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Instagram sets unattainable standards for it’s users.

Instagram is a powerful social media application, with its growing popularity since its release in 2010, we have seen it develop from a basic photo sharing application to one of the most used social media platforms of this decade. With celebrities and social media influencers using Instagram as a platform to connect with their fans and create a community among them, it is often a place of positivity with a strong sense of belonging. With body positivity being a strong focus in the last few years on social media, it has led to young men and woman comparing themselves to others online. Even with the best intentions set by these influencer figures, the posts they share can often be harmful to those of the younger generation. Unfortunately, one of the issues that comes with seeing images like this online is that you are unable to tell if they have been edited in any way. You rely solely on the user to be honest and share with you if it has been touched up. This can lead to unrealistic body standards affecting those who are still young and impressionable as well as those who are older. With the way Instagram is used in our current generation, it can be harmful to those who are still building their self-image. Instagram sets unattainable standards for those in the younger generations as well as negatively affecting those of developed ages who may not fit the ‘ideal’ body image.  

The standard for body image is ever changing, with different body types constantly coming in and out of trend. We are conditioned to think that the ideal body standard for women is to be thin yet curvy, toned yet not too muscular. This body image ideal is full of contradicting opinions which sets women up for failure when trying to conform to it. The same applies to men, with different body types constantly going in and out of fashion from ‘dad bods’ too well-built gym bodies. You are set up and conditioned to think what you have is never good enough. With Instagram being a major photo-sharing platform, it is easy to compare yourself to the photos of those you follow. Appearance comparisons made via social media may be more harmful than comparisons made in person, since there is a greater discrepancy between one’s natural appearance and how women portray themselves on social media, than there is between one’s appearance and those they interact with face-to-face on daily basis (Davies, B. Turner, M. Udell, J. 2020, p 103.). It is much easier to compare yourself to a figure online, when they are posed in particular positions and photographed from certain angles to accentuate their bodies than it is in person where you can take in the figure as a whole. Repeatedly people compare themselves to social media influencers with large followings, whose main job is to look good on these social media platforms. It is unrealistic to compare your body to those who are paid for the way they present themselves on this platform.  

With the age of having an Instagram account as young as 13, there are many undeveloped, impressionable minds on the app. This is a key development stage in their lives and often the social media influencers they follow are of a much older age who are posting images of their bodies online. Whilst the intention of these influencers is not to harm their younger audience, this can often be the case, particularly when you have influencers who are of ages 21 and older posting photos of their fully developed bodies. Regardless of the intention behind these posts, whether it is a post focused around health and fitness, or just a lifestyle photo of the user at a beach or café, research shows that women are likely to compare their appearance to cultural ideals of beauty in the media, of which they often fall short, thus resulting in body image disturbances. ((Fardouly, Holland, 2018))

By having these social media figures to compare themselves to, those who are younger and more vulnerable to the influence of images they see online are becoming more subjected to the negative effects of social media. These can include a range on mental illnesses such as depression, body dysmorphia and eating disorders. When thinking of the negative effects social media can have on its users for body image, it is common for people to think of females and the effect it has on them. According to a study conducted by Heather Woods and Holly Scott in 2016, the engagement of social media in young females can lead to low self-esteem, increased anxiety, depression and poor sleep quality (Woods, H, C. Scott, H. 2016, p 41). With users of such young age on the app, having these issues present themselves so early on can be detrimental to the growth of young woman. When they could be focusing on playing with friends, learning and growing in general they are instead focused heavily on their appearance and how others perceive them.

Social media also has negative effects on their male audience. There is a large gap in research about the effects of social media for male users and the way digital platforms impact their body perception (Chatzopoulou, E. Filieri, R. Arzu Dogruyol, S. 2020, p 1271). They are constantly told they need to be fit, athletic, and have a certain build to fit the criteria to be considered ‘attractive’. This lack of research could be due to the incorrect stereotype that body image issues only occur to women and that men are at little to no risk of being impacted by what they see online. It is a common, incorrect stereotype that body image issues are a feminine problem. Because of this, men are often hesitant to publicly express their body image issues for fear of appearing weak, sensitive, or insecure. As a result of this stereotype, male social media users may be unaware of the impact that social media has on them. (Chatzopoulou, E. Filieri, R. Arzu Dogruyol, S. 2020, p 1271). These impacts on male social media users can often be body dissatisfaction, unhealthy weight control, lowered self-esteem and eating disorders. Societal pressure on men’s appearance is increasing as more and more images of muscular male bodies appear in movies, music videos, commercials, and magazines (Franchina, V. Lo Coco, G. 2018, p 9).

