The Effects of Social Media

The True Costs of Facebook Addiction: Low Self- Esteem and Poor Body Image

From the beginning of time, people have idolized beauty and used physical attributes as a yard stick to measure self worth. This mindset was and still is the epicenter of a crumbling positive self worth. Over the generations, this phenomenon has existed to one degree or another. It’s an experience that transcends time, since human nature is such that one’s perception is one’s reality; therefore, self-doubt often leads to fleeting self-confidence and the corrosion of a positive self-image. Many critics use this exact argument against Facebook. Frequently images on Facebook are retouched or enhanced prior to posting them, creating an illusion of perfection, which is unrealistic, yet coveted. These pictures prey on adolescents and young adults and often wreak havoc on their psyches.   In her article concerning Facebook, Alice Walton maintains that Facebook, intentionally or not is promoting this destructive cycle. Walton focuses her argument on the effect it has on females in particular. She believes that females subconsciously measure their beauty and bodies to those posted in pictures. Although I do agree with Walton’s position, I feel that the tentacles of this problem are much more far reaching. By limiting this idea solely to Facebook and women, Walton exposes herself to critics and leaves many crevices for them to prowl. In addition, Walton brings inadequate evidence to present her viewpoint effectively. Furthermore, by merely focusing on Facebook’s ability to provoke negative self-image within women, perhaps Walton disregards the bigger problem at hand. She tends not to address the more recent studies discussing the adverse affect that social media has on males’ as well.
Although Facebook has evolved into a playground for flaunting individuals who are seeking a platform to air their unrealistic self images, its initial intent was to create a powerful networking tool that could...