Park 1 Clara Park Ms. Portmann Honors English Per.

5 11 December 2013 Does the Use of Social Media Influence the Self-Esteem of Teenagers? The way someone uses social media may reflect not only intelligence and personality but deeply rooted feelings about the self (Mientka). Social media allows opportunities for jealously and comparison, sparking the minds of the youth to think negatively, making them feel as though they do not belong in modern esteem of teenagers. First of all, self-comparison is a common risk factor of social media. This particularly affects teenage girls. They compare themselves to celebrities and models they see online who have the ideal body any teenager would dream of; tall, lean, tan skin, toned stomach, long legs. They would compare and think, Why cant I look like that? leading to negative thoughts. Exposure to these images of unattainable beauty makes teenagers think less of themselves. Not only would they compare themselves to celebrities but with their peers or friends. Comparing their self to the ideal people in school can cause them to notice their imperfections. Second, social media provokes jealously in teenagers. Seeing their friends excelling in life in ways that they are not, cause teenagers to feel bitter and depressed (Walton). Social media is often used to brag about accomplishments and milestones in someones life. It is hard not to envy others who are doing well. One could become envious simply over how popular others are on social media. society. Social media does in fact lower the self-

Park 2 Some people say that social media increases self-esteem. Social media allow teenagers to let their positive side shine. Users can choose what they reveal about themselves and filter anything that might reflect badly (Shackford). Social media is deceiving. It highlights a persons life and creates the illusion of a perfect life. They can look back at all their positive posts and reflect off of that. Receiving likes on posts cause them to feel loved and worthy. However, some people are not so positive. Nasty comments could be written or their post could be disliked making teenagers lack confidence in themselves. The University of Salford in the UK did a study last year on social medias effects on self-esteem and anxiety, and reported that 50% of their 298 participants said that their use of social networks like Facebook and Twitter makes their lives worse (Soltero). Social media has negatively impacted the way teenagers perceive themselves. Social media lowers self-esteem so one should not be influenced by it.

Park 3 Work Cited Mientka, Matthew. Facebook And Social Media Activity Reflects Self-Esteem, Study Finds. www.medicaldaily.com. September 15, 2013. Web. December 11, 2013. Shackford, Stacey. Our Facebook walls boost self-esteem, study finds. www.news.cornell.edu. March 1, 2011. Web. December 11, 2013. Soltero, Alvaro. The Relationship Between Social Media and Self-Worth. www.thesocialu101.com. Web. December 11, 2013. Walton, Alice. Jealous Of Your Facebook Friends? Why Social Media Makes Us Bitter. www.forbes.com. January 22, 2013. Web. December 11, 2013.