Social media, cyber-bullies and the cruel impact of toxic body images
From trolls who don’t care, to ‘compare and despair’, there is mounting evidence that social media could be having a toxic effect on those who use it – and particularly on impressionable young people.
Recent studies show that 92% of the teenage population use some sort of social media, with this taking up one third of their day. While the many social media platforms available to us are a great way to connect with others and express creativity, opinions and innovation, it is also unfortunately corrupting our society.
The Internet and mobile phones are our biggest systems of communication, playing a crucial role in our daily lives and our own development of identities. There is a plethora of positive impacts of social media, with these becoming more prevalent as it becomes increasingly wide spread; it is a way of staying connected in a day and age where the nature of our lives would otherwise make it impossible. For those who find it difficult to interact in person, social media creates an opportunity for that without making them feel anxious or nervous. It can grant people the opportunity to connect with new people, often comforting those who may feel alone. Platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, as well as web forums, create an area for sharing experiences and receiving support.
Nevertheless, social media also enables some individuals the opportunity to use platforms as a tool to abuse others while remaining hidden. Annually, 3.2 billion people fall victim to bullying, with cyber bullying becoming a worryingly more common problem. Bullies shield their identity behind screens, gaining the power to say things they wouldn’t in a face to face conversation. Meanwhile, some messages and online posts can be read in multiple ways which can cause miscommunication and lead to unnecessary conflict.
Another major emerging issue with social media is the surreal image of the 'perfect body'. An increasing number of photos are edited and retouched, becoming distorted from their real original form. The impact of this is fuelling the insecurities of others, thus forcing them to questions themselves and feel insecure in their own bodies. This can create low self-esteem and anxiety, especially in young people. Users don’t choose to show their whole lives on social media; they show only the best parts and conceal the struggles and ordinary aspects of their lives. Furthermore, this acts as a curtain to the raw struggles we all go through. According to mental health consultants, social media has become an anxiety provoking factor due to something called compare and despair. Feelings of self-consciousness or a need for perfectionism can arise, which can lead to worse mental health issues. Social media has become addictive and especially in teens. Everyday life consists and revolves around it. People fail to see it’s a virtual world, and the more they consume in it, the more they are losing their real-life connections. Getting ‘likes’ comes with a sense of accomplishment or community acceptance. However, whilst this can give the feedback we so crave, it can serve as a catalyst for more insecurities.
The big question is that of what can be done to stop this. When it comes to cyber bullying, responsibility lies with the social networking sites themselves and it is crucial that more restrictions and monitoring is put in place to make sites safer and more welcoming. However, education is also vital. It is essential that people remember that what they post to social media will remain forever as well as that they should be careful with their choice of words. Additionally, it is important people are educated on the fact that a lot of the images they see are not real and simply edited to meet society's expectations of the 'perfect body'.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a fix for all of social media’s issues; it will continuously be used and this fact is inevitable. Nonetheless, we as a society can help raise awareness for what truly goes on and help lower the amount of cyber bullying and misleading corrupted images appearing on social media.
Iesha Lee, Year 12
From trolls who don’t care, to ‘compare and despair’, there is mounting evidence that social media could be having a toxic effect on those who use it – and particularly on impressionable young people.
Recent studies show that 92% of the teenage population use some sort of social media, with this taking up one third of their day. While the many social media platforms available to us are a great way to connect with others and express creativity, opinions and innovation, it is also unfortunately corrupting our society.
The Internet and mobile phones are our biggest systems of communication, playing a crucial role in our daily lives and our own development of identities. There is a plethora of positive impacts of social media, with these becoming more prevalent as it becomes increasingly wide spread; it is a way of staying connected in a day and age where the nature of our lives would otherwise make it impossible. For those who find it difficult to interact in person, social media creates an opportunity for that without making them feel anxious or nervous. It can grant people the opportunity to connect with new people, often comforting those who may feel alone. Platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, as well as web forums, create an area for sharing experiences and receiving support.
Nevertheless, social media also enables some individuals the opportunity to use platforms as a tool to abuse others while remaining hidden. Annually, 3.2 billion people fall victim to bullying, with cyber bullying becoming a worryingly more common problem. Bullies shield their identity behind screens, gaining the power to say things they wouldn’t in a face to face conversation. Meanwhile, some messages and online posts can be read in multiple ways which can cause miscommunication and lead to unnecessary conflict.
Another major emerging issue with social media is the surreal image of the 'perfect body'. An increasing number of photos are edited and retouched, becoming distorted from their real original form. The impact of this is fuelling the insecurities of others, thus forcing them to questions themselves and feel insecure in their own bodies. This can create low self-esteem and anxiety, especially in young people. Users don’t choose to show their whole lives on social media; they show only the best parts and conceal the struggles and ordinary aspects of their lives. Furthermore, this acts as a curtain to the raw struggles we all go through. According to mental health consultants, social media has become an anxiety provoking factor due to something called compare and despair. Feelings of self-consciousness or a need for perfectionism can arise, which can lead to worse mental health issues. Social media has become addictive and especially in teens. Everyday life consists and revolves around it. People fail to see it’s a virtual world, and the more they consume in it, the more they are losing their real-life connections. Getting ‘likes’ comes with a sense of accomplishment or community acceptance. However, whilst this can give the feedback we so crave, it can serve as a catalyst for more insecurities.
The big question is that of what can be done to stop this. When it comes to cyber bullying, responsibility lies with the social networking sites themselves and it is crucial that more restrictions and monitoring is put in place to make sites safer and more welcoming. However, education is also vital. It is essential that people remember that what they post to social media will remain forever as well as that they should be careful with their choice of words. Additionally, it is important people are educated on the fact that a lot of the images they see are not real and simply edited to meet society's expectations of the 'perfect body'.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a fix for all of social media’s issues; it will continuously be used and this fact is inevitable. Nonetheless, we as a society can help raise awareness for what truly goes on and help lower the amount of cyber bullying and misleading corrupted images appearing on social media.
Iesha Lee, Year 12
