Unsocial Manipulation
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Digital manipulation on social media produces a pressure for men and women to keep up with physical standards that are impossible to meet. They end up comparing their appearance to those of their friends or other social media users. The resulting conflicts can not only ruin relationships; they can destroy individuals' sense of self-worth. Maintaining relationships is critical to fulfilling one's basic needs. However, in a society in which friends and networking are essential, women and men open themselves up to danger when they compare themselves to digitally manipulated images of their friends. These friends, according to a 2014 study of 283 women between the ages of 18-42, are the biggest influence on an individual’s body ideal (Lilac, Inbar and Zohar). According to Lilac, Inbar, and Zohar, subjects who were influenced negatively by their friends reported body dissatisfaction even if they were in peak physical condition.
A study conducted by Sheldon Pavica found that low and high levels of body-confidence were present regardless of the amount of time their female participants spent reading magazines. Instead, family and close friends seemed to have the greatest impact on self-esteem. The results of the study further suggest that societal pressures from friends and family, and the subjects' inclinations towards perfectionism, influence whether individuals, regardless of gender, will compare themselves to the images they view. Documented in a different study published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, unrealistic ideas of self-body image can lead to eating disorders and harmful behavior (Tiggemann, Marika, Polivy, and Hargreaves). The unsettling truth is that digitally manipulated photos on social media may be contributing to a society in which a person’s value comes from their appearance, encouraging young men and women to pay particular attention in their appearance both online and offline. This often leads to an obsession with perfection, and in turn causes these men and women to develop low body image and even eating disorders. Statements like “I wish I was thinner,” and ideas like “but I’m not pretty enough” often emerge from those who are comparing themselves to images of bodies that do not exist. The digital manipulation of human representation in social media is ultimately at fault for undermining the confidence of others. |
Lilac Lev-Ari , Inbar Baumgarten-Katz, and Ada H. Zohar. "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: How Women Learn Body Dissatisfaction." Eating Behaviors (2014): 397-402. Print.
Sheldon, Pavica. "Pressure To Be Perfect: Influences on College Students' Body Esteem." Southern Communication Journal 75.3 (2010): 277-98. Web.
Tiggemann, Marika, Janet Polivy, and Duane Hargreaves. "The Processing of Thin Ideals in Fashion Magazines: A Source of Social Comparison or Fantasy?" Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 28.1 (2009): 73-93. Web.