Social media seems to be at the center of a lot of the problems caused by technology. While social media can connect people, it can also isolate them. Many of the isolating effects of social media stem from its ability to distort people’s perception of reality. People pot the best moments of their life on social media and leave out the rest. They also use editing and filters to make themselves look better. This fake perfection seen on social media along with the like system has led to increases in depression and anxiety. A couple of the articles talk about the quick reward cycle. Every time you post on social media, you get instant gratification from comments and likes that releases dopamine in your brain. For most people, not having as many likes or followers as your peers can lead to anxiety and depression. According to the Social Dilemma, self-harm and suicide rates in tween and teen girls has drastically increased since around the time social media took off. The fake perfection seen on social media and the focus on likes and followers can distort your body image. Some people go as far as to physically change their bodies to fit what they see on social media. The documentary the Social Dilemma mentions that some people even have surgery to make themselves look more like filters, which is known as Snapchat dysmorphia. While not everyone goes to such extremes, many people still make small but harmful changes to fit the standards set by social media. This is something that I experienced personally during middle school and have also witnessed in my friends. I first started using social media in middle school. My friends pressured me to get Instagram, and I did because I wanted to fit in. While middle school is a turning point for most kids, I think social media adds another layer of pressure to be like your peers. All the popular girls in my school had thigh gaps and flat stomachs, and they posted pictures where they looked flawless and skinny. I saw this and thought that I needed to look like them if people were going to like me. This led me to obsess over my weight and my appearance. I barely ate and ended being underweight. I don’t remember caring that much about what people thought before I started using social media. My weight never bothered me, not even when face to face with my peers, but social media added that pressure to be skinny. I have also witnessed this in my friends. My best friend in high school, who wore size zero pants, wouldn’t let me post pictures with her in them because she always thought she looked fat. Even now, knowing how fake and filtered everything on social media is, I still struggle with this. Some days I’ll open Instagram and think, “Why is everyone else look so much better.” I know enough now to remind myself that it’s not reality, but younger generations may not know or realize that. Today, kids are accessing social media at even younger ages than my generation. If social media had such a lasting impact on how I saw myself starting at age 12, I can’t even imagine what it would do to someone exposed to it at a younger age. One thing that I think could help protect kids from the distorting effects social media has on your body image is requiring edited and filtered images to be marked. A watermark could let younger generations know when something is edited and serve as a reminder for older generations. Social media platforms could incorporate a watermark right into their filters. I also think there should be restrictions on the types of filters you use. Filters should be focused on fun instead of making you look better. For example, Snapchat has a lot of funny filters. If more filters promote making yourself look goofy versus making yourself look good, it might mitigate the body distorting effects of social media.
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