How Social Media Affects Self-Image - Research Paper Sample

Introduction

Social media has influenced not only women's abilities and personality but also appearance. Social media has also been linked to anxiety, depression, envy, narcissism, and decreased social skills (Aparicio-Martinez et al., 2019). Having a positive self-image is important because how you think about yourself affects how you feel about yourself and how you interact with others. A positive self-image, therefore, does boost not only your social, emotional, physical, and mental wellbeing but also spiritual wellbeing. Exposure to images on social media has been linked to body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness. Some women compare themselves with the images they see on social media and wonder why they don't look like them.

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Research Question

College women are more vulnerable to social media's effects on their self-image compared to the general population (Aparicio-Martinez et al., 2019). The majority of college women are young; therefore, physical appearance matters to them. Social media posts make some college women perceive themselves negatively, thus lowering their self-esteem. Self-esteem and body self-image dissatisfaction are intertwined as low self-esteem leads to increased dissatisfaction. Social media reinforces the social culture beliefs on body image; therefore, women experience the pressure of looking in a certain manner. Different social media users have their diverse beliefs on what physical characteristics a beautiful woman should have. Therefore, the women who do not have the qualities portrayed in social media are dissatisfied and adopt approaches to alter their physical appearance. The social media portrayal of what women should look like is unrealistic as biological factors such as genetics are different. Although social media affects college student's self-image, it can also boost their body image. My research question is: How can college women deal with social media's negative effects on their self-image?

Purpose

The objective of this research is to analyze the approaches that college women can take to ensure that social media does not affect their self-image (Aparicio-Martinez et al., 2019). Young people spend at least 3 hours per day on at least five days on social media. College women can take charge of how they feel about themselves by following body-positive social media accounts. By blocking and unfollowing accounts that post idealistic content, the women will appreciate how they look rather than try to look like someone else (King University Online, 2019). Acceptance and appreciation is the key to a positive self-image. The rise of body positive accounts is a solution to the negative effects of social media on college women's self-image.

The Seriousness of the Problem

Women compare their bodies with their image on social media and wonder why they do not look like what they see. 87 percent of women's social media users compare themselves, which affects self-esteem (King University Online, 2019). To keep with the pressure of looking in a particular way, young women, including those in college, tamper with their looks through plastic surgery and engaging in unhealthy dieting or exercise. Women desire to look like particular women, such as models that have created eating disorders in young women. Companies are also promoting this negative self-image by choosing influencers who look a particular way. To fit in this category, women end up consuming foods that are not rich in vital nutrients, and before they realize they are doing themselves more harm than good. Social media is contributing to depression due to body shaming and failure to achieve an “ideal” body.

Contribution to Current Understanding

The research on college women being vulnerable to social media affecting their self-image has contributed to the understanding of the challenges faced by women when they are under pressure because of their self-image (Aparicio-Martinez et al., 2019). The comparisons brought by social media affects their self-esteem when they compare themselves with other women that seem to have a better self-image. The research informs young girls not to be under pressure to have a similar self-image from the ones they see on social media because social media does not always represent the reality of the people they see posting their picture on their social media. The research has also contributed to the understanding that social media influences how people think where women want to better their lives and improve their self-image to meet the standard they see on social media.

Conclusion

Women should understand that there is nothing like a perfect body since different cultures have different perceptions of how a perfect or beautiful woman should look (Russo, 2011). Social workers can greatly help college women struggling with body image problems. However, currently, there is little research on what approaches social workers can take to deal with women's negative self-image. There has been little participation of social workers in researching how social media affects college women and their role in solving the problem. This research will help better understand how the use of social media impacts college women's self-image. The research will also focus on different approaches that can be used to help college women use social media effectively, ensuring that what they see does not affect how they see themselves.

References

Aparicio-Martinez, P., Perea-Moreno, A. J., Martinez-Jimenez, M. P., Redel-Macías, M. D., Pagliari, C., & Vaquero-Abellan, M. (2019). Social media, thin-ideal, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating attitudes: An exploratory analysis. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(21), 4177.

King University Online. (2019). Link Between Social Media & Body Image | King University Online. King University Online. https://online.king.edu/news/social-media-and-body-image/.

Russo, D. (2011). Raising Healthy Families in a Weight-Obsessed Culture. Socialworktoday.com. https://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/071211p20.shtml.