{"id":155,"date":"2019-05-05T17:20:02","date_gmt":"2019-05-05T09:20:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/?p=155"},"modified":"2019-05-05T17:20:02","modified_gmt":"2019-05-05T09:20:02","slug":"facebooks-radical-effect-on-peoples-self-esteem-and-online-relationship-connections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/2019\/05\/05\/facebooks-radical-effect-on-peoples-self-esteem-and-online-relationship-connections\/","title":{"rendered":"Facebook\u2019s Radical Effect on People\u2019s Self-Esteem and Online Relationship Connections"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ABSTRACT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This paper discusses\nthe way the younger generation of people, specifically between the ages of 15\nand 25, spend a large amount of time on communication websites like Facebook,\nare more likely to have lower levels of self-esteem yet are more likely to have\nhigher levels of companionship formed from online relationships between family\nand friends. This idea relates to the social media aspect of the conference\nthrough providing needed information about the topic to warn people about\nsocial media pressures and dangers, as well as the benefits and simplicity of\nemail and message forums. Journal articles have provided finding from research\nstudies conducted on groups of university students to form conclusions. It was\nconcluded that my thesis was a true statement as it was backed up by studies\nand statistics found within the journal articles and research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keywords:\nSelf-esteem, relationships, narcissism, identity, social media, Facebook, young\npeople<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

People between the ages\nof 15 and 25 who spend a large amount of time on Facebook and Instagram tend to\nhave lower levels of self-esteem, yet higher levels of companionship from online\nrelationships. Ideas such as self-gratification, narcissism, and body\ndysmorphia are covered within this essay to further understand the scope of\nonline influences, and the way in which people present their online identity. Journal\narticles and examples of company campaigns are to be included within this\nconference paper to add facts and evidence to the ideas and themes of social\nnetworks and online identities that are presented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The low self-esteem aspect of my\nthesis is increasing in relevancy nowadays as it is seen through social media\nprofiles. People, mainly young women, compare themselves to the likes of\nsupermodels such as Kendall Jenner or Adriana Lima in order to better\nthemselves and increase self-esteem. This pushes them to try to copy their\nlooks, eating habits, workouts, etc. believing their daily lives are insufficient (Jones, 2017). Young people feel\nthe need to be accepted into this society filled with \u201cbeautiful\u201d people and\nwill do whatever is required to be part of it. Media campaigns have been\ncreated to break down these negative associations, such as the Dove \u2018Campaign\nfor Real Beauty\u2019 which featured women of all ages and ethnicities, to encourage\nself-love and acceptance (Jones, 2017). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The companionship part\nto my thesis I also believe to be true from personal experience with social\nmedia websites and apps such as Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram. Friends on\nFacebook do not equate to real people who people interact with, yet people seem\nto have more online \u201cfriends\u201d on social media than they do in real-life. It creates\nlinks between people to form bonds and start conversations. Social media and\ndating websites give people the opportunity to expose themselves to the dating\nworld and create connections with people of interest. Social media gives people\nnew ways to connect and stay connected with friends and family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The online persona\npeople show may be different to what they are like in real life. The way in\nwhich a person presents themselves on a social media platform may be completely\ndifferent to how their friends and family see them. People try to make\nthemselves \u201cbetter\u201d online than what they may be in real life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within the identity stream and\nregarding self-presentation, the journal \u2018All\nthe World Wide Web’s a stage: The Performance of Identity in Online Social Networks<\/em>\u2019 (Pearson, 2009), discussed self-presentation and the way that\nsocial media outlets give people options to create and change aspects of\nthemselves in an online sense, without relating too much to the real world to\navoid privacy risks (Pearson, 2009). The metaphor of a\n\u201cglass bedroom\u201d is presented within the journal. Inside the glass walls,\nprivate and intimate conversations between people occur, yet the bedroom is not\nitself completely private as it\u2019s made of glass. This presents the idea