Facebook is back in the spotlight. Mark Zuckerberg's company has recognized that their social networks are as toxic as they seem, although they have not said so publicly. In the case of Instagram, “32% of the girls say that when they feel bad about their body, Instagram makes them feel worse “. This is the conclusion of one of the March 2020 reports that an investigation by The Wall Street Journal has brought to light. The revelation has not been so much in reality and has only confirmed what many already knew: that Instagram has a very dangerous side, especially for teenagers with low self-esteem.
María is 21 years old and Instagram is the social network she uses the most, even more than WhatsApp. Like most users of the platform, a large part of the people he follows are public figures or influencers. The report on Instagram is a reflection of what she sees every day on the platform. “Many times it is a source of inspiration (…) but many times it has made me compare myself with people around me, also even with people I don't even know,” explained María. The worst thing is that sometimes even has made her stop being herself. “For looking like a certain ideal of a person my age. For example, wearing certain clothes, going out to party in certain places or going to dinner at certain restaurants.”
“I hope I look like an influencer”
Influencers are often the example that many teenagers follow. Despite the fact that many of them show a image of perfection related to their work, their relationships and, of course, their body. María has the feeling that on Instagram there is only room to show things that are going well and, if not, it is better not to post anything.
“All this has affected my self-esteem many times , especially after the quarantine. I felt bad for not being the same, not looking so good physically or so happy emotionally,” he told Hypertextual.
It is a feeling that she also shares with her friends. Without perhaps being aware, they end up comparing themselves with the influencers they see on Instagram. And that can contribute to low self-esteem.
“Many times I have come to hear comments of 'I hope I look like …' or 'I have the same life as …', referring to someone who was still on this social network or they have asked me about whether to publish a photo or not.”
Mary The problem is that they do much more than compare themselves to influencers. The “reality” of Instagram is so internalized that sometimes it can be difficult to differentiate it from real life. It is no coincidence that almost no one uploads a photo without editing or without a filter. “They are all subliminal messages of perfection in all fields, not only in the physical but also in leisure.” Therefore, he continued, many times we can feel out of place for not having a boat, from seeing it so much on Instagram.
It is not only because of the platforms that we have acquired an image of a perfect body and life. For years, television ads and fashion magazines have sold us a prototype of perfection that has little to do with reality. Now, we see this image daily in the influencers we follow. “This content is much closer, it is people who can be much more like you,” said María. Therefore, there are more points in common with someone you see practically every day on Instagram than someone who appears in an ad. “It transmits (apparently) more normality and connection,” he added, but also many more insecurities because you feel a greater pressure to look like that person.
And what difference does it make if we are different? For Eva G., 17, it has not affected her self-esteem too much being active on Instagram and following influencers. But that does not mean that you are not aware of the reality around you. “Some of my friends have been affected and they have had a really bad time because of the content that some people upload. They create expectations that you can't reach because you don't have that body model” , he commented to this medium.
We know that no one has a perfect life and that the idea of a perfect body is very relative. Ideally, for Eva, we would realize that having a different body than someone else does not mean that it is invalid and that should not mean low self-esteem. “We have to accept that many things they teach is not reality. And even if it were, what difference does it make”.
The toxic behaviors caused by Instagram
Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com That would be the perfect approach although, make no mistake, unrealistic. The perfect body that we see in many Instagram posts can not only cause low self-esteem, it can also be a risk factor for teenagers . “It can lead to unhealthy behaviors (extreme diets, risky exercises, etc.) . For example, normal girls (and also boys) or with some physical complex can feel very bad if they check it they are far removed from beauty stereotypes. ” This was the opinion of José Pedro Espada, professor of Psychological Treatments at the Miguel Hernández University and collaborator of the General Council of Psychology, who warned that the benefits of consuming content with normative models have few benefits.
Some influencers are the ambassadors of this type of content and, as María and Eva commented, content creators have a closer connection with their followers than a television advertisement. “They become more effective because adolescents can identify more by having the sensation of being close characters and similar to them,” continued Espada.
As a specialist in Child and Adolescent Psychology, Espada has witnessed cases in which the influence of social networks such as Instagram is subtle, but he has also encountered children who already had a risk factor , such as high introversion, or tendency to addictive behaviors. In short, behaviors that favor an addiction to social networks.
“Many adolescents still do not have sufficient criteria because precisely they are in the maturing phase and consolidating their own identity, opinions and values, which are then accompanied by behaviors aimed at fulfilling their objectives (giving a certain image)”.
José Pedro Espada
TikTok is not far behind
Beyond the experiences of adolescents, there are recent studies, such as this one from 2020, that show a correlation between negative body image, low self-esteem, and using Instagram . TikTok, although with less evidence for now, seems to be going the same way.
