The Relations between Social Media and Self Esteem

Why is the relationship between social media and self-esteem so important to us? Recent studies indicate that social networking has really changed the way people interact. About 40% of the world population use social media every day for at least two hours.

Most of those in social media engage in tweeting, liking other people’s content, updating their platforms, and sharing valuable information with their friends and families.

If you can’t do without social media, you’re probably a victim of the strong effect of social networking platforms on people. This is because social media plays a significant role in our lives. There are high chances that you have already experienced the negative effects of social media if you are a regular user. However, there are also some positive effects of social media on our lives. In most cases, social media affects not only our self-esteem, mental health, and well-being, but also our time.

That being said, here is what you need to know about social media and self-esteem. Read on to find out more.

Positive effects of social media

Social media has its good side as well. Unfortunately, most people blame networking sites for almost all the problems in our society. Here are a few positive effects of social media:

Enhances speedy Connectivity

Social media enables people of like minds to connect effortlessly. With just a simple click, you get to connect with different people regardless of their religion, social networks, or locations. 

People can also get in touch with their friends and family as well as their fellow business people.

For instance, writing a tweet can take you about 20 seconds, but it can instantly reach everyone you want. Many companies use social networking sites such as LinkedIn to approach candidates.

Builds relationships

Social media effects on relationships statistics show that having online networking can lead to relationship break-ups. This means that social media hurts relationships. But is this really the case? There is always the other side of the story. If people break up, it means they are moving to other relationships, which are perhaps even better.

Social media platforms ensure you are always in contact with people you share a common interest. Therefore, you are likely to find people who you can build a strong and long-lasting relationship with.

Fosters empathy

Most people spend a lot of their time talking or sharing content about themselves online. This is perfectly natural and sometimes helps people learn from the experiences of others. Moreover, these platforms also have people who care about you and are ready to listen to your problems and offer help where necessary.

If we all share our experiences, both bad and good, on networking sites, it's easy to empathize with one another. This is because a friend may have gone through a similar problem that you are currently going through. This will help you get through such an ordeal faster and easily.

Voice of the people

Social media platforms also act as a powerful voice for weaker citizens. Sometimes, politicians and those in power can misuse their powers because they believe they are immune justice. However, no injustice can’t be voiced out by network platforms. Nowadays, we continually see cases of corruption and embezzlement in different parts of the world, thanks to social media.

Moreover, we are also seeking countless cases of kidnappers, thieves, robbers, and other street criminals being arrested because of social media outcry. People use these platforms to air their grievances and bring up problems that they face.

Negative Effects of Social Media

Our self-esteem is primarily affected by the way we think. This means that the relationship between social media and mental health is a key factor that many people need to consider before they start using social media platforms. However, most people joining these platforms don’t even get to read their Terms and Conditions. This has led to various adverse effects of social media that we witness every day. Here are some of the negative effects of social media, all of which directly affect your self-esteem.

Addiction and Fake happiness on social media

Although scientists have not agreed on whether social media addiction is a real thing, there is evidence that internet addiction exists. This has been attributed to the fact that social media is evolving at a faster rate. A rate that even scientists themselves cannot keep up with.

Social media addiction has a powerful effect on people such that many of them keep checking it from time to time, even without thinking about it. Can you try to remember the last time you spent a full day without checking any of your social media accounts? Would you feel bad if all your social media accounts completely disappeared? These are some of the ways you can tell if you’re an addict to social networks.

Although you may feel happy when you are online, it only lasts while you are there. Fake happiness on social media has had a lot of adverse effects on people’s real lives.

Anxiety

Research shows that extreme use of social media leads to anxiety. This kind of anxiety is characterized by worry, restlessness, and having trouble concentrating. People with many social media platforms tend to show more anxiety symptoms than those with fewer online platforms. To be precise, if you use more than seven social media platforms, you are likely to experience some level of anxiety regularly.

Stress

Most people who use online platforms tend to talk about anything, from politics to their latest customer service experiences. Since people talk about anything, these online platforms are likely to induce stress for regular uses. For instance, you might be stressed to find out that people over 35 years are less likely to become rich (according to social standards)-which is not true. Studies show that women are more likely to be stressed compared to men. However, other platforms tend to reduce stress.

Depression

Spending a lot of time on networking sites adversely affects your mood. This is because social media lets you see the best parts of people’s lives. For instance, almost everybody on Instagram is a model. They carefully select the best parts of their lives and post them on this platform and many others.

When you compare what you see and your relatively low lifestyle, you can be depressed. Comparison is the primary cause of depression for many social media users. How do you prevent depression or psychological distress? Try to spend as little time as possible on social media sites. It’s recommended that you spend only half an hour per day on social media.

Unhealthy sleep patterns

In addition to inducing depression and anxiety, spending a lot of your time on networking sites can lead to poor sleep patterns. Numerous studies have shown that social media harms the quality of sleep. If you feel that your sleep patterns have reduced your productivity, try to reduce the amount of time you spend on your networking platforms.

Mostly, this affects people who use smartphones at night when they are in bed. It’s easy to tell yourself that you’re going to check your Facebook updates for five minutes, only to realize you have spent two hours on Twitter or other platforms.

Cyberbullying

Have you been bullied before? Whether online or offline? Before the internet came into existence, bullying was only in face-to-face circumstances. However, these days people can bully you from any part of the world. You've probably seen people being bullied on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Most people who bully others use the anonymity that these platforms provide to terrorize others. For instance, you can create a fake Twitter profile, act friendly to some people, and then later betray and embarrass them online.

Social media and body image

If you look at the most followed and popular Instagram accounts, you’ll realize they are some of the most beautiful people. These people also wear expensive clothes, live in fancy houses, have perfectly shaped bodies and take photos in some of the best sceneries.

Nowadays, body image matters. The fact that you see people who have perfect bodies daily means that you are conscious about the way you look-however different from others. This mainly affects women. However, it’s important to note we are all human, and nobody wakes up each day looking like a model.

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