The average person spends around 3 hours of their day on social media. Whether that time is used scrolling through Instagram or sending Snapchats we are constantly exposing and comparing ourselves to other people online. Social media has made the ideal body image and beauty standards unrealistic. Exposure to this can cause mental health issues such as depression and anxiety and eating disorders in males and females. Social media has had a huge impact on standards for people in today’s world.
From scrolling through appearance-related content, we are being exposed to these unrealistic standards. Standards that are hurting our society every day. We watch people on social media and think they look perfect. This causes us to have negative thoughts about ourselves and destroys our body image. There is a direct relation between social media and negative body image. People who spend more time on social media are much more likely to have a poor body image and low self-esteem.
Having a poor body image can easily lead to depression. This mental disorder can be severe and may lead to symptoms such as sadness, loss of interest, change in sleep behavior, lack of energy, and change in appetite. By comparing yourself to someone you see on social media you may think you need to change yourself to look more like them. This increases the risk for depression and suicidal thoughts. Excessive use of social media also can affect your mood and can cause anxiety and other mental issues. Weight can become a huge factor when having these thoughts. People will believe they are “too big” or “too small” leading to a change in eating habits. This can easily lead to eating disorders such as Anorexia or bulimia. Some people may think skipping out on a few meals will not do much, but it can become a habit and turn into something a lot more serious such as one of these eating disorders.
When you think about the effects social media has on society's body image it is usually negative, but it can also be positive. Social media can be a great tool for boosting someone’s confidence. Getting positive comments and likes on a post can make you feel good about yourself. Social media can allow people to look at themselves in a healthy way. There are communities online that self-encourage people. People are able to use social media platforms to uplift themselves and others around them.
Overall, social media usually has a negative impact on people’s body image. It can cause mental disorders such as depression. By comparing yourself to the unrealistic beauty standards seen online, people may feel worse about themselves. Social media standards can make people, male and female feel as if they are not good enough. Some positive effects of social media are the uplifting people that will encourage people to think better about themselves. Social media and people's body image have a direct relation and can have a huge impact on a person’s body image.
Food For Thought Questions:
Do you feel that social media affects the way you see yourself?
Do you think the positive effects of social media outweigh the negatives?
Do you think people would have better body image if social media did not exist?
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