Social Media and Body Image
The wellbeing of an individual is drawn from several life aspects. Body image, for example, is essential in the determination of the comfort that an individual develops after accepting the shape of their body. The acceptance of an individual’s body image plays a crucial role in their mental well being as well as social interaction. One of the most aspects of life that create an impact on the degree of accepting one’s body image is social media. The development of technology came with social media that allows people to interact with a variety of people. The impact of social media has, however, received different perspectives from different people, causing a debate that has existed for several years. One side of the debate argues that social media is responsible for most cases of low esteem that happens when individuals find their friends to be more attractive. However, the other side of the debate holds the positive side of the argument by claiming that social media offers a platform where people find the need to be comfortable with their body images. The association between social media and body image is founded on the interaction that happens on social media and the impact on self-esteem when an individual meets with people with different body images.
Body image has become a common term in the present world and general media. The perception that an individual holds concerning the shape of their body defines the crucial part of body image. Generally, body image does not entail the external opinions concerning an individual’s body. Body image also involves the feelings and reactions that an individual has towards their body and the degree of acceptance of one’s body (Holland, Grace, and Tiggemann, 105). Body image generally leads to a set of feelings and reactions that are can be detrimental, positive, or both depending on the extent to which an individual believes that their shape is attractive or disgusting. The reaction given by an individual concerning their body image is determined b the environment surrounding them. Social media is one of the environmental aspects that affect the reactions shown by an individual concerning their body image. The response to body image due to social media activities has, however, remained to be a cause for concern for several individuals. Moreover, the impact of social media on the level of self-esteem of an individual has contributed to a series of adverse reactions towards body image.
Self-esteem is a crucial aspect of the degree of acceptance that an individual can manage towards their body image. Low self-esteem will lead to adverse reactions towards body image and factors that lower self-esteem should be assessed. One of the common factors leading to low self-esteem is the interaction with people at higher levels compared to an individual’s level. Social media is littered with attractive pictures of people and subjects individuals to unnecessary pressure and impacts self-esteem. According to Clark (67), Rachele Schulist, who is a Michigan State runner, believes that “In our society, body image is such a hard thing due to social media because you can see a picture and just compare.” While many will disagree, there is research to be shown, such as suicide rates and claims of eating disorders all around the United States due to social media. The cases of suicide rates can be associated with body image in that individuals expose themselves to extreme pressure in an attempt to acquire a body image that they think appeals to a larger population. Therefore, body image is created b an individual’s perception and not what others see. Moreover, body image is more of a physical appearance, and social media significantly impacts the emotions and thoughts of an individual.
The association between body image and social media has remained a contentious issue for a long time. Most people have been interpreting body image as what people may see whenever they look at an individual. However, body image is heavily linked to the social aspect of an individual’s life. Social media, therefore, plays a crucial role in changing the perspective of an individual and creating new perceptions that may change one’s body image (Fardouly, Jasmine and Vartanian, 4). When people compare their appearance to other people, their perception changes, and their body image is affected. The change of body image happens in several ways, and an individual is responsible for the changes that occur during their life concerning body image. Generally, the impact of social media on body image is associated with the change of perception due to the interaction with people with different perceptions and new body images. Moreover, the impact of social media on body image is responsible for mental complications where individuals spent most of their time on social media platforms.
Mental health has been on the spot over a recent increase in the number of mental problem cases. Several researchers have identified social media and body image as leading causes of the increased case of mental problems. Social media presents a platform where people view attractive images of other people and decide to change their images to fit their levels of satisfaction. General, the association, may be seen as a confusion where individuals fail to understand that body image is all about perception and not physical appearance. According to Eaton (344), “Snap, Selfies, and Shares use are linked to mental health risks, including increased levels of anxiety, depression, and body dissatisfaction.” The argument makes sense to the young adults who spend most of their time on social media platforms as well as their parents. The mental problems are associated with the pressure and depression that occurs when individuals exert unnecessary pressure on themselves in a bid to achieve a certain level of body image. Generally, the impact of social media on body image and eventually on mental health has been overlooked despite the great association. Moreover, the nature of social media used by individuals is essential in the attempt to understand the impact of social media on body image.
The impact of social media on body image depends on the nature of the media that an individual is using. Different social media platforms present different impacts when used b different individuals. For example, some social media platforms will specialize in building self-esteem among people, while others will play a crucial role in lowering the self-esteem of people. The study of the association between social media and body image requires a keen consideration of the nature of social media that the subjects are using. According to Choi and Preiler (379), “to fully understand the effect of social media on body image disturbances, it is necessary to specify the nature of social media use.” Besides, parents and young adults who are caught up in the debate have a better idea of the impacts of different types of social media. However, the change of perspectives is different among individuals, and the nature of social media may not play a significant role in most of the cases. For example, some teens will be pressured to achieve certain goals achieved b their peers while others will instead choose to distance themselves from what others have done. Also, some people will decide to develop uniqueness, while others will choose to pursue what others have already done.
In sum, the association between social media and body image is founded on the interaction that happens on social media and the impact on self-esteem when an individual meets with people with different body images. Moreover, the impact of social media on the level of self-esteem of an individual has contributed to a series of negative reactions towards body image. Body image is more of a physical appearance, and social media significantly impacts the emotions and thoughts of an individual. The impact of social media on body image is responsible for mental complications where individuals spent most of their time on social media platforms. Also, the nature of social media used by individuals is essential in the attempt to understand the impact of social media on body image. Generally, some people will decide to develop uniqueness, while others will choose to pursue what others have already done.
Works Cited
Choi, Prierler. Sex roles. “Broading The Scope Of Social Media Effect Research On Body Image Concerns.” (2014) Vol. 71 Issue 11-12, p378-388. 11p.
Clark, Nancy. “Social Media and Body Image: #Fitspiration at Its Worst”. Nutrition the science of nourishment. (2017) Vol. 35 Issue 2, p66-68. 3p.
Eaton, Saunders. “Snap, Selfies, and Shares”. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, And Social Networking.(2018)Vol. 21 Issue 6, p343-354
Fardouly, Jasmine, and Lenny R. Vartanian. “Social media and body image concerns: Current research and future directions.” Current opinion in psychology 9 (2016): 1-5.
Holland, Grace, and Marika Tiggemann. “A systematic review of the impact of the use of social networking sites on body image and disordered eating outcomes.” Body image 17 (2016): 100-110.