How does social media affect the development of adolescent body image?

Effects of Social Media
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Effects of Social Media
How does social media affect the development of adolescent body image?
Today, billions of people spend time on different social media platforms. However, few take the time to assess the effects of the social media platforms on who they are, their perceptions and opinions, and their inclinations. For example, when it comes to body image, everyone is going for a "perfect" figure which for ladies is being slim and fit. For men, on the other hand, the perfect image is a masculine body with all the body muscles clearly showcased. In this research paper, I seek to discuss how social media has influenced people's perceptions about their body image. The target population of my research is adolescents. This research paper's guiding question is: why do some adolescents value attractiveness too much to a point where they sacrifice their mental and physical health? There have been instances when stories of adolescents have hit the media houses with concerns over their mental health. Depression cases and suicide cases have also been reported, and many of these come from instances where the adolescents were dissatisfied with their body images. In discussing the topic at hand, this research paper will assess three factors thought to be crucial, including technology influence, political correctness, and capital-driven consumerism.
Today, children as young as five have social media accounts. While it is at times seen as a 'cool' trend when parents open social media accounts for their children, these have come back to haunt these families. In a social media platform like Instagram, users are known to share a lot of images. These set a standard that everyone wants to attain, and to those who cannot attain such levels or standards, it can become an issue, especially when those around a person are able to abide by such standards. For adolescents, the issue of peer pressure has been touted as one of the major factors that move many to indulge in certain activities. In their study, Tiggemann and Anderberg (2020) write that "an extensive body of research has documented detrimental effects on women's body image from exposure to idealized images displayed in traditional media formats." With social media platforms, the problem has been magnified and spread to all ages. The researchers note that research showcases "parallel negative effects resulting from social media exposure, most commonly Facebook." Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat are known to be quite popular among adolescents (Tankovska, 2021). The implication of the above fact is that many adolescents have to put up with idealistic standards and measures. As Tiggemann and Anderberg (2020) indicate, people tended to be dissatisfied with their body image when shown ideal images of themselves. For adolescents without the emotional and mental capability to handle such pressure, these platforms are but a pressure zone that continually reminds them they are not enough.
Aside from the above, there is the factor of political correctness. Here, political correctness is considered from the point of wanting to be acce...