Media Misleading Influence On College Students

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Media Misleading Influence on College Students
Introduction
Today, the world is celebrating the advancements in technology in the communication sector, which has expanded the communication scope via information and communication technologies (ICTs). Approximately 60% of the world’s population is using the internet in one way or the other (Deane 4). For instance, a substantial number of people visit social media and media blogging sites daily. Contemporary technologies in communication have no doubt transformed the world into a global village where billions of people some miles apart can interact without spending huge amounts of money like in the past (Deane 4). Today, one requires only an internet connection to communicate and interact with people from different parts of the world through different types of media such as social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and SnapChat among others (Dion 6). Also, it is possible to communicate using other channels such as emails and official websites. Through interaction in such media, individuals and organizations are exploiting modern communication technologies to operate their business, including activities such as promotion, sales and seeking feedback from their customers. Further, students have created academic groups in various social media platforms where they exchange ideas about various topics (Dion 6). Therefore, new media technology, particularly social media have provided a means for people to interact cheaply and more effectively.
However, the new communication technologies just like any other technology have two sides, positive and negative. For instance, social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have impacted college education negatively (Deane 8). Academic performance in most countries is measured through examination results, meaning that students must be well prepared before they sit for any examination. Preparation for exams is done through lectures as well as individual research meaning that students must allocate more time to their studies than other things. Also, college students must be physically and mentally fit to perform well in their academics (Deane 8). Social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have been proven to affect the mental health of users.
Today, almost all students possess at least one social network account and the students who spend much of their time in social media are bound to perform poorly in their academics. It has been proven that students carry their phones to lecture rooms and some are always busy involved in the sites while the instructor is teaching. Instagram has been ranked as the most detrimental social media sites as far as the adverse effect on the mental health of users is concerned. The platform has been found to impact the mental wellbeing of students by causing depression, anxiety, sleeplessness, fear of missing out, bullying and loneliness (Lewallen, 110). Also, Instagram was found to be one of the most visited sites, particularly, in developed countries consuming much of students’ time such that they do not study effectively. Therefore, Instagram just like many other social networking sites has a misleading influence on college students (Mierzwa and Hubert 103). However, the adverse effects of Instagram are different from those of other sites. The current study aims at uncovering some of Instagram issues related to college students.
Literature Review
A study by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) in the United Kingdom indicate that Instagram has more than 700 million users all over the world and it has been found to possess a greatest negative impact on users (Chowdhry). The report by RSPH combined previously published studies on the health effects of social media with its qualitative study that involved 1,500 participants aged between 14 and 24 years. The study aimed at discovering the perception of participants on how different social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and SnapChat affect their overall health (Chowdhry). The findings of the study indicated that only YouTube had an overall positive impact among the participants Twitter was second, followed by Facebook, then SnapChat and lastly Instagram. Instagram in particular, was rated first as having a negative impact on anxiety and body image.
A study conducted by Lup Leora and Lisa (248) on the link between Instagram and various mental disorders such as depression and negative social comparison found that Instagram users were most likely to exhibit depressive symptoms than the users of other social media platforms. The study involved 117 respondents aged between 18 and 29 years who filled questionnaires online (Lup et al. 249). The questionnaire contained frequency and demographics of Instagram use, the number of strangers followed, a scale for depression from the Center for Epidemiological Resources and the social comparison rating scale. The findings of the study indicated that there is a positive relationship between Instagram use and depression. Further, they suggested that the positive social comparison could lead to an exhibition of depression symptoms (Lup et al. 251). Also, the study found that following strangers, including models and celebrities, may result in individuals having lower self-esteem and life dissatisfaction as a result of seeing photos of models and celebrities post daily about their lavish lifestyles, pretty faces, and perfect bodies.
In another research by Dion (3), the body self-image and life satisfaction of female were found to be severely affected by the use of Instagram. The cause for this was found to be frequent exposure of females to other female models and celebrities by following them on Instagram (Dion 5). Such models and celebrities act as social comparison groups whereby their pictures of beauty and lavish lifestyles are used as a basis for comparison. Such comparisons have been proven to influence the life of female users negatively because they feel lacking something.
Kuppuswamy and Shankar (73) confirm that social media platforms grasp the attention of the students to divert it to other inappropriate and non-educational activities such as chatting. They indicate that, while social media is regarded as a crucial resource for education, the student uses social media largely for activities such as fun, passing the time and chatting with existing or making new friends (Kuppuswamy and Shankar 73). Students have largely blamed the social media for their lower grades as a result of the amount of time spent on such sites.
Objectification Theory
The Objectification Theory was developed by Tomi-Ann Roberts and Barbara Fredrickson in 1997 whereby these two scholars lamented that society treats women as objects to satisfy men sexual desires (Fredrickson and Tomi-Ann 175). Also, there are some instances when men are sexually objectified, but such cases are rare in any culture around the world. The idea of sexual objectification and, especially, the objectification of females is a crucial concept in psychological and feminist theories derived from feminism. Almost all feminists see sexual objectification as the main contributor to gender inequality witnessed in the modern society (Rollero and Norma 1055). A considerable number of psychologists link objectification to various physical and mental factors in women. The Objectification Theory offers an essential framework for understanding current behavior of individuals on social media. The theory suggests that women are sexually objectified and are viewed as objects to be valued for their use by others. Women sexual objectification occurs when the female body or body parts are separated or singled out from her as a person and seen chiefly as a physical object to satisfy man sexual desires (Fredrickson and Tomi...