that\nsocial communication on online outlets are not completely transparent; \u201cusers\noutside the bedroom may engage or not; they may move on, or they may find\nthemselves invited into the bedroom to continue a given conversation\u201d (Pearson, 2009). Not everything posted online is true, the\ndifference between what a young person makes themselves to be on social media, compared\nto what they are in reality is sometimes huge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ARTICLES\/DISCUSSION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Self-esteem is a big\nissue among young people all throughout their primary school and high school\nyears. Teachers and adults are always telling the kids to do things that will\nboost their self-esteem or give them activities that will do so. Yet with the\nintroduction of iPhones and laptops, these kids were exposed to social media at\nan early age. Therefore, their self-esteem has been damaged from an early age\nthat then lead into their teenage years. Now by saying it has been damaged does\nnot mean it has been \u2018completely\u2019 diminished, my thesis suggests the idea of\nsocial media decreasing self-esteem even in slight cases. Studies have shown\nthat Instagram alone has approximately 9 million active users who use the app\nmonthly, which equates to around 1 in 3 people in Australia (Cowling, 2019). This can mean that\nthere are 9 million people exposed to social media pressures, decreasing their\nlevels of self-esteem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If people have self-esteem\nissues, they would likely stay on social media for self-gratification and\noffers of acceptance into society. This is where young people will make online\nfriends and form relationships through websites and apps. This also starts from\na young age as children around 10 years old are introduced to games like\nFortnite or Call of Duty, games where they can speak to one another through\nheadsets, without actually meeting in real-life. Facebook has the greatest number\nof users per month with an impressive 15 million active users, which equates to\nevery 1 in 2 people use the website daily, while Snapchat attracts nearly 6.5\nmillion monthly users (Cowling, 2019). Facebook\u2019s\ndemographic consists of 940,000 users between the ages of 13 and 17, and\n3,500,000 users between the ages of 18 and 25 (Cowling, 2019). The statistics can\ngive the idea that if there are millions of users active each day, this means\nthat there may be millions of new or existing relationships connecting through\nthat single website. With other social media platforms like Snapchat being used\nas a communication hub, the amount of conversations and connections happening\nin this moment would be incredible. An example of a brand actively fighting\nself-esteem issues is Activia, who launched their \u2018It Starts Inside\u2019 campaign\nto make women realise their self-worth and defeat their \u2018inner critic\u2019 (Macarelli, 2017). As technology and\nsocial media continues to grow within today\u2019s society, people are more\nsusceptible to self-esteem issues caused from peer comparison and negative body\nimage views, yet the internet has created a way for people to connect and\nreconnect through online communication, despite low self-image ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People hold\nrelationships longer via online communication because it is quick and easy and\nhas now become a norm for society to talk this way. The study conducted in the\njournal article \u201cRelational Quality and\nMedia Use in Interpersonal Relationships<\/em>\u201d written by Baym, et al., (Baym, Zhang, Kunkel,\n Ledbetter, & Lin, 2007), examines the\nrelationship between relational quality and the level of social media use within\nthose relationships. This journal article supports my thesis through the\ncommunication aspect. According to Baym, the level of communication within\ninterpersonal relationships has increased through technological means such as\nthe iPhones and the internet (Baym, Zhang, Kunkel, Ledbetter,\n & Lin, 2007).\nThere have been studies conducted which concluded that internet usage is\nlargely associated with higher levels of communications between relationships,\nwith these relationships being of a high quality (Baym, Zhang,\n Kunkel, Ledbetter, & Lin, 2007).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A study from the Pew\nResearch Centre (Pew Research Center, n.d.) produced data from\nthe \u201cPew Internet and American Life Survey\u201d which showed that women have\nincreased likeliness to reach out to their friends and\/or family each day\nthrough texts, emails, etc. when compared to men. Women were also more likely\nto pre-write emails like drafts, as well as have the ability to communicate a\nlarge and important subject matter via emails, also when compared to men. This\nmay be due to the way women put themselves into a position where they find it\nto be their job to message and keep in contact with friends and family, long or\nshort distance, as they tend to have a stronger sense of connection whilst\nwriting emails and messages (Baym, Zhang, Kunkel, Ledbetter,\n & Lin, 2007).