My friend is sitting right next to me but she is far from
present. It has been a solid 15 minutes and I have yet to see her eyes glance
anywhere than then the brightly lit screen of her Iphone. I wonder if she knows
I am still sitting next her?
I don’t even have to ask. I know the culprit of the situation.
It could be only one thing, Instagram. She just posted a picture and is eagerly
assessing her likes as they roll in. It is prime time and she can’t help but
fall victim to the thrill.
Suddenly, after a few minutes pass she asks me, “is this picture
stupid? I don’t know why I posted it. I think I am going to delete it or will
people notice? Help what should I do?!”
The truth is she is far from the first to feel the pressures of
social media.
Instagram mission statement is to “Capture and Share the World's
Moments. A fast, beautiful and fun way to share your life with friends and
family.”
If only it were that simple. If only it were more about these
“moments” than the status of your Instagram account.
We live in a society where our “digital selves” are closely
watched and judged. People love to be loved. While this is old news, it has
taken a new form in the digital world. People assessing and second-guessing
their Instagram posts and profile status. They place an unhealthy amount of
weight on the popularity of their posts and this often times reflects in their self-esteem.
Recently, Australian model, Essena O’Neill publicly decided to
say goodbye to her over 500,000 followers (Guardian). She claims she was
compulsively checking likes up to a week after posting a selfie on Instagram.
Essena decided to shift towards focusing on real life rather than sustaining
her confidence through the cyber validation of others(Guardian). She explains “I was lost, with serious
problems so beautifully hidden … If anything my social media addiction,
perfectionist personality and low self esteem made my career (Time).”
In a study conducted by University of Buffalo women, researchers
found social media users who post seeking validation are more likely to base
their self esteem upon personal appearance(Elle). Rather than post for the sake
of sharing a moment, people feed upon Instagram for its potential to boost
one’s ego. Unfortunately the social media app does not live up to the blissful
simplicity of its mission statement.
http://www.elle.com/beauty/tips/a2531/how-instagram-is-ruining-our-self-esteem/
http://time.com/4167856/essena-oneill-breaks-silence-on-quitting-social-media/
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