The rapid evolutions and increase in technological advancements in our world today has had a greater influence on the course of human interactions. How people interact with one another has been largely dependent on the capacities developed through technology over the years. The current society has valued virtual communication which includes text messaging, emails and social media over the traditional communication that included physical communication between individuals.
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Get Help Now!Technological advancements have allowed us the accessibility of connecting with different people through various avenues however it is important to note the unavoidable consequences of technology on our social lives today. Technology has had greater impacts on our cultures; in other words, technology has influenced the way we perceive and interpret messages about ourselves, our self-worth and the general image appearance about us. Technology has brought about the increase in social media culture, we have been able to witness a constant stream of products and services, typically this has influenced the way we intercept things. In addition to this, the images we observe in the social media sites and the internet sites; we have developed consciousness about what our bodies might require and most importantly how we perceive ourselves and one another.
Media technology and Body image
Concerning the challenges of maintaining good body images, the social media is to blame as experts have hypothesized that the media has played a very important role in influencing the manner and kinds of our dietary systems. The media technology has been associated with the prevalence of eating disorders; the media technology has made access to these uncensored eating habits easily available in the movies, magazines, billboards, advertisements, and fashion ideals. (Cabe et al. 2007)
Statistics have indicated that children have been exposed to at least six to seven hours of media daily. It is important to note that children do not always have the developed brain capacity to differentiate between what is right and wrong; they, therefore, tend to copy what is shown in the media. The mainstream media has been oversaturated with various contents of diet culture including images of women and men some of which have been photoshopped, these images have always misled individuals into thinking that they can achieve the images too. This is because it is really difficult to differentiate between reality and falsified information.
The technological advancements have penetrated the minds of our young populations thus influencing the levels of their body satisfaction. Research studies have shown that exposure to fashion magazines and journals has led to increased levels of eating inefficiencies among girls. Young girls and small children are vulnerable to the increase in media saturation as it has increased eating disorders among them. (Bono, 2017)
Social networks have led to self-hurt of our self-esteem this is because of the increased exposure to more photos and images of unattainable beauty. The exposure to these images of celebrities has led to an increase in self-hurt of our self-esteem since we feel that we do not have the best body shape to resemble those of the celebrities. Studies have shown that there is always increased pressure among adolescents to have the best and attractive profile pictures on social media sites. These unnecessary pressures have always led them to do thorough scrutiny of their body structures and general images of their bodies and that of the others.
The pressure to have an attractive photo to be liked; studies conducted among teens has indicated that there is an imminent pressure among them to have good and attractive pictures in social media that can be liked by others. Fantasy and painful comparisons about the electronically modified photos are the order of the day as we now in the current society strive to live a kind of life that is virtually unattainable.
In general, the technological advancements in the media can be said to play a very big role in the way we feel about our bodies and generally about ourselves. The struggle and comparison between us and the perfect images found on the internet and other media sources such as TV sets have been on the rise; this has ultimately become a pervasive culture in our modern-day society. However, despite the rise in this culture, we can always improve our self-esteem and body image by understanding who is.
Our focus has always been placed on the connection between women and the media however men also have an existing relationship between them and the media influence. Images of the women often displayed in the media often seem to be well polished and always in the perfect and admirable state.
These women always have the best stunning look, perfectly done hairstyles and perfect waistlines, for this reasons they have always become the envy of many women and young girls who tend to copy their supposed lifestyles. Besides, there is also an increased influence of media images among men. The media advertisements and even on billboards showing men who are tall and masculine with toned physiques not easily found anywhere else; these images have been said to have a single ultimate goal for the women and men concerning who they should be; barbies and superheroes for women and men respectively. (Sane et al. 2012)
The media portrayals have continued to create unrealistic images regarding what we should be and look like, however, close 90 % of these images have been considered to be unreal. Studies have indicated that the more amounts of time we append in the media viewing and looking at these images, the higher our chances of experiencing low self-esteem increases. One study had indicated that boys who were always disturbed about their weights always struggled with depression and were more likely to indulge in drug use and drinking alcohol. However, we can always learn to have control of our bodies and ultimately develop a positive body image that can appreciate considering who we are.
We ought to understand that even if the images appearing in the social media could be real, the models and the actresses always have accesses to beauty therapists who are always in charge of their makeups and ensuring that they look perfect, however, we should always have in mind that the images portrayed in the media and on the billboards are always electronically altered to appear the way they are. The digital manipulation tools used on the images always act to ensure that no blemish feature is left on them and for the men; their chests are enlarged to appear nice and admirable.
