IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON

YOUTH’S SELF ESTEEM

Ms. Nandita Goswami Mr. Ayush Sachdeva

MBA (M&S) MBA (M&S)
Amity Business School, Amity Business School,
Amity University Noida, India. Amity University Noida, India.

ABSTRACT
Many parents worry about how exposure to technology might affect the development of their
children. Adolescence is an important period of rapid development, and too few of us are
paying attention to how our teenagers’ use of technology. Experts worry that the social media
has become integral to youth’s life and are promoting anxiety and lowering self-esteem. The
impacts of these social networking websites have a bigger impact on the society and human
relationships, both positive and negative. Usage of information technology in social
networking websites, increase its popularity in the youth especially in students who study in
Universities. For analyzing the impact social media has on youth’s self esteem, a
questionnaire was designed. A sample of 100 students was taken and a descriptive research
design was adopted. The questionnaire designed contained a Likert scale for rating youth’s
responses. The data collected was further analyzed and the conclusion was that various age
groups of youth have different motivation for visiting the social media websites. The study
further concluded that the use of social media influence and impact the self- esteem and
psychological wellbeing of the youth. The study also explain its harms and recommends
proper guidance and counselling on the positive and useful utilization of social media.

KEYWORDS: Social media, Self- esteem, social networking websites, psychological

wellbeing, youth, teenagers.
INTRODUCTION
Information and communication technology has changed rapidly over the last few years and
has led to the emergence of social media. Social Media originated as a way of communication
or one can say interaction between friends and families. The power of social media is its
ability that it can connect anyone from anywhere around the world. It has increased the
visibility of issues and the balance of power has slowly shifted from few to masses as on this
platform each person has marginal views.

Social networking websites such as Facebook, Myspace, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn etc
have attracted millions of users throughout the world. Most websites helps in maintaining the
relationship which already exists while the others help in connecting strangers with similar
likes, dislikes, interests and views. Many teenagers have been using social media to build
relations, to gain knowledge and have better social lives by posting interesting content and
talking to acquaintances according to their own choice.

Self esteem is a very important trait that can influence life in myriad ways. The term self-
esteem is used to describe a person's overall sense of self-worth or personal value. In other
words, how much you appreciate and like yourself. Self-esteem is often seen as a personality
trait, which means that it tends to be stable and enduring. It can play a significant role in
one’s motivation and success throughout their life. Low self-esteem may hold one back from
succeeding at work because they don't believe in themselves of having the capability to
succeed. By contrast, having a healthy self-esteem can help one achieve because they
navigate life with a positive, assertive attitude and believe they can accomplish their goals.

The relationship between social media and the impact that it has on the individual’s self
esteem is to be looked upon closely as we are well aware that self esteem levels at the
extreme high and low ends of the spectrum can be harmful, so ideally, its best to strike a
balance somewhere in the middle. Teens spend more than usual hours on social networking
sites to download pictures, browse through updates seek entertainment and chat around with
friends to keep themselves connected to one another. These sites have held an addiction to the
youth wherein they find it difficult to concentrate on their work and prefer logging in and
jumping across one site to another. Individuals have set their own limits as to when and when
not to access these websites. Online communities have become an essential part of our
adolescents’ lives and could have a direct impact on their mental health. Today, our teens are
exposed to thousands of indirect attacks on self-esteem via written messages, pictures,
videos, and the like via social networking sites.

OBJECTIVE
The major objective of this research is to clearly and precisely identify the impact of social
media on the self esteem of the youth. This study would highlight the clear insights towards
the direction of the relationship among them. It would help in analyzing the indulgence of
youth on social media and its possible consequences in lowering their self esteem.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Boyd (2007) defines Social Networking Site as a web-based service that allows individuals to
construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, articulate a list of other
users with whom they share a connection, view and traverse their list of connections and
those made by others within the system. Such SNSs are websites such as MySpace,
Facebook, whatsApp, Skype, and Twitter among others. The nature and nomenclature of
these connections may vary from site to site (Dothan & Boyd, 2009).

