Research
The rise of social media.
The first social media app was Myspace and it was started in 2004. It gained a lot of users until it temporarily surpassed google in 2006. Then Myspace and Friendster were competing with Facebook. But, because Facebook was willing to change as time went on those social media apps where left in the dust. Now Facebook has the most users with over 2.2 billion. Twitter is another app that shifted for the times by allowing people to post photos and videos that they were previously not allowed to post. Social media has gained a lot of popularity with younger people in wealthier countries. More than 90% of teens aged from 16 to 24 use Social media. One platform that blew up was Tik Tok which went from having no users when it started to having 500 million two years later and now the app has over 800 million users.
This is a graph I made that displays the amount of people on popular social media apps in 2020.
Effects of Social media
Social media can contribute to depression, anxiety, and poor body image. Social media also has effects on things like sleep schedule and real-time communication. Teens nowadays are having a harder time reading body language because they interact so much with a screen. It is important for a teen to feel accepted but cyberbullying can make them feel extremely disconnected even when they are accepted in the real world. And cyberbullies are more comfortable saying extremely cruel things because they are not saying it to their face.
Reward System
Social media can trigger the reward system of the brain when you get a like this is the same reward system that is triggered by addiction. So, many teens get extremely addicted to getting likes. It may not be as serious as a drug addiction but it does affect the same part of the brain.
Body Image
Social media can create an idealized appearance which normally consists of being about 5.5, skinny around the waist, and having a big butt. There is also an idealized sense of style sweatpants and a crop top. When people go on social media they want to change their style and their bodies. This leads teens to stray from who they are and makes them feel insecure about what they look like.
Rude Comments
Comments critiquing people’s appearance, sense of style, and personality can make people hate themselves and become depressed, insecure, or even lead to suicide. Every time you make a comment, think about how it would affect you if you got the same one.