Many people in modern society do not even think that the images might not even exist, the media passes a lot of lies to us concerning how a person should look. Due to this reason, we always feel a lot of pity for ourselves for looking too far different from what we should be. In other situations men have gone to the gym just trying to get enlarged chests but to no avail.
The impacts of the social media on our body image perception
From the various studies conducted around the world today, the use of social media has continued to rise over the last decade. This has worsened our perceptions about our images and our body’s appearance in general. The social media has been used as a comparison point; we see the pictures and images posted by our friends when they are in their best moments and we are always made to believe that is the way life is, subsequently we start to compare ourselves the kind of life we live daily to the kind of life they usually post on the social media sites. This has been found to substantially lower people’s self esteems.
The relationship between people and social media is reduced or rather lowered self-esteem; this means that this relationship is a vicious cycle where one leads to the other and so on. People spending a lot of time on social media are sure to be depressed about how they look and consequently, after the depression, one will still spend some time on social media trying to find the best mechanisms through which they can change to obtain the best figures and structures that they admire and long for.
Every period has its beauty ideals and standards right from the Stone Age period to the present society, however, it is important to note during the old days, the standards had previously been set but there was no means through which people could be influenced towards certain standards. The current society has shaped its preferences and expectations concerning the standards that everybody craves for. Lips and slim waists are considered as the standard ideals and expectations of the current society which every woman struggles to get. Commercial advertisements containing lipsticks and lip bum have been found to make women feel less feminine; likewise, the posts from a male celebrity with enlarged chests will always make men cringe with jealousy. This has always been considered as common. It is common to try and shape our self-perception based on our internal feelings about what we see and to embody this beauty and standards as set out in the society. (Harter & Jackson, 1993)
Billboards, TVs, social media networks have a practically endless reach in today’s society; considering the levels of exaggerations in these portrayals, it is natural to experience lowered self-esteem and have a biased self-perception of us.
The media, body image and stress
It is noted that people may encounter negative impacts of social media in their social lives. Studies have indicated that stress about what is posted on social media may as well negatively impact on our social lives by leaving our minds stressed and obsessed with the media contents. Adolescents have always felt this type of stress since they are not always satisfied with their body appearance; the most affected part in them is the component of self-esteem. Adolescents always tend to think that acquiring certain looks will always ensure that they are happy, better looking and healthier, beliefs that have been found to false.
After exposure to the media contents, their minds are always preoccupied with such thoughts which ultimately come to realize are all false and unfounded; when this happens, they become stressed because of having so much psychologically.
The advancements in technology have led to the increased popularity of smartphones which ultimately made access to social media an easy task. It is important to note that social media sites have slowly moved away from the initial purpose of text messaging and socialization to presenting a context where boys and girls derive their definitions of what is perfect and beautiful. The understanding which they derive from social media has had negative impacts on their self-esteem too. Girls have had body issues for long; they have had issues about how they should look to be accepted by others.
At very ages, girls are known to observe what others do and how they carry themselves intending to change their behaviors to conform with theirs, the increased exposure to the social media and its related posts have now acted as the foundation and a reflection of the ideal beauty which they think they should emulate. There is a high likelihood for girls to be diagnosed with eating disorders and other forms of mental disorders due to the obsession to change their behaviors to reflect what is in the media. Most ladies have always felt unsatisfied with what they have and in most situations where they are unable to achieve their desires, they use photoshopped images of themselves in the media too, however, this does not raise their self esteems in any way because they have always defeated up to appoint that they have to fake realities.
Although girls are the majority whose lifestyles are affected by the events on social media, boys are also affected. Boy and men, in general, have viewed the ideal achievable perfection are to become more muscular and physically fit in general. The desire to achieve this perfection has always led men to start taking unhealthy supplements and unhealthy diets just trying to gain the ideal results. Studies have indicated that social media has led to serious impacts on the lifestyle of both boys and girls; this is because most parents have always felt it is not right to indulge in the issues surrounding social media. The abstinence by parents has only worsened the already worse situation since they do not have anyone close to let them know that what they crave for are not realities but mere falsified images.