Social networking sites allow people to make their presentations and create connections with
others, while Facebook is especially good in the bridging between people (Ellison et al.,
2007). This fact pushed Facebook to the world leader in this kind of linking and
communication among the people worldwide, especially among the younger generations.

After joining a social network site, users are prompted to identify others in the system with
which they have a relationship. The label for these relationships differs depending on the site-
popular terms include “Friends,”“Contacts,” and “Fans.” Most SNSs require bi‐directional
confirmation for Friendship, but some do not. These one‐directional ties are sometimes
labeled as “Fans” or “Followers,” but many sites call these Friends as well. The term
“Friends” can be misleading, because the connection does not necessarily mean friendship in
the everyday vernacular sense, and the reasons people connect are varied (boyd, 2006a).

Abraham Maslow (1943) included self-esteem in his hierarchy of human needs. He

described two different forms of "esteem": the need for respect from others in the form of
recognition, success, and admiration, and the need for self-respect in the form of self-love,
self-confidence, skill, or aptitude.[22] Respect from others was believed to be more fragile and
easily lost than inner self-esteem. According to Maslow, without the fulfillment of the self-
esteem need, individuals will be driven to seek it and unable to grow and obtain self-
actualization. Maslow also states that the healthiest expression of self-esteem "is the one
which manifests in respect we deserve for others, more than renown, fame and flattery".

According to Haferkamp and Kramer (2011), “the process that happens when an individual
is confronted with numerous other SNS profiles is social comparison, as the result of
information diversity that is provided by these profiles, offering a perfect basis for engaging
in comparisons with others”.

“Depression and low self-esteem have been consistently linked in social comparison research
and low self-concept clarity has been strongly associated with lower levels of self-esteem”
(Durkin, Paxton, Sorbello, 2007, pp. 1096).
According to Polce-Lynch, Myers, Kliewer, & Kilmartin (2000), “self-esteem, which refers
to a person’s general sense of worth or acceptance, is recognized for the critical role it plays
in mental health and psychopathology”(pp.226). This knowledge places emphasis in
discovering how social media may influence self-esteem due to its overwhelming presence in
today’s society.

Schufreider (2015) states that people may compare many aspects on Facebook including
“appearance, clothing style, love life, or social calendar” and the longer amount of time users
spends on Facebook, the more time they have to compare to others, “which caused users to
begin to feel poorly about themselves, their self-worth, and their self-image” (pp. 17). He
states high levels of connectedness help “individuals manage their emotions…facilitate
keeping the individual’s overwhelming negative feelings at bay” and “can also lessen one’s
low level of self-esteem” (pp. 14). All of these aspects assist an individual to have greater
quality of life. Having a decreased sense of belongingness may contribute to a poor self
esteem.

Unfortunately, the negative impact of social media does not stop there; depending upon the
relationships formed, the tone of the reactions, and frequency of reactions on social media all
play into self-esteem and well-being (Valkenburg, Peter, Schouten, 2006, pp. 589).
Adolescents are especially at risk because their self-image is heavily characterized by peer
influence and a significant piece during this developmental period is an “increased focus on
the self”.

Some researchers disagree with this and claim that generally it is just the internet which
affects the self-esteem of individuals not the social networking sites specifically
(Valkenburg, Peter and Schouten, 2006).

Comparing your life with the life of other people through social media has negative effects on
self-esteem (de Vries and Kühne, 2015). When people read what others post and update in
their profile, they feel less satisfied with their lifestyle, and consequently they will have low
self-esteem.

The children are digital natives, while the parents are digital immigrants (Prensky, 2001).
Adolescents have grown up during the age of technology, while older adults have adopted
many of the aspects of new technology within their life, and they had to learn to adapt to their
new environment. A new challenge that has occurred would be the “language barrier”
between the two populations. This can make it difficult for parents to know what is okay and
what is not in terms of media use and technology. It is important for researchers and
practitioners to stay up to date on all of the advantages and disadvantages of media use and
technology, so that parents are able to understand the short term and long term effects. With
the incorporation of technology in almost anything within society, it seems that the ‘digital
immigrants’ are adapting, but they really do not have a choice (Prensky, 2001). Technology
will be on the rise for a long time and people will have to keep adapting.

