Relationship between Social media and Self-esteem
Self-esteem is the perception of a person about their worth, and it continues to be developed with time. Many factors may affect, impact, and influence individual’s self-esteem, some of them being the use of social media such as Facebook, economic status of a particular mental and health status, among other things. Social media has continued to be more prevalent in the last years.
It has become so influential in people’s lives and has greatly impacted an individual’s self-esteem and has brought about many long-lasting effects (Jan et al., 2017). The purpose of this study is to determine the nature of the relationship between social media use and self-esteem, as well as the impact of social media on self-esteem.
Many people use social media platforms to establish and build new relationships, gain access to information and knowledge, improve their social lives, and connect with people from different parts (Jan et al., 2017).
Most social media users believe that its use makes their lives easier and happier as it makes the world look smaller and brings people together. However, increased use of social media has had a significant impact on people’s lives, with both positive and negative consequences (Guven, 2019).
Increased use of social media has been associated with low esteem levels, where most social media users are seen to have poor or low self-esteem levels. This is because it provides platforms in which individuals can compare themselves with other people, for example by posting videos and photographs and exposing their lifestyles, achievements as well as the financial status thus other people may find the others being better than them and this affects their self-esteem levels where they may lose self-confidence (Taylor-Jackson, 2021).
Through social media, people can access other people’s information, such as profile pictures, where they can view them, comment, and give them the freedom to make judgments and develop their own opinions about other people. People may give both positive and negative comments concerning a person.
This can also affect their self-esteem levels where negative comments lower self-esteem and positive comments boost self-esteem. People may find it less satisfying being on social media due to such negative comments, which may lower their self-esteem, which may, in turn, lead to depression and anxiety (Jan et al., 2017).
