Effects of Social Media on Adolescents

Effects of Social Media on Adolescents
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Effects of Social Media on Adolescents
Introduction
Today, close to 4 billion people are reported to be social media users (Tankovska, 2021). However, social media is said to set standards that continuously impact how people view themselves (Aparicio-Martinez et al., 2019). Aparicio-Martinez and colleagues note that, for the most part, women are greatly affected and seemingly dissatisfied with their bodies, which then leads to issues such as disordered eating. Social media continues to propagate the ideals of proper or perfect body images to both genders, and this often pushes people to consider extreme measures as they seek to attain the set unrealistic standards (Aparicio-Martinez et al., 2019). Adolescents are a vulnerable lot, mainly because of the exposure to appearance-related content that is widely circulated on numerous social media platforms (Yang et al., 2020). Yang et al. (2020) continue to indicate that such exposure often leads to appearance comparison that induces the adoption of extreme measures and negatively impacts the adolescents’ self-esteem and confidence. Social media is known to set body image trends and also fashion trends, and these, directly and indirectly, impact the mental state of many adolescents (Henriques and Patnaik, 2020). Henriques and Patnaik (2020) speak of people engaging in life-threatening activities as they try to fit in the beauty narratives being propagated. The adolescents are thus an endangered breed, and hence the need to shed light on their vulnerability as is showcased through the use of social media.
Research question: Why do some adolescents value attractiveness too much to a point where they sacrifice their mental and physical health?
In delving deeper into this research question, this paper will seek to understand how impactful social media has been to adolescents and their perception of their body images. In doing so, the paper will address three issues, namely the influence of technology, sense of belonging, and capital-driven consumerism.
Influence of Technology
Today, more adolescents are using social media platforms. The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (2018) reports that 90% of adolescents between the ages of 13 and 17 use social media platforms. The report further indicates that 51% of adolescents visit social media platforms on a daily basis. However, questions arise here, especially with regards to the impact that this high social media usage has on adolescents all over the world. With social media platforms known to set trends that are universally acquired by users all over the world, with their high social media usage, adolescents are under a lot of pressure to match these trends and standards (Henriques and Patnaik, 2020). However, the inability to match these trends comes at the cost of one’s self-esteem, as indicated by Yang, Wang, Tng, & Yang (2020). These sentiments are echoed by Tiggemann and Anderberg (2020), who indicate that when exposed to these idealized and idolized standards, many women tend to develop a negative perception of their body image. For adolescents who are in their prime years of development, these effects could be catastrophic and could lead to the adoption of measures that are detrimental to their health (Aparicio-Martinez et al., 2019). Aparicio-Martinez et al. (2019) delve deeper into the development of eating disorders that stem from the thin-ideal perception. With such mindsets consistently hammered into the minds of young boys and girls, self-esteem issues are bound to materialize (Yang et al., 2020).
Sense of Belonging
The importance of having a deep sense of belonging, especially among teenagers, is well documented. McElhaney, Antonishak, and Allen (2008) note that adolescents who happen to feel a sense of belonging fare well in school. On the other hand, the researchers indicate that their school days tend to be problematic for students who see themselves as outcasts. For adolescents, peer relationships happen to take center stage, and these take more time compared to other relationships (McElhaney, Antonishak, and Allen, 2008). In these peer relationships, peer pressure is at an all-time high, and these happen to have both positive and negative influences in the lives of adolescents (Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2017). However, for the majority of adolescents, fitting in happens to take priority over the consequences of them identifying with a particular group. Walinga and Stangor (2014) note that the adolescent stage “involves new emotions, the need to develop new relationships, and an increasing sense of responsibility and independence.” These new relationships ...