How Does Social Media Affect Self Esteem

Does Social Media Affect the Self-esteem in Both Positive and Negative Ways? Social media is very powerful when it comes to one’s influences, views, and self-esteem. It can cheer a person up or bring a person down just by one small post. Nowadays, social media has developed to become more assessable and easier to operate, which has caused it to flourish in this generation. Due to the convenience of social media on the Internet, many people possess some version of a social media account. Social media is a great way to express oneself whenever and wherever one pleases. Although social media provides many useful aspects, there are also negative features in which can lead to life-risking behaviors. The freedom of social media can cause several conflicts, including affecting the self-esteem and self-confidence. Social media has its ups and downs. No matter what age or place, social media …show more content…
“Over 70 percent of girls age 15 to 17 avoid normal daily activities, such as attending school, when they feel bad about their looks” (Image and Self-Esteem). The mass media, including T.V. shows, movies, pictures, where it is all easily accessed, is a big influence on the way female teenagers act and feel. In a work written by Jennifer Pozner, she states that “as executive producer, Tyra Banks claims America’s Next Top Model aims to expand beauty standards…” (Pozner). However, she shames females within a different skin tone and stereotypes them. A female contestant on the show America’s Next Top Model named Gina Choe was referenced; she feels that she is pressured by the media, as well as the show, to choose whether she was “more tied to her ethnicity or her nationality” (Pozner). Not only how America’s Next Top Model is manipulative, they are also setting high standards for ordinary females to look