With young men and women both at risk to these disorders, it fuels the need to be liked by other users and this can result in dishonesty when posting. Unfortunately, it is common among users to edit their images to try and fit our societal beauty standards. This is damaging to not only those who are editing their images, but to those who are then seeing these images and not realising that they may be edited. As well as editing, it is quite common for more so young woman to get surgical procedures to try and fit these beauty standards, and whilst there is nothing wrong with choosing to have these procedures done, it can be quite damaging for users to see a surgically enhanced body and not understand that it has been designed to look a particular way. It is hard enough in our current generation to try and fit in with the beauty standards of today, let alone trying to attain a level of beauty that is achieved through photoshop or surgical procedures.

Fortunately, it is becoming more common for those who are social media influencers to share with their followers if they have edited their images or have had any procedures done to make them look a certain way. This practice is great as it allows those who are impressionable to understand that these looks are not achieved by doing nothing, and it is not a failure by them if they do not fit this certain beauty mould. Unfortunately, not all celebrities and social media influencers share if an image has been retouched and this can be quite damaging. With the popularity of touching up and altering images online, it is easy for women to come to an unrealistic ideal of body image and compare themselves to images that are not a true representation of the body. (Fardouly, Holland, 2018) We live in a time where if you are posting images online that are edited and are not adding that as a disclaimer to the image, other users will call you out on this behaviour as it is toxic and can be damaging to those who see these posts.  

Counteractively, Instagram also provides a large network of support for those looking for a body positive community. With a global wide reach this allows people to connect to others with similar ideals and form relations with them that they might not otherwise be able to with those in their immediate in person communities. In the past, technology was seen as undermining community, but today, in the age of soft technologies, community has been given new possibilities for its expression (Delany, 2018, p 200). These communities allow users to have a sense of belonging, giving them a platform to express themselves for other users to see and interact with. Whilst the purpose for this community is inherently positive, with social media influencers and celebrities promoting all body types for young women and men to see so they are able to relate with and feel more confident in themselves, movements with followings as large as this will often have negative side effects. In this case with bodies being posted online for anyone to see it allows users the opportunity to compare themselves to others they might not otherwise see in everyday life.

With the age of Instagram so young, it allows many young impressionable minds to be at risk of developing mental health issues related to body image. All it takes is for a user to see a post about a body type that may be different to theirs for them to feel excluded and as though they are not acceptable according to this beauty standard that we, as a community, have created. We rely on users to be honest about their posts and whether or not they have been touched up or heavily edited, which is a lot of trust to put in a figure online. Whilst it is becoming more common for users to share if an image is edited or surgical work has been done, there is no way to tell if this isn’t disclosed. At the end of the day, even the purest intentions set by celebrities, social media influencers and any user of the application can go awry when left to be interpreted by a vast audience on the internet. Instagram is a hugely popular platform that cops the brunt of it when it comes to shaping the younger generations mind, and it is frequently blamed when the issue of body image among men and women is brought up. Once again, my opinion on the matter is regardless of how safe of a community you create, it can and often will lead to negatively impacting some users regardless of the intentions of the original poster.

References:
Chatzopoulou, E. Filieri, R. Arzu Dogruyol, S. 2020. Instagram and body image: Motivation to       conform to the “Instabod” and consequences on young male wellbeing. The Journal    of Consumers Affairs, 54(9). Page 1270-1297.  https://doi-  org.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/10.1111/joca.12329

Davies, B. Turner, M. Udell, J. 2020. Add a comment … how fitspiration and body positive

captions attached to social media images influence the mood and body esteem of young female Instagram users. Body Image, 33. Pages 101-105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2020.02.009

Delanty, G. 2018. Community, 3rd Edition. Page 200 https://www-taylorfrancis-            com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/books/mono/10.4324/9781315158259/community- gerard-delanty

Fardouly, J., & Holland, E. 2018. Social media is not real life: The effect of attaching          disclaimer-type labels to idealized social media images on women’s body image and mood. New Media & Society. Pages 4311-   4328. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818771083

Franchina, V. Lo Coco, G. 2018. The Influence of Social Media Use on Body Image Concerns.        International Journal of Psychoanalysis and Education, 20(11) Page 5-14.                         http://www.psychoedu.org/index.php/IJPE/article/view/218/207

Woods, H, C. Scott, H. 2016. #Sleepyteens: Social media use in adolescence is associated             with poor sleep quality, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. Journal of    Adolescence, 51. Pages 41-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.05.008

 

 

24 thoughts on “Instagram sets unattainable standards for it’s users.

