The relationship between the self and reality has ultimately been reshaped by the great influx of change through the development of the internet and the use of social media in current contemporary culture. The negative aspects of social media for instance on Instagram have replaced genuine verbal and human acceptance with likes and comments that have resulted in superficial validation. With around 95 million photos uploaded every day and 32 percent of all internet users on Instagram, the validation primarily stems from the positivity of the comments of a particular post and the amount of likes the post receives. Acceptance is no longer dependent on true human interactions but rather on the number of likes and positive comments a post may or may not receive. If the post fails to meet the expectations of the individual with the number of likes and positive comments, validation is at stake and can cause significant damage to self-esteem by causing the person to question why they have failed to achieve public respect. The identity of a person in society is no longer dependent on the true emotions or values and characteristics of an individual that make a true self but rather on the superficiality of followers and their approval. The unrestrained gratification of accumulating likes however can also have the opposite effect by continually expanding on ego. An individual for instance may display a wonderful life online to compensate for the lack of self-esteem and may merely rely on the likes on a picture to determine their importance. The change from authentic human interactions to online satisfaction and fulfillment in society has caused a great dissociation to develop between the true person and the person portrayed on Instagram which has unfortunately grown into an epidemic across society in many individuals. The dissociation of the self and true reality has ultimately made identity increasingly difficult to find in contemporary culture due to the negative effects of social media and the instant influx of likes and comments on Instagram. The difficulty of finding identity has essentially caused a weakness in the sense of self and ultimately exposes the underlying truth in a society that although individuals are more connected than ever, humanity is increasingly isolated as a whole.
The shift from authentic human interactions to online satisfaction in society has caused a division to develop between the true person and the person portrayed on Instagram. Instagram specifically has developed an overwhelmingly vast culture of presenting the greatest moments of one’s life rather than presenting normal actions such as going to work or walking to school. Instagram users typically only post photos when on vacation or on an exciting experience. In the book Ethics, Friendship, and Social Media: A Philosophical Exploration by Diane Jeske the book explores the current Instagram culture and the psychological effects of the presentation of a perfect life, and the vast differences between the interaction of real genuine friendships to followers on Instagram. The author Diane Jeske first analyzes the separation between the person portrayed on social media and reality and how individuals primarily focus on posting the best versions of themselves on Instagram. “We have a great deal of control over how we present ourselves on social media. Most of us present the ‘greatest hits’ of our lives... the great-looking vacations, the happy (or happy-looking) times with our families, drinks with friends, the new car” (Jeske 9). The act of presenting a perfect life on Instagram by posting the best moments and leaving out all the imperfections allows an individual to present their ideal version of themselves and create two different realities.The altering of one’s reality online by forming two versions, however, negatively affects the psychology of an individual by severely causing one to develop dissociation. The dissociation primarily comes from that individuals tend to gravitate toward their personalities online rather than their identity in real life. Individuals favor the person online due to the fact that their identity online is far more improved compared to real life. Because of the favoritism toward their life online, individuals also set time to continually improve their Instagram pages by attracting increasingly more followers at the expense of developing themselves. The effect of forming a perfect identity by having two versions of an individual essentially causes the person to slowly lose themselves in the cost of forming the perfect version online. Individuals prize the approval of likes and the attention brought by the false reality far more than the overall development of Identity. The reality created online and the lack of self-development essentially causes the growth of a person to gradually decline. The book Ethics, Friendship, and Social Media: A Philosophical Exploration continues to demonstrate the relationship between the self and reality by revealing the differences between real friendships and superficial followers online. “One obvious good consequence of friendship... is a pleasure: friendship can and often does bring us great joy...they can alleviate the pains of loneliness, depression, failure, and anxiety” (Jeske 9). The real and physical interaction between friends according to the book actually aids in mental hurdles such as loneliness and depression. The use of Instagram however replaces these mental aids with the superficial approval of likes and comments. Although at the time the acceptance by society from a mere like or comment is rewarding, the individual tends to feel empty and unsatisfied due to the superficiality of Instagram culture. The relationships with real people and friends however according to the book also provide a healthy atmosphere of self-development and growth. “This trust and