Anxiety and depressive feelings can arise when social media is used as a form of comparison. These negative feelings can last for years, as using social media in this way during adolescents can impact the development of appearance self-esteem, as adolescents are going through a key phase of creating and forming their identity. This makes them more vulnerable to what they are exposed to online, as well as this comparing culture being instilled into their behavior longitudinally. This can make adolescents experience a range of mental health issues from anxiety to depression as comparing culture is heightened and social media use is largely increased.

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

•Concern with one's appearance

•Comparing Culture

•Worsen Body Image Dissatisfaction

•Social Networking Addiction

•Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

•Imagined Image Defects

Constant social media use can cause unrealistic body image ideals that can greatly impact one's mental well-being. 

Steinsbekk, S., Wichstrøm, L., & Nesi, J. (2021, January). The impact of social media use on appearance self-esteem from childhood to adolescence – A 3-wave community study. Computers in Human Behavior, 114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106528

The impact of social media use on appearance self-esteem from childhood to adolescence – A 3-wave community study.

In developed countries, 40% of 10-year-olds use Instagram and Snapchat, with that number doubling by the age of 14 years old. The study reported that the individuals' levels of self-esteem declined over time as their social media use increased and their self-awareness increased. By being introduced to social media at a very young age, adolescents become prone to using these forms of social media daily. By using the social websites more and more, users tend to feel worse about their outward appearance, and in turn, may post more to receive positive feedback. This creates a cycle of comparing one self to what they see on social media, and then trying to create images of their best self to receive positive feedback to increase their self-esteem. 

Social Networking Addiction

With the increase in photography and images of ourselves due to social media and today's technology, there are many photos of every person to which they can easily go back and look at on their telephones. Interestingly, there is something known as the "selfie paradox", which has led to plastic surgeons noting several of their patients seeking cosmetic procedures to "fix" features on their face to better their selfies. However, cameras and selfies have been known to distort, but the people seeking cosmetic procedures begin to see these distorted images on their face, even when they are not looking at the distorted photographs.

Imagined Image Defects

Studies have shown that social media has negatively affected how people view their outward appearance. However, most studies cater towards female adolescents so the decline in outer appearance has mostly been seen in females. Research has shown that the COVID pandemic has increased our online usage, with an estimated 94% of teens in developed countries being on some sort of social media, whether that is Instagram, Snapchat, or others like Facebook or Tiktok. With this increasing numbers, it seems that adolescents use social media as a “core means of self-presentation”. However, since social media is a glorified photo “dump” (meaning most images posted are the highlights of the photos), it creates a “gap” between how one’s perceived and ideal self, leading to concerns with their image, especially in adolescent girls.  

Concern with One's Appearance

Comparing Culture

Body dysmorphic disorder is a condition where an individual becomes excessively preoccupied with one or more perceived flaws in their physical appearance. These perceived defects are typically nonexistent or unnoticeable to others, but they cause the person to experience significant anxiety about how they appear.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Studies have shown that adolescents often compare themselves to others via social media platforms, causing these users to report worsened body image dissatisfaction. Additionally, posts typically only represent the "highlight reel" of users lives, meaning they post the photos that they look the best in or showcase highlights of what is going on in their life. However, to users engaging in this content, they see these "ideal" posts as being someone's norm. This makes them feel that their realistic selves fall short of what their ideal self may be, leading to them feeling worse about their body as well as their daily life. Users compare their looks to what they wish to look like given these unrealistic beauty standards from social media, which leads users to report their worsened body image dissatisfaction (most often seen in adolescent girls).

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