Instagram - Self Esteem Effects and Ideal-Self Representation

I'm sure plenty of you have stopped at one point and considered that there must be some type of negative effect to Instagram and other social media outlets. I've have the freedom to discuss and debate ideas about the effect that these social media sites have over our lives. I realized that many are aware of the amount of time and effort their peers, or even themselves, put into their accounts. Its no secret that we take several rounds of pictures and upload the one where we look our best, the one that we think will show a better version of ourselves, one that deep down we doubt if its really us. We've all been at a gathering where we take several group pictures with almost the exact same pose, just so we have a repertoire ready in case of a bad angle.

What about browsing over all of our friends' accounts? What about that very fit and beautiful model that seems to have the most luxurious life ever? It seems as if these people are ready for a professional photo shoot at any point in time during their day. I've had friends tell me that they develop a negative self-image after looking at an Instagram model's page. It's almost as if you can't stop yourself from comparing that person to you, especially that thing that you are so self-conscious about.

It's time to take a step back and practice some introspection. Why do you have all these thoughts come to your mind when looking at Instagram? Why do you feel the need to post that selfie where you just look great? Is your Instagram page really you, or a representation of your ideal-self?

There are many layers and reasons as to why this is happening. Some are very deep down into our most basic brain functions that will usually act on unconsciously. We all want to 'fit-in', be part of the pack, and maybe even compete against others to be the center of attention. Why is this even a human trait? It all comes down to wanting to develop a sense of identity with your community and gain reputation points that will affect your social life positively. It's all part of evolutionary and social psychology; you may think that you are being yourself, but really, you are probably just copying whatever everyone else is doing to feel better about yourself. Just like the German social-psychologist Erich Fromm famously said:

"Most people are not even aware of their need to conform. They live under the illusion that they follow their own ideas and inclinations, that they are individualists, that they have arrived at their opinion as the result of their own thinking - and it just happens that their ideas are the same as this of the majority."

This could take you into an introspective spiral with no end. How much of your behavior is really you? I mean, your ideals and convictions are probably borrowed from someone else. Your actions might just be a safe-bet conformity to the norm where you paint yourself a perfect image. In fact, Instagram serves the perfect tool to do just that. You have complete and total control over what you share and how you share it. Essentially allowing you to control the perception of others over who you are, or more accurately, who you want them to believe you are. However, you might be under the illusion that you actually are that person that you paint yourself to be. It can be very hard to see past this veil once its up and drilled in.

Studies have found that this "ideal-self" is even more highly developed in social networks purposed for dating. One study published in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication by Nicole Ellison, et. al, concluded that "...participants consistently engaged in creative workarounds (circumvention strategies) as they went through the process of posting a profile, selecting individuals to contact, and communicating with potential romantic partners." Meaning that they were not only careful about how they described themselves but even were more harsh on other potential partners, possibly because of the lost sense of scarcity.

But, even if we KNOW that we aren't being 100% transparent on social media, what is the problem? Its not like you can describe or infer someone's personality plainly from pictures... right?

Well, there is a lot more happening in your brain than you may think. Moving away from this ego-driven self-delusion of creating your own reality, we can face a bigger problem. Self-esteem. It turns out this affects our image, quite a lot. This not only happens on social media but on general mainstream media. However, having an active contribution to social media makes it a little more powerful. A study titled "Body Image and Self-Esteem Among Adolescent Girls: Testing the Influence of Sociocultural Factors" found that boys and girls started developing a negative sense of body image from the ages of 11 and showing a direct increase of prevalence with age (Clay, et. al). Suggesting that as teenagers grow, they grow more and more conscious about their own flaws compared to those portrayed in general media.

Some argue that posting revealing pictures and tons of selfies could be a sign of confidence. This argument is usually self-justified by the poster itself. However, psychologists don't agree, and have come up with the concept of explicit vs. implicit self-esteem. Basically, explicit self-esteem is practiced in instances where you consciously and actively evaluate yourself and implicit self-esteem is an unconscious evaluation of yourself (how you feel about yourself deep down).

Pretty much, you can explicitly think positive things about yourself, but deep down feel that you have to constantly justify your self-worth. A study categorized these people as having "discrepant high self-esteem". The study showed that: "...participants with discrepant high self-esteem possessed the highest levels of narcissism." Constantly taking pictures and seeking validation online is a perfect example of feeling good enough about your image to post online for judgement but deep down needing to confirm it by making it public. The study also found that discrepant high self-esteem is generally associated with poor psychological adjustment and impaired interpersonal relationships.

Psychological health is usually associated with those with implicit high self-esteem. How could we adapt this to our current social network context? A person who is truly confident about their facial features, body, and personality does not develop the need to confirm or show off to anybody. They are in perfect harmony within themselves about their true value. Individuals showing these characteristics usually derive their self-esteem from other traits such as empathy, intelligence, friendliness, and general wellness of character.

After doing some research, these are the general "take aways" from this article.

1. Committing to only valuating yourself within physical and superficial metrics will keep you from finding true confidence.
2. Avoid sharing pictures that hold physical context and no personal or intrinsic value.
3. Do share pictures that show memorable moments, milestones, and a more character-driven focus.
4. Develop a sense of identity through intrinsic and personal interests. Worry about becoming a better version of yourself for the sake of becoming a better human, friend, family-member, partner, etc.
5. Develop your character and mind instead. Become mindful of your actions and create real connections to others and your true-self.
6. You are more than just your looks, putting too much emphasis on this will morph your identity into nothing but superficial things; most likely copies of others. Don't become generic.

If the people around you are voluntarily associating themselves with you because of who you are, let it be for more than just how you look. This can affect your friendships, and especially your romantic partners.

Erich Fromm.

Cheers.