Rachel Ehmke (2013) reports that “experts worry that the social media and text messages
that have become so integral to teenage life are promoting anxiety and lowering self-esteem.”
Cruel and short “punch” lines used to demean and humiliate is the aggressor’s weapon of
choice to attack others’ identity, individuality, and other aspects of the victim’s personality.
Perpetrators are aware of the short time span they will be allowed in the vast cosmos of
competitive social networking; therefore, they use pictures, shocking posts, and simple, short,
and concise “punch” lines that will take a moment to read but will have a major impact on
many unsuspecting SNS participants. A concise “punch” line will be enough to cause
irreparable damage, such as depression, anxiety or stress and the issue pleads for Behavioral
Health Care solutions that counteract the negative effect these attacks have on our
adolescents’ emotional wellbeing, such as low self-esteem and anxiety issues (Ehemke).

Durkin, Paxton, & Sorbello (2007) researched the effects of body satisfaction on self-
esteem by using a similar design as Clay, Vignoles, & Dittmar and came to the conclusion
that viewing idealized models decreased body satisfaction and body image (pp. 1092).
However, there were no differences in body dissatisfaction between viewing the average-size
models and the ultra-thin models for the adolescent girls in Clay, Vignoles, and Dittmar’s
study.

These opinions of other people, either friends or public, and the feedback from them have
very strong effect on people’s self-esteems. Heatherton and Polivy (1991) claim that the
concept of self-esteem can be either stable or fluid in nature i.e. it can take time to develop
for some people while it can change with trends and daily events for others. While negative
feedback lowers the self-esteem of individuals, positive feedback increases the self-esteem to
a very high degree (Valkenburg et al., 2006).

People engage in two types of comparisons on social networking sites, upward and
downward comparison. The former one is the comparison between an individual and those
superior from him and possessing positive attributes while the latter one marks the
comparison between an individual and those inferior than him and possessing negative
attributes (Wills, 1981; Wood, 1989).

In order to fulfill their affiliation needs majority of the humans get possessed by an
elementary drive which forces them to make social comparisons between themselves
and others (Schachter, 1959). These affiliation needs are triggered by many social
networking sites. Festinger (1954) claimed that these social networking sites lead many
people to do self-evaluations and make social comparisons between themselves and others
based on social classes, social roles, beauty, popularity, wealth accumulation and other social
functions.

Social development occurs in relation to peers, family, school, work, and the community
(American Psychological Association, 2002). The relationships that adolescents form during
this time is very important, and if anything negative happens it can severely impact social
development. The negative impacts can lead to issues regarding self-esteem, peer pressure,
and cyber bullying, which can possibly lead to depression and suicide (APA, 2002). Social
media can definitely exacerbate the issues revolving around social development. Teenagers
are using social THE EFFECT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON Bryant 16 media constantly and
remaining in contact at all times, and adolescents can face peer victimization and rejection.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY-:
RESEARCH DESIGN

A research design is the arrangement of conditions for collection and analysis of data in a
manner that aims to combine relevance to the research purpose with economy in procedure
(Kothari, 2004). A descriptive survey design was adopted in this research where data was
collected at one point in time by the directing a questionnaire to a sample of individuals.
Questionnaires were distributed and filled out by the participants of the sample which asked
some basic questions regarding their usage of social media and its influence on their self
esteem. In order to quantify the data and to measure the impact of social media on the self
esteem of the youth, a likert scale ranging from 1-4 was employed.

A descriptive survey design was employed as it investigates and identifies the individual’s
habits, opinions and attitudes in a particular precise manner. This design is analytical in
nature which goes into minute details and describes each aspect clearly.