Results from recent studies have indicated that 82 % of the women compare themselves to images in the media and most of the women have found the comparison unfavorable. Social media provides stylist stars with perfectly toned bodies and has been to have negative effects among women too. Social media and beauty related posts have been found to cause addiction among women. Women are mostly influenced by social media, followed by TV and movies. They tend to copy from the characters in the television programs and TV shows. The most significant effect is how they ultimately feel about their bodies. (Bono, 2017)
Considering gender balance to the effects of the media on personalities and general feelings, women have are mostly affected with studies showing a percentage rate of 82 % and unfortunately half of this has indicated negative and unfavorable results from their comparisons.
Meanwhile considering men, about 66 %are said to compare themselves to the images found in the media and out of this about 36 % have indicated negative and unfavorable results from this comparison. Studies indicated that women are not willing to post images and photos of themselves unless they feel satisfied with their looks.
A study conducted by Florida House Experience indicated that after much exposure to the media, people have always felt less and reduced levels of confidence, with higher percentages registered in women. The overall indications from this study were that most people do not feel comfortable in their natural skin and bodies and are always on the lookout for makeup and other beauty additives.
Moriarty, (2009) argues that in every society there are always guidelines that most of the people seem to agree and are considered as being reasonable. It is these guidelines that provide contexts for people to consider what is morally right and wrong. A person has considered issues such as bath taking as right and has been consequently infused in most cultures and those who do not take bath can be considered as mad. Likewise, today’s culture has also considered proper of oneself as a requirement in the culture and many at times those who do not groom properly can be assumed to be extremely careless or even mad.
It is culturally right for women to wear makeup, however, the rate and manner in which women use makeup and other beauty accessories can be said to have highly influenced by the emergence and development of the media technology. They have gained more instincts into the use thus gaining popularity. Studies have indicated that women have always tried to use makeup to hide their blemish skin to generally conform to the images they see online.
Conclusion
The media as advancement in technology has had negative influences on people’s self-esteem and body image in both females and males. The media, in general, has been considered as the best indicator of social and culturally accepted norms regarding body ideals concerning weight, shape, and size. It is noted that the comparisons done by men and women have always led to body dissatisfaction and other health-related concerns such as eating disorders and depression.
Research works have indicated that women often have negative feelings about their bodies and this has been attributed to the effects of social media. Cabe et al (2007) state that women have always felt that the media information regarding body ideals is always the best and everyone should tend to copy it. Body image has been considered an important aspect of one’s mental and psychological health. Cory & Burns (2007) have indicated that the media portrayals of thin women have always led other women into trying to gain such shapes by stoping or rather reducing the amounts of foods they take; strategies that do not always work for them. Harper and Tiggemann (2008) found that 94% of women’s magazine covers depicted an image of a thin idealized body. These images are not only difficult to attain but can even become dangerous for one’s mental and physical health.
Leit et al (2001) indicated that men desired additional muscle mass, possibly due to the increase in muscle mass from toy action figures or the growing size of muscles in male models which have been presented in Playgirl magazine. Generally, technology through the media has led people both males and females into thinking that the kind of body structures that they have is not right and should be changed to conform to the body structures of the models and celebrities displayed in the media.
References
De Bono, E. (2017). How to be More Interesting: Change how you see yourself and how the world sees you. Penguin UK.
Harper, B., Tiggeman, M. (2007). The Effect of Thin Ideal Media Images on Women’s Self-Objectification, Mood and Body image: Sex Roles. A Journal of Research, volume 58 (9/10), 649-657. DOI: 10.1007/s11199-007-9379-x.
Harter, S., & Jackson, C. (1993).Young adolescents’ perception of the link between low self-worth and depressing effect. Journal of Early Adolescence, 33, 383-407.
Leit, R. A., Pope, H. G., & Gray, J. J. (2000). Cultural expectations of muscularity in men: The evolution of Playgirl centerfolds. International Journal of Eating Disorders, Vol. 29(1), 90–93.
McCabe, M., Butler, K., & Watt, C. (2007). Journal of Applied Behavioural Research. Media influences on attitudes and perceptions toward the body among adult men and women. Vol. 12, Issue 2, 101–118.
Moriarty, Mitchell & Wells (2009). Advertising principles and practices (8thed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Radford, B. (2007). Media and Mental Health Themes: Deconstructing Barbie and Bridget Jones. Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice
Sanne, W. C Nikkelen., Doeschka, J., Anschutz, Thao Ha., & Rutger C. M & E. Engels. (2012). Influence of Visual Attention on Male Body Dissatisfaction after Idealized Media Exposure: Psychology of Men & Masculinity, Vol. 13(3) 308-323
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