The Impact of Social Media on Digital Self

Social media platforms come in different types and forms, including ones that encourage more sharing of photo content such as Instagram, others prod users to tell their minds such as Twitter, while others are based on producing and sharing video content such as YouTube and TikTok. There are also some platforms whose job is shear bookmarking, the most famous of which is Pinterest. Of all social media platforms, Instagram is cited as being the culprit of most psychological damage that pertains to one’s self concept and esteem, body image and lifestyle (Mellins, 2021).

However, it is the type of engagement that impacts mental health of user, rather than the amount of time spent of these platforms (Abrams, 2021), and Instagram is not an exception. In other words, users who engage in garnering likes and followers and in social comparison suffer the most damage across all ages including depression, anxiety and lowered self-esteem (Sherlock, & Wagstaff, 2019). The real problem is that many users may not realize, or are oblivion of, the fact that many images are heavily edited to impress others, especially those of celebrities, therefore comparison is totally devastating and does not lead to correct conclusion about self (Fardouly, Pinkus, & Vartanian, 2017). As a reaction to this sort of unfair comparison, or what some scholars call “upward comparison”, users, especially females, tend to resort more to editing tools, with Photoshop being the most famous of all, in addition to filters (Jones, 2022).

Sharenting has been another concern in the age of social media as it deeply impacts the digital identity of children even long before they are aware of it. The real problem of sharenting is that parents may unintentionally harm their children through sharing online content with the worldwide community on social media, including sharing “negative” content that children may want to conceal later in their life (Steinberg, 2016). One of the most common motives for sharenting is when parents find themselves facing some issues with their children overall health whether physical or mental, so they resort to setting up Facebook pages or YouTube channels to share content about the conditions of their children, most probably to seek community support.

Setting up YouTube channels for profit has been a hit for years now, but sometimes these channels share private family details in a very detrimental way. There are channels where couples share the minutest details about their everyday lives. Encouraged by the increasing numbers of followers, the owners tend to make the content more exciting and controversial to attract viewers and likes, which are translated into material profit. In a region, the Middle East, that frowns upon sharing private details about personal lives, this sort of content garners more viewers and controversy. ?Sharenting, again, on YouTube is a big issue, with babies and toddlers being the main subject (Talukdar, 2020).

Nevertheless, most people do not recognize risks associated with heavy sharing on the internet. For example, networks such as Facebook never delete content provided by users, even if the user deletes it, in addition to the fact that all social media platforms sell user data (Buzzetto-More, Johnson, & Elobaid, 2015). Another problem associated with heavy sharing on social media is negative consequences one can face later in life, in a way that can impact one’s reputation and future (Buzzetto-More, Johnson, & Elobaid, 2015).

In a digital world like today where one’s data and personal information are compromised, users have to keep in mind the type of activities they engage in, the amount of data and personal info they readily share on the internet to achieve some personal or business goals and the mental and physical health associated with all these activities.

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References

Abrams, Z. (2021, December 2). How can we minimize Instagram’s harmful effects? 53(2), 30.

Buzzetto-More, N., Johnson, R., & Elobaid, M. (2015). Communicating and sharing in the semantic web: An examination of social media risks, consequences, and attitudinal awareness. Interdisciplinary Journal of e-Skills and Life Long Learning. 11, 47-66.

Fardouly, J., Pinkus, R. T., & Vartanian, L. R. (2017). The impact of appearance comparisons made through social media, traditional media, and in person in women’s everyday lives. Body Image, 10, 31-39.

Jones, E. (2022). The Role of Filters & Editing Apps in Creating False Online Identities. Debating Communities and Networks XIII. Curtin University.

Mellins, C. (2021, September 27). Just How Harmful Is Social Media? Our Experts Weigh-In. Mailmain School of Public Health. Retrieved from https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/news/just-how-harmful-social-media-our-experts-weigh

Sherlock, M., & Wagstaff, D. L. (2019). Exploring the relationship between frequency of Instagram use, exposure to idealized images, and psychological well-being in women. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 8(4), 482.

Steinberg, S. B. (2016). Sharenting: Children's privacy in the age of social media. Emory Lj, 66, 839.

Talukdar, N. I. (2020). The adverse effects of family vlogging on children. International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews (IJRAR), 7(1), 749-756.

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