What Are The Negative Effects Of The Influence Of Social Media

With the ever increasing influence of social media in our daily lives, we are seeing more individuals suffer from the negative effects of being constantly exposed to images of "ideal" body types. In Beauty and Thinness Messages in Children’s Media Analysis it is stated that “Research suggests that young children have body image concerns, such as a desire for thinness and avoidance to obesity.” The analysis continues with saying that “Few studies have investigated how children’s body preferences and stereotypes are influenced by media aimed at children. Results indicated that messages emphasizing the importance of physical appearance and portraying body stereotypes are present in many children 's videos but relatively few books (Herbozo S, Tantleff-Dunn S, Gokee-Larose J, Thompson JK, 2004).” The reshaping of beauty standards are fueled by unrealistic expectations through media, as there has been a huge difference in the way people promote themselves through social media in the last few years. This can have major effects on people as it influences negative body image which, coincidentally, can lead people to develop things such as eating disorders. With that being said, social media, through the use of alter egos, gives

By doing this people will be able to fight body shame, and will have the strength to fight against this altered perception of what beautiful is. Beauty should not be defined by the looks of others, and people should not feel pressured to fit that mold because beauty is subjective, and everyone was not made to look the same. Another solution would be to begin accepting your body as it is and for all that it can do. This includes the little things like running, breathing, laughing, etc. People should also make it a habit of looking at themselves as a whole person, meaning to stop picking out specific body parts that you may not like, but looking at yourself as one