  1. Hey Amy,

    Great post! Such an awesome read! I personally liked how they disabled the feature that showed other users the total number of likes that are on posts. It made me feel more comfortable to share more posts without the stress having to reach a certain amount of likes to keep up with my friends. My question to you is, do you see the ‘unattainable standards’ changing at all in the future or are we too far gone into face tuning and picture perfect bodies?

    Thanks again for sharing!

    Nick

  2. Hi Amy,

    As someone with a background in psychology I really enjoyed your paper. The point that really stuck with me throughout the whole thing was in your discussion of the effect on males “male social media users may be unaware of the impact that social media has on them. ” There is little discussion about the effect of social media on males compared to females but I enjoyed this thought that they may not even be aware of how they are being affected. I will be interested to read more on this idea.
    Thanks for a thought provoking and insightful read!
    Kaily

  3. Hi Amy,

    I really enjoyed reading this you had some interesting points I had never thought of in this light before.

    I particularly liked your points surrounding the lack of research on the negative impact of social media on males. The toxic traits of the ideal figure would 100% have a negative impact on men and the relationship they have with their body whether they are aware of it or not.

    I think social media studies need to stop being focused on particular genders and whether or not one is impacted more than the other, it can also have a grave effect on non-binaries. Social media has the potential to negatively impact any person, regardless of their gender.

    I have attached some information on Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) you might be interested in reading.
    https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/social-cognitive-theory

    Again, great paper I really enjoyed it!

  4. Hello Amy.

    This paper has been a thoughtful yet engaging piece of information in addressing the fact that Instagram is showing the negative aspects more than the positives. Such platform has lamentably demonstrated the meaning of “flawlessness” in view of a person’s appearance or the mere fact that we should have “perfect bodies”. This is creating a whole misconception in the minds of individuals. The research you’ve made on the mental illness and the male audience has been well detailed upon stereotyping and body shaming.

    According to you, will social media platforms like Instagram be able to tackle issues of insecurities or a sense of inferiority once people become more aware of these topics?

  5. Hello Amy

    An interesting and relatable read.

    You have discussed an important issue of body image affecting young Instagram users who are extremely conscious of their image and appearance. From what I see of my peers, I agree with what you mentioned that platforms like this, conditions youngsters to think that what they have is never good enough. Peer pressure among youth to always look the best through social media platforms such as Instagram is growing alarmingly leading to other mental health issues. In spite of these issues, the importance of social media platforms cannot be negated in developing effective communities that support and collaborate with each other if and when used for the right reasons.
    Thank you
    Kanishk

  6. Hello Amy Meacham,

    This was a very interesting read. Your paper demonstrated explicitly how social media platforms, notably Instagram, has harmed people’s perceptions of appearance, aesthetics, and body image around the globe. Moreover, I really liked that you have included on how men also are impacted by the standards being propagated on social media, since subjects over men are often set aside. Younger individuals and most significantly teenagers are more prone to be influenced by the image influential personalities such as celebrities and models exhibit on social media platforms. I completely agree with your point that as visibility grows, more and more important social media personalities are now addressing this issue along with the rise in awareness over positive body image. However, do you believe that the very popular trends of hashtags such as “#nomakeup”, “fatspiration” or “loveyourbody” on Instagram, are having a positive impact on the mental states on teenagers going through body image issues ?

    Good points! Thank you for this piece !

    1. Hi Theshandev,

      It was important to me that men weren’t excluded from this topic, as it would be absolutely ridiculous to assume these issues only happen to women. I was surprised at just how hard it was to find evidence to back up my thoughts on this when it came to men, which just fuelled me more!
      I think trends that involve hashtags like #fitspo or #nomakeup start from somewhere pure and genuine, but unfortunately as they gain traction I believe they start to lose their honesty. I do believe that they help teenagers with body image issues, as long as they have the ability to filter through the ones that aren’t real. So starts the vicious cycle that is social media, trying to differentiate the fake posts from the real.

      1. Hello Amy,

        I totally agree with you! There is quiet of a bias between genders when it comes to such issues. With the fact that user generated contents are getting more and more prevalent, it has become quite difficult to differentiate between the real and fake posts.