\nAlthough the \u2018women\u2019 included in that research means adult women, it still\nsuggests a correlation of how females in general are more interested in\ncommunication and prefer to take control, probably being influenced from their\nchildhood of social media and online exposure, and will likely grow up to be\nlike the women described within the research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast, Baym has said\nthat studies have shown that over the phone conversations are rated higher than\nemail and texts when trying to maintain relationships and communication (Baym, Zhang,\n Kunkel, Ledbetter, & Lin, 2007). The level of\ncloseness within those relationships was higher in over the phone conversations\nwhen compared to emails and texts as well (Baym, Zhang, Kunkel, Ledbetter,\n & Lin, 2007).\nThis is because a person is more likely to ask for favours and\/or advice\nthrough a phone conversation, rather than online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boase presents\nthe idea that relationships formed from an online platform are made up of two\nelements; behaviour and cognition. The behaviour element discusses the social\ninteraction through online mediums such as social media like Facebook and\nInstagram. The cognitive element discusses the emotional side to that which is\nmade up through feeling of closeness and having friendships, as well as the\noverall knowledge that the friendship exists (Boase, 2008). Boase discusses\nthat the elements are not related to the actual content of the communication,\nbut rather the fact that the communication exists (Boase, 2008). \u201cThe more that\ncommunication technology is used to maintain the active connection that is\nvital to the existence of social ties, the greater its social significance\u201d (Boase, 2008).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Studies have shown that media exposure, whether that\nbe social media, television, etc., can create issues like body dissatisfaction\nwhich could lead to eating disorders or body dysmorphia (Perloff, 2014). The journal article written by Richard Perloff \u201cSocial Media Effects on Young Women’s Body Image\nConcerns: Theoretical Perspectives and an Agenda for Research<\/em>\u201d (Perloff, 2014) discusses the issues\nwith women\u2019s lack of self-esteem caused by social media use. This article also\nsupports my thesis statement regarding low self-esteem issues and negative\nthoughts about one\u2019s self due to social media pressures. Issues can be caused\nby the mass exposure to thin and attractive people which increases people\u2019s own\ndissatisfaction with their bodies and their appearance, mainly women. Social\nnorms and social pressures encourage young people to conform to society which\nmeans making them as \u201cperfect\u201d and \u201cnormal\u201d as they can, which creates\nself-esteem issues as there becomes a lack of self-worth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perloff discusses the\nidea of self-objectification in females, defined as the \u201cprocess by which girls and women come to view their bodies as objects\nto be looked at, much as an observer would<\/em>\u201d (Perloff,\n 2014).\nThis constant point of view where women think everyone is judging them for not\nbeing perfect leads to body and emotional issues as previously mentioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The women who have\nthese issues caused by social media, are more likely to seek social\ngratification, validation and\/or reassurance (Perloff, 2014). This form of social\ncomparison is a problem as people feel the need to conform to society which\nmeans they must change their appearance and\/or personality in order to be\npopular or even just to be accepted by their peers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some studies have shown\nthat young adults and teenagers who use social media platforms exercise\nincreased levels of negative behaviours towards friends and family (Twenge, 2013). One study looked at\na group of teenagers between the age of 12-18 years old, and found that social\nmedia users \u201cwere more likely to engage\nin antisocial and delinquent behaviour and less likely to help others<\/em>\u201d (Twenge, 2013). By saying this\nabout their behaviour, levels of narcissism in their personality are increased.\nResearch suggests that using social media platforms to update statuses and\npersonal profiles increases self-love and positive views of self-image (Twenge, 2013). The journal \u201cDoes Online Social Media Lead to Social\nConnection or Social Disconnection?