emulate other users' self-presentation on social media, thus presenting a false image of self. In addition, social influences regarding moral and group norms can influence other people's reactions in their offline and online self-awareness journeys (Wright et al., 2018). For example, moral obligations to demonstrate a specific behavior or behave congruently to social groups' perceived norms can predict others' online behavior and the development of self-concept (Wright et al., 2018). Therefore, presenting a fake or real self can influence other people's self-esteem and the need to conform to social norms, thus impacting their understanding of self.
Development of Authentic Self and Confidence Offline
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