If Instagram is home to influencers, TikTok is not far behind. Especially for the dissemination of its flagship product, the short videos, in which the image of a perfect body according to the established prototypes is repeated more than ever. In 2020, NBC News conducted a survey of teenage women and found that the content they saw on TikTok encouraged them to become even more obsessed with their diets and exercise routines.
TikTok may further increase the insecurity of teens
Vox magazine spoke with a 19-year-old girl, Morayo Ogunbayo, who began the interview by saying that she was aware that not all women are like Kylie Jenner. And those that are will be lucky to have good genes or enough money to invest in their body and make it “perfect”. But then the pandemic hit and he started consuming TikTok much more than before.
“All the people were incredibly beautiful,” he told Vox. Although he knows that the videos that appear respond to a very effective algorithm, consuming all this content increased his insecurity.
Eva G. can't say if TikTok is more harmful than Instagram. But she has admitted that she has seen beautiful girls “and I have thought that I am an orca.” She said that, like her, thousands of people think. Even though the perfect image sold on social media is the same, Eva has the feeling that TikTok can foster low self-esteem in the same way as Instagram.
Body positive, on Instagram or out
The insecurities of adolescents and young people about the type of content they consume on Instagram also has a B-side. That of the efforts of many people to end what could be considered “the dictatorship” of the perfect image and body. A fight that goes much more than social networks. The body positive movement, that was popularized by initiatives like a Dove ad has become the mantra of many influencers.
It seems that this discourse is becoming more and more pervasive: that we are subjected to a prototype of body and image that has already destroyed the forces and low self-esteem of too many people. The world, in fact, is set up to be anything but nice to people who are obese or overweight. It is even normal that they are blamed for having the body they have.
Social networks can be the perfect setting to develop this type of movement, although for now it remains residual compared to the insecurities caused by a large part of the content on networks such as Instagram. It is not easy to get into networks, but it was also complicated.
It is also difficult to get off Instagram The Dove ad was one of the first times we heard the term body positive on television. That could have been the watershed for other cosmetic brands to opt for similar strategies. But it is a fact: they need to continue selling anti-cellulite creams. The discourse has been changing little by little and some brands advocate “loving yourself more”; yes, buying their creams you will feel much better.
Many clothing brands have included among their models women with sizes beyond 38 or 40. An achievement that seems small but it seems incredible how much it has cost to reach it. Fashion magazines are echoing this movement, b ero we are still far from seeing real girls on the cover of Vogue.
This does not mean that many people have not felt better and have fought their low self-esteem thanks to body positive movements. But it is a phenomenon that was already born with failures and with huge walls to climb. Little by little, it seems to be making a dent. For example, influencers like Rianne Meijer have become very popular on social media for showing a real face of their life, especially how photographs are manipulated to make a person appear slimmer with a specific posture.
These initiatives are positive and when “an influencer has shown what some of their images are like without retouching or with different angles, it has helped the public to modify that idealized image,” commented psychologist José Pedro Espada. However, the problem is that this influence is minority when compared to the content that adolescents consume daily on social networks.
Normal is a 'rarity'
It is difficult to find a solution. Because Instagram will continue to exist and the millions of followers, also of TikTok, do not want to get rid of them. Surely some adolescents are not even aware of how n these platforms affect their low self-esteem. With less reason they will make a decision that makes them feel isolated from their environment.
Maria, 21, knows that it is difficult to completely get away from Instagram, but maybe it is possible to change the approach we give it. “Do not use Instagram to convince of how perfect we are and how great we are. life we lead, feel free to publish what we want when we want. ” It also bets that the accounts of public figures disclose an image of normality, not just perfection.
“We must internalize the idea that what we see is nothing more than a showcase of what we want to show, not of what we really are. We do otherwise. “
Maria It is logical that we all want to share only the good and fun things that happen to us. “Not the days of bun and pouting” , underlined María. The problem is when we are so obsessed with seeing only the good that the “normal” becomes a rarity.
Instagram, under scrutiny (again)
Investigations by The Wall Street Journal have put Mark Zuckerberg's giant in the dock. After the already sounded scandals such as Cambridge Analytica and the 2016 elections in the United States, the social network is running out of arguments to defend itself. The same is happening with Instagram.
After the report came to light, two US senators, Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal, announced the launch of a investigation into Facebook's lack of transparency. Wall Street Journal may just be the tip of the iceberg “, they pointed out.
If you are concerned about how Instagram works in general, the report is the confirmation we needed to be able to say that Instagram for kids is not a good idea. In May, a group of officials asked Facebook to abandon its plans to create a platform for children under 13 years of age. “It seems that Facebook does not respond to a need, but rather creates one, as this platform mainly attracts children who otherwise would not have or would not have an Instagram account,” the group noted.
In addition, they claimed that it could be very harmful to children. One need only see how it has contributed to a low self-esteem of young people to be able to say that, without a doubt, leaving children with the dangers of Instagram has more cons than pros.