        I would really appreciate if you could take some time to read my paper on how Social Media and Online Health Communities are Changing psychological states and the fighting against depression. Here’s the link : https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2021/2021/04/27/social-media-and-online-health-communities-changes-in-psychological-states-and-the-fight-against-depression/

  7. This is an awesome paper. I loved the inclusion of male issues in this as well. I think it is easy to forget that men face these issues too! Awesome read!!

    1. Sorry, I didn’t finished my comment before posting, WHOOPS!
      Although I agree with the negative impacts social media has on young users, however as an active user of social media I often question, if influencers are impacting users so badly, why aren’t users simply unfollowing? It is almost an addiction? i find this very interesting because ultimately we have control over what content we see on social media, yet so many users still decide to follow influencers that are promoting unhealthy ideas. if this is something that interests you, have a read of this text I found: https://9hoursofsenses.medium.com/why-i-unfollow-famous-influencers-on-ig-49c68c180307
      Again, awesome work on your paper.

      1. Hi Yana,

        I think you’ve hit the nail on the head here, and social media can absolutely be an addiction. We have the ability to follow and unfollower whoever we please, so why do we keep following accounts that just upset us and make us unhappy?
        I think it comes down to wanting to be like those we follow. Following accounts for ‘inspiration’ regardless of how different your lifestyles are, or in my experience body shapes. The amount of times I’ve followed someone and thought yes if I work hard that’s what I’ll look like, even though our body shapes and genetics could not be more different. Thankfully I don’t do this anymore, but it definitely inspired the base of this paper.

        I’ll certainly have a read of the text, and thanks so much for your feedback!
        Amy

  8. Hi Amy, I really enjoyed reading your paper on such an important topic! I really liked how you included both men and women in this, as we need to remember this issue affects men as well! It is often spoken about in reference to solely women so it is refreshing to have more of an open perspective on this. I agree that social media is a significant contributor to societal pressures of what is considered attractive or acceptable. As you mentioned, many social media users are very young and easily impressionable, which increases the dangers of online social comparison.

  9. Hi Amy!

    What an interesting and insightful read! You brought up issues that haven’t really been touched upon and I found that to be very interesting! I really liked how you included men and how society perceives men and the pressure that puts on them as opposed to just women. I feel like society normalizes women being pressured to ‘look’ a certain way but we sometimes or often always overlook the pressure put on men to also ‘look’ a certain way whether that may be to look ‘aesthetic’, ‘athletic, or even ‘fit’.

    I totally agree that Instagram has been a negative influence on the younger generation and how they should look but I also believe that there are people on there who try to be their authentic self in order to influence their followers to do the same. Instagram has become a huge social platform for kids nowadays and some may even say it has become a toxic environment for kids to interact in due to the countless perceived notions of how they should act, look or live their life. I believe this often leads to mental health issues such as depression as users see their favorite influencers or even just their friends living life on Instagram. However, they sometimes forget that Instagram is only a snapshot of their lives and a lot of factors are taken into account before posting that 1 story or 1 post.

    Overall, this was very interesting to read and very well researched! well done!

  10. Hi!

    I loved that you included men in this, as I think unfortunately men when it comes to the concept of body image, are never considered with females always and consistently being at the forefront with men pushed back, when they should also be at the forefront. Social media is so powerful and sometimes it pushes the wrong image across, promoting these ‘beauty standards’ ultimately pushing, specifically adolescents, a deteriorating mental health.

    My paper touches on how social media can be used for good, specifically in its power with the #notallmen and #metoo movement. It also showcases the use of influences when they are utilising their platforms for good, promoting the movement, rather then these standards. I’ve linked it below!

    https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2021/2021/04/27/instagram-female-empowerment-and-the-notallmen-movement/

  11. Firstly, Wow! Almost forgot how old instagram was!
    Your writing is very up-to-date, criticising trends of the 21st century. I found it fascinating that you pointed out that these body image comparisons are vastly different online as I agree and feel like this is a repeating issue. I think people are more inclined to insult someone on social media than face confrontation in real life, especially younger people. I find this upsetting and believe the online/offline reality needs to close up but unfortunately takes a mass movement to do.
    I liked that you directly connected celebrities to the issue of body images as it allows for more debates between perspectives (e.g. rebutting discussion). Although I somewhat agree, I also think that it is up to the individual and their exposure to these platforms, e.g. the accounts they follow and the time they spend on the platforms.
    Men are more than often missed in social media discussions so I enjoyed reading writing that also addressed this important issue. I agree that feminism and female body-positivity is important too but male body insecurity is still very much and needs more awareness than it currently has.

