Identity
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Being surrounded by different social media platforms, with different focus and functions is a great way to engage with the world and meet new people. We’re building our identity or have none, which is the beauty of the internet. We have a choice and the power and be who we want to be or stay completely anonymous, to another person.
The identity users have online is more or less a figment of their own imagination. The vast majority of “influencers” on social media is heavily edited to fit today’s beauty standards, be their body or face, maybe they have edited so it looks like they’re in another location.
This behavior from individuals that hold a place as a role model to quite a big audience have a very high possibility to cause body dysmorphia, which is a mental health disorder that causes you to perceive yourself differently, in a very negative way.
There isn’t a specific age range or group getting especially affected by this, it’s everyone. Being fed from people they look up to that the perfect body image is impossible to achieve is not healthy for anyone, not even the individual posting it. Since they can be battling with Body dysmorphia themselves.
It’s a never ending loop that doesn’t seem to stop.
Reference list
Himanshu, Kaur, A., Kaur, A. and Singla, G. (2020). Rising dysmorphia among adolescents : A cause for concern. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, [online] 9(2), pp.567–570. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7114025/ [Accessed 3 Feb. 2021].
Hunt, E. (2019). Faking it: how selfie dysmorphia is driving people to seek surgery. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/jan/23/faking-it-how-selfie-dysmorphia-is-driving-people-to-seek-surgery [Accessed 3 Feb. 2021].
Lewallen, J. and Behm-Morawitz, E. (2016). Pinterest or Thinterest?: Social Comparison and Body Image on Social Media. Social Media + Society, [online] 2(1), p.205630511664055. Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2056305116640559#articleShareContainer [Accessed 3 Feb. 2021].
Mayo Clinic (2019). Body Dysmorphic Disorder – Symptoms and Causes. [online] Mayo Clinic. Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/body-dysmorphic-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20353938 [Accessed 3 Feb. 2021].