Social Media's Impact on Self Esteem

Social media has changed the world irrevocably. It’s no longer apps that people use to share photos and videos with their family and friends. Today social media is used to sell and buy products, find romantic partners, access information from the news, and organize to demand political change. However, social media doesn’t come without its downfalls. 

According to the Huffington Post, social media is linked to higher levels of loneliness, envy, anxiety, depression, narcissism and decreased social skills. The most notable effect of social media is it's negative impact on one's self esteem.

What groups are the most vulnerable to low self esteem?

Social media can have a negative impact on the self esteem of anyone, no matter their age, race or gender. Ethan Ford, a media and communications major at SUNY Old Westbury said that after scrolling through apps like TikTok or Instagram, he feels less productive. 

Ford explained that whenever he’s stressed about looming assignments, he uses social media to cope. “The due date will come around and then I’ll be like oh crap, and then if I’m late on something I’ll feel bad about it. I feel like social media for students is really dangerous.” 

Ford said that teenage students in particular are the most vulnerable to the dangers of social media. To him, teenage girls; more so than guys, fall under the trap of comparing themselves to people on social media. Ford’s theory has some truth to it. According to a report released by the CDC, in 2021, nearly 3 in 5 American teenaged girls felt “persistently sad or hopeless, in large part due to the internet.” This figure is double that of boys, representing an almost 60 percent increase, and reaching the highest level reported over the past decade. 

How to stop comparing yourself?

It’s easy to get tricked by social media, especially if you follow celebrities or influencers. On social media, you’re constantly bombarded with photos and videos of people with flawless skin and perfect hair. It makes you start to compare yourself to random people on the internet and question why you don’t have an hourglass figure or perfectly manicured nails. 

To combat self-comparison, Amira Francois, a media and communications student, tries to stay away from social media if she’s in a bad mental state. When Francois was younger, apps like Instagram and VSCO used to negatively affect her self esteem. But she’s since grown out of that insecurity. Francois used to work as a social media manager and she explained that she’s seen firsthand how social media isn’t as glamorous as it seems. “I’ve learned to be more secure in myself enough… and realizing that social media is not real, and allowing that to let me be like you know, let me live in reality rather than Disney World.” 

According to a study published by the American Psychological Association, reducing social media use can have a positive impact on your self esteem. The study found that teens who reduced their social media use by 50 percent, saw a “significant improvement in how they feel about both their weight and overall appearance compared with peers who maintained consistent levels of social media use.”

Allison Garcia, a media and communications student, explained that comparison is “in our human nature, we can’t help to compare ourselves.” When Garcia finds herself in a cycle of endless scrolling and self-comparison, she takes a break from social media. “It’s not feeding me anything good and I feel like I could be doing something more productive,” Garcia said. “I take a break from social media and delete it sometimes for a week or a couple days and I actually find myself more productive and doing things that I like.” 

The most important thing to remember is that social media isn’t real. The content people post online are a highlight reel of their greatest moments, “We’re all different and we’re all unique and we really shouldn’t be comparing ourselves,” Ford said.