<\/em>\u201d written by Jean Twenge (Twenge, 2013), opposes my thesis\nstatement as it discusses the way in which social media increases self-image\nand views of self-worth including self-esteem, but decreases relationship\nlevels including friendship and family ties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People tend to look to\nsocial media for ways of creating a better image of themselves. They compare\nthemselves to others who they think highly of, this may be what gives people\nthe concept of self-image, through viewing the world surrounding them (Ert\u00fcrk, 2016). The journal \u201cAnalysis of the Relationship Between\nSelf-Esteem and Levels of Narcissism Through Selfies of Instagram Users<\/em>\u201d\nwritten by Y\u0131ld\u0131z Dilek Erturk (Ert\u00fcrk, 2016) also opposes my\nthesis statement as they discuss the way people thrive off of social approval\nand likeability which increases self-esteem. Each person creates their own\npersonal version of reality, in which they create the best version of\nthemselves possible to boost self-esteem (Ert\u00fcrk, 2016). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CONCLUSION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To conclude on my\nthesis statement of young people who spend a substantial amount of time on\nsocial media tend to have decreased levels of self-esteem, yet increased levels\nof companionship from online relationships between friends and family, it has\nbeen supported by journal articles within the social media and identity\nstreams, as well as research studies conducted on young adults.  The statistics used from Social Media\nNews.com.au (Cowling, 2019) have shown an\ninsight into the amount of users who spend time on social media platforms like\nFacebook and Snapchat, creating relationships through communication, but also\nexposing themselves to online comparison and judgement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smart technology is on the rise, along with its pros and cons. People, especially young adults and teenagers should understand the information presented in this paper and be careful to not fall into the trap that is social media, as the dangers can be incredible. More future studies must be conducted to understand the full extent of the damages caused by social media influences, but also how it is used to connect people from all over the world with one mouse click.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(n.d.). Retrieved from Pew Research Center: https:\/\/www.pewinternet.org\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baym, N. K., Zhang, Y. B., Kunkel, A., Ledbetter,\n A., & Lin, M. (2007). Relational Quality and Media Use in Interpersonal\n Relationships. New Media & Society, 9<\/em>(5), 735-752.\n doi:10.1177\/1461444807080339<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boase, J. (2008). Personal Networks and the Personal\n Communication System. Information, Communication & Society, 11<\/em>(4).\n doi:10.1080\/13691180801999001<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cowling, D. (2019, February 1). Social Media\n Statistics Australia \u2013 January 2019<\/em>. Retrieved from Social Media News:\n https:\/\/www.socialmedianews.com.au\/social-media-statistics-australia-january-2019\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ert\u00fcrk, Y. D. (2016). Analysis of the Relationship\n Between Self-Esteem and Levels of Narcissism Through Selfies of Instagram\n Users. AJIT-e, 7<\/em>(24), 29-50. doi:10.5824\/1309?1581.2016.3.002.x<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jones, B. (2017). Model Diversity in Fashion\n Advertising: The Influence of Self-Model Congruity on Body Appreciation. University\n of Minnesota<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Macarelli, R. (2017). Activia Launches ‘It Starts\n Inside’ Campaign<\/em>. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.winsightgrocerybusiness.com\/products\/personalized-pet-food-tops-growing-category-trends<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pearson, E. (2009). All the World Wide Web’s a\n stage: The Performance of Identity in Online Social Networks. First\n Monday, 14<\/em>(3). doi:10.5210\/fm.v14i3.2162<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perloff, R. M. (2014). Social Media Effects on Young\n Women’s Body Image Concerns: Theoretical Perspectives and an Agenda for\n Research. Sex Roles, 71<\/em>(11-12), 363-377. doi:10.1007\/s11199-014-0384-6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twenge, J. M. (2013). Does Online Social Media Lead\n to Social Connection or Social Disconnection? Journal of College &\n Character, 14<\/em>(1), 11-20. doi:10.1515\/jcc-2013-0003<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the way the younger generation of people, specifically between the ages of 15 and 25, spend a large amount of time on communication websites like Facebook, are more likely to have lower levels of self-esteem yet are more likely to have higher levels of companionship formed from online relationships between family… Continue reading Facebook\u2019s Radical Effect on People\u2019s Self-Esteem and Online Relationship Connections<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-identity"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":157,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155\/revisions\/157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}