Impact of Social Media on Self-Esteem

Self-esteem can be defined as the estimation of an individual’s subjective evaluation which he or she places on himself or herself. According to experts, self-esteem can also be defined as what an individual thinks about himself or herself. It can also be considered as the positive or negative evaluation which an individual makes about himself or herself. Self-esteem is an important psychological construct and there have also been many studies on this topic. There are many experts who believe this psychological construct to sort of have two opposite poles. An individual with negative self-esteem can be placed on one of the poles while an individual with positive self-esteem can be placed on the exact opposite of the first pole. There are also many theories about self-esteem. However, in this article readers won’t just be able to learn about self-esteem. Instead, readers will also be able to learn about the effects of social media on the psychological construct of self-esteem. There will also be a separate section in which readers will learn about the ways through which one can reduce the negative effects of social media on self-esteem.

The Effects of Social Media on Self-Esteem

Social media can easily be defined as a popular platform which is used by people to connect with other individuals or to share various parts about one’s life. There are various ways through which one can share on social media platforms and some of the most common include texts, clips, posts, photos, stories, and many other forms. Social media has risen to immense popularity during the last decade. Because of this, experts from all across the globe have observed many positive and negative effects of social media. In this section, readers will be able to learn about both the positive and negative effects of social media on self-esteem. And those effects are:

1.   The Advertisements

According to the University of Chicago, advertisements have one of the clearest effects on self-esteem. There is no running away from advertisements. Our entire world is filled with advertisements which are created majorly to generate awareness about a brand and persuade viewers to purchase the goods and services of that brand. This might not have a very quick but overtime individuals can be made to think or believe that if one fails to purchase some service or product of a well-known brand then he or she may not be living ‘up to the mark’. This would result in the individual to develop negative self-esteem.

2.   The Display of the Perfect Life

According to studies conducting from all across the globe, it has been found that the longer an individual spends on social media platforms browsing and comparing oneself to other individuals then he or she ends up pushing himself or herself into depression. It is usual for an individual to forget that what one is seeing is not true and has been polished a lot to look a certain way. To clearly understand this point better simply consider how even you might be only posting the best possible part of your life on the social media platforms.

3.   The Extensions of Our Identity and World

There are many negative effects of social media platforms on self-esteem. However, there is also the other side of the coin. And that side reflects that individuals can also find a lot of positive support and validation on social media platforms. Individuals often tend to forget the difference between the virtual world and the real world. Hence, even if an individual is getting praises online or is getting support from other individuals online then that provides one with a sense of validation. This helps an individual develop positive self-esteem. It is also important to remember that everything is only good to a certain extent. And an individual should never solely depend on the validation which one might receive from other individuals in the virtual world.

4.   The Battle for Likes and Attention

Just like the real world, the virtual world is also filled with both good and bad aspects of life. And one bad aspect is the battle for attention and like which one tends to immerse him or herself in the virtual world. A common example of this could be the fights which start in the virtual world to gather more responses, attention, engagement, likes or dislikes. While the fight is faked or real is not the point here but it is important to consider that such fights can impact other individuals in the real world. This can further result in the individual acting more aggressively than usual. This can also become a pattern in the long run. When such individuals are not validated in the real world then one can suffer from low self-esteem

5.   The False Sense of Belongingness and Connection

According to a study, a large number of individuals spend a longer duration of time using social media platforms to feel a sense of connection or belongingness to the world. This is specifically true for teenagers who are often dealing with various issues related to one’s identity during that particular time. This leads an individual to develop a false sense of connection or belongingness. There can also be situations when an individual might not be able to experience that sense of belongingness or connection from the virtual world. And when such an individual goes out in the real world to experience those same feeling then he or she sadly fails as no amount of time was actually spent on improving the relationships which exist in the real world. This leads an individual to develop low self-esteem.

These are the major impacts of social media platforms on the self-esteem of an individual.

The Vital Steps to Take

It has been established now that social media platforms have many negative effects on the self-esteem of an individual. Hence, it is important for individuals to practice different strategies to deal with those negative effects. And some of those strategies which individuals can adapt to deal with the negative consequences of social platforms are:

·       Pursue Hobbies

It is important for an individual to continue pursuing hobbies in the real world. This will ensure that an individual is able to spend time away from social media platforms and is able to develop a sense of differentiation between the real world and the virtual world.

·       Take Time out for the Real World Relationships

For any relationship to prosper one must spend a lot of efforts on that relationship. And this is also true for the relationships which exist in the real world. It is important to take time out for friends and family members who are present in the real world.

·       Allot a Time Slot for Social Media

An individual should pick up a slot during which one is allowed to spend time on social media platforms.

The Conclusion:

Self-esteem can be defined as the importance or self of worth which an individual places on himself or herself. There are many ways in social media platforms can have an impact on the self-esteem of an individual. And some of those ways include the portrayal of the perfect world, not being able to differentiate from the real world and the virtual world, and many other points. However, there are some strategies which individual can practice to distance oneself from social media platforms and spend more time with individuals present in the real world setting.