LOCATION OF THE STUDY

The location of the study was Noida. The criterion for choosing this location was because it
consists of a large number of schools and universities. It has about 204 schools and 25
universities having students coming from different backgrounds and therefore making it ideal
for this research.

SAMPLE AND SAMPLING TECHNIQUE

Sampling is the process or technique of selecting a number of individuals for a study in such
a way that the individuals selected represent the large group from which they were selected
(Mugenda & Mugenda, 2003).
As the research is non-probabilistic in nature, convenience sampling is implemented.
Convenience sampling is a technique where subjects are selected based on the convenience
and accessibility of the researcher. Therefore due to the geographical boundaries, this method
was best suited for the same.
A sample of 100 youngsters was selected, between the ages of 18-25. These individuals were
given questionnaires to be filled. In questionnaire, likert scale (Strongly agree, agree, disagree
and strongly disagree) was utilized.
DATA ANAYSIS
The main aim of the study was to establish the extent of the influence of social media on
adolescent’s self esteem and psychological wellbeing. The response was rated on a likert
scale of 1 to 4 where 1= strongly disagree, 2=disagree, 3=agree and 4=strongly agree.
In this study, 100 youngsters were randomly selected for collection of primary data. In these
100 individuals, 30% were in age bracket of 18-20, 40% were in the age of 21-23 and 30%
were 24-25 years old.

AGE WISE ANALYSIS

AGE Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree
(A) Using social media helps me to connect with my friends
18-20 0 2 10 18
21-23 1 3 15 21
24-25 4 9 10 7
(B) Using Social media influences how I feel about myself
18-20 5 4 13 8
21-23 11 15 7 7
24-25 10 17 2 1
(C) Having my own profile on social media gives me a sense of
freedom
18-20 2 3 15 10
21-23 9 18 8 5
24-25 10 17 2 1
(D) I feel good about photo tagging, friend requests and status
updates
18-20 0 1 17 12
21-23 1 5 18 16
24-25 4 6 10 10
(E) The number of likes on my picture posted on social media
affects me
18-20 3 12 8 7
21-23 13 17 6 4
24-25 12 15 3 0
(F) I compare myself after viewing other people’s profile on social
media
18-20 11 12 5 2
21-23 18 15 6 1
24-25 16 10 4 0
(G) I present myself in a way to look confident and have a higher
self esteem on social media
 18-20 3 4 12 11
21-23 15 19 4 2
24-25 12 16 2 0
(H) Social media makes the need to change myself to fit to others
standards
18-20 8 10 8 4
21-23 15 20 3 2
24-25 18 8 3 1
(I) I feel envious of other people’s success and lifestyles on social
media
18-20 7 10 9 4
21-23 10 21 7 2
24-25 16 11 2 1
(J) I feel anxious and depressed after using social networking
websites
18-20 13 14 3 0
21-23 15 18 5 2
24-25 10 12 4 4

The respondents were required to give the extent in which they agreed with the above
statements on the influence they had on social networking sites and on their self-esteem and
psychological well-being.

KEY FINDINGS

The respondents were required to give the extent in which they agreed with different
statements which were presented in the questionnaire related to the influence social media
had on their self esteem and psychological wellbeing. The results of the survey were
compiled and analysed so as to infer the outcome of the relationship between the usage of
social media and the self-esteem of individuals.

