As a teenage girl myself, I can attest to the fact that society plays a large role in the way I perceive the world around me and for that matter, myself. Social media has become a large part of most teen's lives now that we carry around Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn in our pockets. Smartphones have changed the game of media as a whole.
The world of Facebook has begun to distort the the female body image among teens. Don't get me wrong, I am an avid Facebook user and see many benefits of the site but there are negative repercussions with use, as well. One of the most popular tabs on Facebook is the "photos" tab. Teens all over the world use this feature to scope out boys, stay up on who is hanging out with who, what girl has gained or lost weight, who has the latest fashions, and the list goes on.
Regardless of whether or not we admit to it or not, seeing people on Facebook effects how we diet and exercise. Especially in the college setting, see girls pictures online of other girls who have "desirable bodies". It has been proven time and time again that social media is having a negative effect on body images in teens across America.
I conducted research this summer that proved women in a college setting base their eating habits and exercise routines more off of how they feel compared to peers rather than doing it to be healthy. Women in the one-on-one interviews claimed they were aware they were being affected by social media and just could not avoid the effects.
Because I, too, fall into the "college girl who uses social media" category, I am probably psychologically affected as well. I have referenced Exercise Plans for Teens several times to get good information on what is healthy for a woman my age who exercises as much as I do.
I highly encourage you to take a look at the above site and find out what is truly healthy for a person your age.
Keep your Facebook, stay in touch with your friends all over the world, but keep in mind everything you see is not always reality. That girl wearing a crop top and booty shorts may be starving herself. To try and look like her is not only unrealistic but also extremely unhealthy. Be yourself!
Ever since Facebook came around people have lost a lot of privacy. People can look you up and find out what you are doing, who you are dating, what clothes you wear and who your friends are. Ever since me and my boyfriend got into a relationship and changed our profile pictures people texted us with many questions about our relationship. People I don't even know or talk to often knew about my relationship before I ever even said anything. I also agree that social media has had a negative impact on females. There is a lot of pressure to look better than the next girl on facebook or in magazines which has led to eating disorders.
ReplyDeleteThis post is truly enlightening. As an avid Facebook user, I am going to admit that I spend a lot of time sorting through pictures of girls and wishing I had their bodies. My friends and I have even gone as far as sitting around in groups flipping through pictures of skinny girls and talking about how we were going on diets for the week. Many times my friends push this, but often it is me doing it to myself. It is so important to us how people perceive our bodies and how skinny we are. It is disgusting, but at the same time it is a reality. There are actually times where what I see on Facebook effects what I eat for the day. There are girls who are starving themselves and not eating healthily, but we do not see that - all we can see them as are photos on Facebook. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI've never thought of Facebook affecting the way we see ourselves, but now that you mention it, it really makes sense. Facebook allows us to keep in touch with friends and acquaintances from years ago in a much easier manner than face-to-face relationships alone. In fact, we can even maintain relationships without seeing an individual in person for many years. Comparing our memory of that person to their current Facebook photo can be quite shocking. I've noticed that many of my friends from high school have gained a visible amount of weight since graduation. Especially now that Facebook has been around for more than five years, the changes between a users' first profile picture and their current picture can be quite drastic. I don't really think of this as something negative. Instead, I view it as motivation. We've had the same amount of time to gain twenty or thirty pounds, but the fact that I didn't, but instead chose to eat healthy foods and take care of my body makes me feel like I've accomplished something. Comparing yourself against someone else doesn't have to be a "bad" thing, as long as it's inspiring you to do something good.
ReplyDeleteLike almost every other Facebook user I look at my other friend’s pictures and never thought of how it could affect the way people view themselves and their self esteem. Most view Facebook as a way of keeping in touch with friends, but recent studies, like the one you have written about, have shown that it is used more than just keeping in touch with friends. It's unfortunate that when you see someone you went to high school with not doing well it boosts your self esteem, while if they are doing well it lowers your self esteem. I think this is a great post and a different way to view how Facebook affects us and that it is more than just a way to connect with friends.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your perspective on body image and Facebook. Everyone is guilty of looking at people’s profiles that we went to high school with or grew up with and browsing through their pictures. One of the first things to come out of people’s mouths tends to be “wow she put on weight” or on the contrary “she lost so much weight.” It’s hard to not be sucked into that game on Facebook since we so many other people doing the same things. I know if I say either of those two statements to myself it makes me want to go to the gym and get in shape. Which as you said shouldn’t be the case, I should be already motivated to go and work out.
ReplyDeletewow, I have to say I have never thought about this before. I never thought that Facebook would have an effect on my opinion of my body, whether in college or not. However, now that you have said that, I understand it. I recently conducted a study that was college aged females 17-23, that asked personality related and social behavior related questions relating to appearance and self-esteem. My study also showed that college females compare themselves to their peers the most.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the interesting blog, I never really thought about that before!