Social Media and Self Esteem

Social media is a computer-based platform which utilizes the internet to virtually communicate among internet users through the sharing of information, ideas, and other forms of expression. In the modern world, social media is a common phenomenon thanks to the increased availability of electronic gadgets including laptops, tablets, and smartphones in virtually every household. Thus, social media has made the communication process easy and fast allowing people to communicate throughout the world within a fraction of the time it used to take. Apart from enhancing communication, social media can have positive or negative effects on the self-esteem of its beneficiaries. In sociology, self-esteem is defined as the evaluation of one’s worth. A person can consider himself or herself to be worthy or to have less value in society depending on the background environment they are located in. This paper aims to point out how social media can either raise or lower the self-esteem of a person.

Social media facilitates for all kinds of social aspects among internet users where some can either lower or raise the self-esteem of an individual. For example, social media provides a perfect platform where people can sell their personalities such as posting some of their best photos or moments on Facebook to boost their self-esteem. Upon a positive response from fellow internet users and friends, one feels highly appreciated thus being motivated to persist in sharing his or her personality in social media. This phenomenon raises one’s self-esteem (Hawi, N. S. and M. Samaha 25).

Due to the growing number of social users, advertisements have found an ideal platform to reach great masses of people. For an advert to reach many people, big personalities with massive followers are usually a target for advertisements. A company that chooses to advertise through certain personalities increases the size of the audience that will divert their attention to the advertisement; the personality of such people attracts more attention hence raising their self-esteem.

In other instances, social media plays a great role in lowering the self-esteem of a person. For example, in social media, people meet other people of higher personalities and tend to compare their lives with theirs thus occasionally resulting in depression. People forget that what most celebrities post about their brands is carefully designed and not always a real life situation. This comparison of one’s self with other people’s lifestyle through social media results in lowering of one’s self-esteem (Lundgren, David 38).

Also, the attention one receives in social media from friends and other internet users has a considerable effect on the self-esteem of the internet user. Often times, people post pictures or opinions on Facebook or Instagram to see the reaction of fellow internet users regarding likes and comments they are looking to gain. If the number of likes or comments earned by a photo or an opinion by a person in social media is considerably low, it can lower the self-esteem of the person by considering himself or herself less appreciated (Lundgren, David 38).

Social media in the modern age is important as it has simplified the communication process in the whole world. People should, however, use social media to impact society positively and not by posting extravagant lifestyles which can lower the self-esteem of others who cannot afford such lifestyles. It is, therefore, advisable that internet users should avoid certain aspects of social media which have the potential to lower their self-esteem. Tread the internet carefully, my dear friends!

Works Cited:

1. Hawi, N. S. and M. Samaha. "The Relations Among Social Media Addiction, Self-Esteem, And Life Satisfaction In University Students". Social Science Computer Review, 2016, SAGE Publications.
2. Lundgren, David "Public Esteem, Self-Esteem, And Interpersonal Stress". Social Psychology, vol 41, no. 1, 2012, p. 68. JSTOR.