Transcriber: Silvina Katz Reviewer: Emma Gon
Hi, everyone!
All right, so when we think about the concept of social media safety,
what typically comes to mind?
Common responses usually include keeping personal information private,
refraining from sharing offensive or explicit content,
being cautious of online predators and presenting yourself respectfully.
These are all extremely important issues to educate social media users about.
However, as a 17 year old who uses social media
for probably too many hours of the day,
I’ve come to realize that I’ve been facing another prevalent issue
that I haven’t really been taught how to properly deal with.
And this is the way that social media affects its users
self-esteem and the formation of self-identity.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness,
several studies have linked excessive social media use
with symptoms of depression and lower self-esteem and social anxiety.
Two more studies done through the American Psychological Association
have linked frequent use of online social networking sites
with depressive symptoms and the belief
that others are living better lives than one’s self.
After doing some reading into studies like these,
I decided to explore a little bit deeper into how social psychology,
the way that humans connect with one another,
plays a role into the emotions that we feel when we use social media.
I came across a term called Social Comparisons,
which sounds pretty self-explanatory at the surface,
but there’s another layer at a depth in the way
that we compare ourselves to others.
There are upward comparisons where we view ourselves, our traits,
our accomplishments as inferior to those of others.
And then there are downward comparisons,
where we view all of those things are superior to those of others.
Both of these types of comparisons are essential
to the formation of our self-identity, especially in relation to other people,
and they help us figure out our place in the world.
However, social media has the power to magnify these comparisons
in a manner that can be detrimental to one’s self-esteem if left unmoderated.
I sent out a survey to around 150 students at my high school
to observe the effects of social media comparisons in my media environment.
And some of the data was quite interesting.
When asked if they felt better or worse or the same about their self-image,
after using social media,
only a mere 6.8% of students answered that they felt better.
Then, when asked a series of questions regarding different categories
of comparisons ranging from physical appearance to economic status,
only 1 % of students answered that these comparisons
have a positive effect on their self-esteem,
as opposed to the overwhelming 99% of students,
who answered that it had a neutral or majority said negative effect.
Through this informal data, I’ve come to the conclusion
that youth in my area are aware of the negative effects
of social media comparisons,
and what I aim to do is teach them
how to productively prevent the dangers of social media going forward.
One way to understand the phenomenon of social media comparisons
is through a metaphor that I learned from an expert named Keith Matheny.
Think of social media as a fun house mirror.
The content we see is often distorted and rarely in its raw form.
It’s not always an accurate portrayal of reality,
and users must remain mindful of this
before comparing themselves to curated personas online.
An example of this is in the Internet’s beauty community,
which I’ve been following since I entered social media at 13 years old.
Throughout my teenage years,
I was extremely insecure as to why the makeup looks
I recreate it on myself, never seem to look as flawless
or airbrushed as the creators whose instructions I followed.
Even after spending all of my Christmas and birthday money
on the same expensive products that they told me to use.
Recently, there’s been an influx of music creators showing
how their art looks like in real life versus how it’s always looked online.
And as seen in the screenshot,
the filtered version is identified explicitly against the unfiltered version,
highlighting how things like skin texture
are practically invisible behind the veil of filters.
Not all creators are this blunt about their use of editing softwares.
And social media users can keep images like this in mind
to help them identify unrealistic content going forward.
It is also necessary for social media users to make
the personal distinction between healthy comparisons and unhealthy comparisons.
Healthy comparisons are those that involve a role model
or someone to inspire the pursuit of goals.
For me, these healthy comparisons occur
when I consume content made by college YouTubers
who are pursuing similar professional
and personal goals as I someday wish, too.
Unhealthy comparisons are those that undermine personal success
or lead to the justification of negative feelings.
Both the upward and downward comparisons
I mentioned earlier can fit into either category of healthy or unhealthy,
but it's up to the individual to make that distinction
and determine where their exact place is.
And to help me make this distinction, you can try asking yourself,
how does a certain type of content make you feel?
Are you able to recognize raw versus edited content?
What is the intention behind what you consume,
and does it play a positive or negative function in your day to day life?
Based on the answers to these questions, you can hopefully identify
what types of content trigger those unhealthy comparisons
and the next step is learning how to limit them.
Some ways that you can do so are by setting parameters.
Screen time limits can keep you from binge scrolling
or spiralling down an endless cycle of comparison.
You can also turn your notifications off.
Content that is out of sight is also out of mind.
Consider your influences.
Choose to only follow people who build up your self-esteem
and unfollow those who tear it down.
And also consider the types of content that you're sharing on your own page.
Try to only share content that uplifts yourself and others,
and you’d be surprised at how much this can do for those
who are silently following you.
Before resorting to a social media hiatus as the only solution,
try to seek solutions that promote balance.
Focus on what you can do rather than what you can’t.
Social media, contrary to popular belief,
is not bad because in moderation it can be good.
We simply need to be more intentional about how we use it to our own benefit.
Thank you. (Applause)