Self-Love in the Digital Age
By: Emma Sevoian
As a society, we are living in a digital age where a bulk of our interaction with others occurs from behind a screen. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram serve as core facilitators of these interactions and are exponentially rising in popularity. With a click of a button, an individual can have access to another’s basic biographical information, interests, and media (photos/videos).
Social media provides users with numerous opportunities to compare themselves with other individuals on the platform. Follower/friend counts, the number of likes and comments on each post, photos of exotic places and thrilling activities, and stories of accomplishments all serve as aspects to compare between individuals. When an individual constantly compares themselves to others, especially those who they deem as better than themselves, this can take a toll on their self-esteem and how they view themselves.
A study conducted by Vogel et al. in 2014 investigated how social comparison opportunities in social media, specifically Facebook, affect self-esteem. The results showed that individuals who used Facebook more frequently and for longer periods of time had lower self-esteem since they compared themselves to those that they believed were socially better than them. In the second part of the study, Vogel et al. asked participants to view fictitious social media profiles with healthy/unhealthy personal content and popular/unpopular social content. The participants were then asked to rate their own self-esteem. The results showed that participants had lower self-esteem after being exposed to socially active profiles associated with positive content. Overall, the study found that when social media users compare themselves to others based on their social media profiles, their self-esteem suffers negative consequences (1).
Now that we know that social media can lead to lower self-esteem, does that mean that we should avoid using social media all together? Not necessarily. Social media users just need to be aware of the effect social media can have on the self and take everything with a grain of salt.
1. Vogel, Erin A., et al. “Social Media, Social Comparison, and Self-Esteem.” Psychology of Popular Media Culture, vol. 3, no. 4, 2014, pp. 206–222., doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000047.