  12. Hi Amy,
    This was a brilliant paper, the section about men also being judged for their body types and pressured to be fit and muscly really hit home for me. Social media, especially Instagram, can definitely cause people to be envious of others who may seem to have a better lifestyle and physique. I believe that these influencers must also feel an immense amount of pressure from their fanbase to stay motivated in order to keep their “ideal body” and that can be detrimental to their mental health as well. It seems that the amount of “likes” people receive on a photos today are a way to determine their worth and this is so wrong.

    Thanks for this good read
    Please feel free to check out my paper https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2021/2021/04/28/social-media-free-speech-policies-are-a-myth/

    Cheers
    Luc

  13. Hi Amy,

    This was such an insightful paper! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I couldn’t agree more with the points that you made. The ever-changing beauty standards of Instagram is an issue that should be highlighted more often, as it’s so damaging to young people. A quote of yours that really stood out to me was, “You are set up and conditioned to think what you have is never good enough”. Very powerful.

    You mentioned the problematic nature of the minimum Instagram account age being 13. Do you think this minimum age should be increased? If so, what age would you suggest? I’m interested to know at what age you believe teenagers would be educated enough in order to understand the idea of edited photos not reflecting real life, in order to protect their body confidence and mental health.

    Can’t wait to hear your response!

    1. Hi Asha,

      Thanks so much for your feedback! Your question made me really think, I do believe the age for Instagram should be higher, perhaps 15 or 16. However, I do know that even with this age limit set it would be so easy for users to lie about their age and create one anyway. Would it be better that we keep the age at 13 and knowingly accept that there are younger users Instagram, or raise the age to 16 and hope that they abide be those rules?

      1. Hi Amy,

        That’s a very interesting point! It is highly likely that people under the age limit would lie about their age, especially nowadays as the influence of social media is growing rapidly, especially within primary schools and high schools. I would agree that 15/16 is a much better age, as the teenagers would have a broader concept of body image and edited photos. I believe that changing the age limit to 16 would not completely stop users under said age from joining, but it would definitely decrease the amount, due to online policing by parents and teachers. Would you agree?

        1. Hi Asha,

          If you have a read on the comment below this one, Alicia made an excellent suggestion that I think covers the best of both worlds. Having the app available to younger ages, but having some sort of content restriction on it until they are say, 16 or 18. I think this would decrease the amount of users lying about their age even further without excluding them for the platform.

  14. Hi Amy! I love looking into Instagram’s unattainable standards and the effects it has on people, so your paper was a pleasure to read!
    I have touched on similar things, in essays before and in my paper (Fitspiration), and it is very insightful to learn that everyone struggles with these standards. Before any research I think it is very stereotypical for people to just think women struggle. I like how you gave a view into how men do as well. But what is even more shocking to think is that children do as well, children that are prepubescent or haven’t even gone through puberty yet who are comparing themselves to fully developed individuals.
    Do you think there are ways that schools and parents can educate young people on self-comparisons and the ways in which people can alter themselves on social media? I think something like this would be very beneficial to today’s youth.

    1. Hi Alicia,

      I’m glad you enjoyed it! I’ll have to give your paper a read as well since it’s on a similar topic.
      It certainly was interesting to write and research further on.
      I think that’s what prompted me to write about it, that children who shouldn’t even know what body shaming is are being influenced (there’s that word) and it’s shaping their lives negatively.
      I absolutely think there should lessons about social media in schools, I know they touch on cyber safety but I think it needs to be taken further than that, and children shown how not everything online is real. I also feel like adults need to take a hard look at themselves online, especially those who know they have a younger audience.

      1. Hi Amy!
        I fully agree that adults need to take a look at what they are promoting online as many social media analytics show what age range their viewers are. I have grown up watching YouTube and many of the YouTubers I follow state that their age range has grown with them an announce they will act more their own age to be able to relate to their followers. I see so much sexual content, swearing, body shaming, etc. that maybe upon making accounts, there could be age restrictions on what is shown to what viewer. I think this would be a great idea for TikTok and maybe even YouTube, for example, to have a 15+ section like they have an 18+ section. I know people can lie about their age, but for those parents who set up accounts for their children this may work.

        1. Hi Alicia,

          I think thats an excellent idea! Not actually taking away the platform from younger users – as that would most definitely cause people to lie about their age, but give them a space that is still part of the platform but is curated to their age group. I think you might be onto something here!

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