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HOW SOCIAL MEDIA AFFECTSSELF-IDENTITY

By: Daniel Chang

Source:https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Friends_.jpg

cc: bibendum84- https://www.flickr.com/photos/14246531@N04

SELF-IDENTITY“Is the recognition of our potential

and qualities as an individual; especially in relation to social

contexts” – Merriam Webster

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Self-identity is obtained in two ways;Through self awareness and

observation of others – Psychology Today

Source:https://static.pexels.com/photos/54377/pexels-photo-54377.jpeg

Therefore, our social world has a very significant impact on how we

view and define ourselves

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In the past two decades, our socialworlds have changed drastically

with the emergence of social mediaand the internet

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“Our people create our onlineIdentity and reputation”– Adam Wallace

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A study in 1998 conducted by Robert Kraut ofCarnegie Mellon University showed that within

two years after people first accessed the internet their happiness levels decreased

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Another study in 2010 also observed that internet and social media has a small, yet

significant detrimental on overall well being

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We’re too connected for our own good,and it’s making us unhappy

Pplkpr – is an app designed to measure our happiness and delete our online

connections that are causing negativefeelings

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This is because browsing social media sitesalone can lead to feelings of jealousy

because we are comparing our self-identityto the online persona of others

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Our self-identity starts becoming validatedthrough our online persona, the number oflikes, followers, subscribers we’ve attained. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/Bot%C3%B3n_Me_gusta.svg/2000px-Bot%C3%B3n_Me_gusta.svg.png

This leads to a psychological comparisonof one’s REAL SELF – to an online persona

that others intentionally portray, which leads to low self-esteem, decreased confidence

and a loss of personal identitycc: trainman74- https://www.flickr.com/photos/65497908@N00

An obsession with perfection for body size,looks and lifestyle. Social media has openeda channel of comparison unfortunately these comparisons often lead to negative feelings

towards ourselves and our identity

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7 Ways Social Media Can Affect Your Self-Esteem

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1. TheAds2. ThePerfectLife3. TheCuratingofOurOnlineStuff4. TheBattleforLikes5. TheFalseConnections6. TheFollyofTutorial7. TheInterruptionofourEmotionalLives

DidYouKnow?

80%ofadultsneedsomeformofvisioncorrection(glasses,contacts)However,mostpeopleremovethem

forselfiestoportraytheimagetheywantonsocialmedia

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cc: HelgiHalldórsson/Freddi - https://www.flickr.com/photos/8058853@N06

“Self-image is important, and not always in a narcissistic way. It's how we define ourselves, and present for others to see. We rely on others' perceptions, judgments and appraisals to develop our social self.” – Christine Erikson

THESELFIE

https://www.pexels.com/photo/selfie-family-generation-father-9746/

HOWMANYSELFIESDOYOUTAKEINAMONTH?

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https://pixabay.com/static/uploads/photo/2014/02/24/18/31/time-273857_960_720.jpg

Selfies are used to communicate a message,our physical looks, persona and interests –

or in other words our self-identity

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“As tweens and teens try to form their identity, selfies serve as a way to test how they look, and therefore feel, in certain outfits, make-up, poses and places.” –Alexandra Sifferlin

https://pixabay.com/static/uploads/photo/2015/09/09/17/09/selfie-931908_960_720.jpg

The danger however, is that our self-identityno longer belongs to ourselves. To urge to

please on social media, is changing what we portray and ultimately the way we live

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Therefore,itisimportanttorecognizetheimpactofsocialmediainourselfidentity,andnotallow

ittodefinewhoweare

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