The response of each sampling unit with respect to age is presented in the above table.
Results show that out of 30 respondents, between 18-20 years, 18 strongly agree, 10 agree, 2
disagree and none strongly disagree that social media helps them to connect with their
friends. Out of 40 individuals between 21-23 years, 21 strongly agree and 15 agree with the
same. Most of the youngsters between 24-25 years agreed with the statement.
Between the age of 17-18, 13 respondents felt that social media influences how they feel
about themselves, while between the age bracket of 21-23, 15 people disagreed on the same.
Majority of the youngsters between 24-25 years disagreed with the proclamation.
Most of the youngsters of the age 17-18 feel that social media do give a sense of freedom to
them. 18 people of the age group 21-23 disagreed with the same, while 17 individuals of 24-
25 of age bracket disagreed with it.
Almost majority of the individuals irrespective of their age bracket agreed that they feel good
about photo tagging, friend requests etc. The most affected age group by the number of likes
on their pictures is of 18-20. Out of 30 respondents of age group 18-20, 11 people strongly
disagree that they compare themselves with others profile on social media while 2 strongly
agree with the same. Out of the 40 individuals of age group 21-23 age, 18 strongly disagreed
with the statement and 16 individuals of age group 24-25 disagreed with the observation.
Majority of the respondents in age group of 18-20 agree that social media makes them look
confident and have a higher self esteem. 19 people of 21-23 age disagreed with the same and
more than half of the people of age group 24-25 disagreed with the statement.
In the age group of 18-20, 10 people disagreed that they need to change themselves to fit to
others standards, while 20 people in the age group of 21-23 disagreed with the same.
Most every age group disagreed with the proclamation that they feel envious with other
people’s success and lifestyle on social media. Also, a majority of respondents disagreed with
the statement that they feel anxious and depressed after using social media websites.

CONCLUSION

In the current generation, social media has come up to become one of the most important
factors affecting the self esteem of the individuals. The impact of social media on the well
being of the youth is very vigorous. The youngsters are using social media for connecting
with friends and acquaintances, sharing information, posting and updating various aspects
on their profiles and for different other reasons. Majority of the individuals on social media
ends up comparing themselves with others. People tend to compare their success and
lifestyles to those of others which sometimes make them question their own worth. As a
result of the same, the self esteem of the individuals gets affected in a negative way. Since
the advent of social media, it has grown generously engulfing individuals irrespective of their
nationalities, gender, age etc. So it is impossible to keep people especially the youth away
from using social media for a very long time. Thus to mitigate the negative impact of social
media on the youth, proper guidance regarding self esteem and self confidence, should be
provided by the parents and teachers. It is imperative for the parents to keep an eye on the
activities of their children on the social media, limit their access and also make them aware
regarding the negative consequences of the over usage of social media.

RESEARCH IMPLICATIONS

The outcome of the research conducted provides a smaller yet clearer picture of the effect that
social media is having on the self esteem of the youth. The relevant prediction of depression
and anxiety on the youth affects their behaviour in a negative manner. Mental illness, low
morale and low self confidence are some of ill effects of excess social media usage.
The adolescents are using technology and media on an average of about seven hours a day
which influences the way how they perceive and feel about themselves.
The forthcoming generation which will be more inclined towards technology and social
media, proper guidance and awareness regarding the effective usage of social media is a
matter of utmost importance.
FUTURE SCOPE OF THE RESEARCH

As more and more people are coming on to the social media platform it has led to the
widening of the scope of the research. The future scope of the research must contain a more
effective and efficient way of analyzing the relationship between self esteem and use of social
media. Due to the cost and time constraints of the sample taken, the research should include a
larger sample so as to identify the characteristics of population more precisely. In the coming
years of research, gender can also be taken as a parameter to further delve in determining the
effects of social media on males and females. In this study, the age group which has been
impacted the most and should be looked upon is between the age brackets 18 to 20. The
current situation might lead to severe consequences on this age group due to the strong
influence of social media on them. The study included the dependence of one variable on
another, but the answer as to why a relationship between social media and self esteem exists
was not established. Further research must be conducted in order to determine the causational
factors involved.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

This report contains a small research for academic purpose which was restricted to Noida due
to the nature of limited geographical boundaries of convenience sampling.
As this method of sampling was used in the research, it is not necessary that the sample is a
true representation of the whole population. The sample size for the research was kept small
due to the time constraint.
The questionnaire which was used for the study was designed thoughtfully but the honesty by
which the respondents have answered cannot be measured. As we know that self- esteem
varies from one person to another depending on their opinions, beliefs, experiences etc.
therefore it is difficult to get an accurate representation of the same.
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