openness create an atmosphere of understanding and acceptance where friends can be themselves...Thus, friends can move us toward self-knowledge and self-improvement...” (Jeske 10). The difference between relationships online and genuine interactions with friends is primarily shown by the contrasting atmospheres the two relationships create. While online a like and a positive comment show a sign of acceptance and approval, real interactions between people ultimately extend far deeper than a like, and the depth of the interaction builds an individual. The interactions allow individuals to develop in response to the trust and authenticity created in the environment of a real-life friendship. By allowing an individual to be themselves around companions the individual is able to grow and improve as a person. Friendships on Instagram on the other hand do not create an atmosphere of authenticity and are not primarily about spending time or enjoying the personalities of others. The book Ethics, Friendship, and Social Media: A Philosophical Exploration the book suggests that social media is not well suited for developing a person. “But social media is not well-suited to building, reinforcing, or maintaining trust, openness, or private space, or, at least, the most commonly used aspects of social media are not well-suited to doing so” (Jeske 11). The friendships online in fact do not promote the accepting and understanding atmosphere created by real-life friendships and in fact, have the opposite effect on Instagram users by causing individuals to consistently improve their pages on Instagram rather than developing their humanity and personality. The portrayal of a different and perfect individual online only continues to separate from the true person and over time the alternate personality on social media essentially causes the individual to slowly lose their identity at the cost of forming the perfect version online. The individual doesn’t spend time on growing or improving themselves but rather focuses on growing followers and receiving positive comments and increasingly more likes. Once an individual receives the superficial approval of a like, the individual increasingly wants more and is never satisfied by the acceptance received online which essentially promotes a cycle of wanting constant approval rather than developing a true identity in society. The differences between the person online and in real life form a disassociation between the self and true reality. The self of an individual is no longer associated with the true identity that is developed by real human interactions but rather by the life portrayed on social media and the approval of superficial followers.
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The negative effects of social media directly contribute to the difficulty of forming an identity. The constant comparison to other people forms a cycle of self-criticism that leads to the eventual feeling of inadequacy and loneliness. The phenomenon of completely altering one’s identity online by a mere action on a smartphone is significantly altering the development of one’s self-esteem and has contributed to the weakened sense of self in society. In the journal study The Development of Self-Esteem by Ulrich Orth the study focused on finding a correlation between self-esteem and age progression. The study developed the research by asking individuals ranging from the ages of 16 to 95 years old a set of questions regarding personal identity and self-worth. The individuals were then scored and the study concluded that the development of self-esteem was essential in the teenage years of an individual due to the fact that self-esteem had a steady positive slope increasing all the way to the peak of 51 years of age (Orth 2). The use of Instagram and social media however poses a significant danger to these essential developmental years of self-esteem in the teenage years due to the elements of comparison and inadequacy. In the book The Dark Side of Social Media by Pavica Sheldon the book displays many studies revolving around the mental health effects social media has particularly on adolescent individuals. The book describes the Social Comparison Theory which is greatly ingrained in the overall culture of users on Instagram. “According to Social Comparison Theory, we either compare ourselves to those who are like us or better than us. Upward comparison is comparison to others we perceive to be socially better than ourselves, which often causes negative effects...when online feedback is not available (nobody comments on one’s status update or new photo album)...can also lead to depression” (Sheldon 15). The constant comparison online establishes a cycle of constant criticism. An individual for example may post a photo at a similar time as someone else and may receive fewer likes and positive comments than the other individual. The effects of the comparison between the number of likes and comments significantly alter the moods of individuals and according to the book cause many negative mental effects. “Passive forms of using social media such as browsing other pages actually causes depressed moods. Looking through other people’s photos significantly contributes to resentment, envy, and eventually loneliness” (Sheldon 19). The constant comparison greatly weakens the self-esteem of an individual and significantly disrupts the development of a strong sense of self and identity. In the book Place and Identity: Home As Performance by Joanna Richardson the strong sense of self and identity that is lacking in contemporary culture is defined as being the true form of belonging in society.
Belonging is the innate human desire to be part of something larger than us. Because this yearning is so primal, we often try to acquire it by fitting in and by seeking approval, which is not only a hollow substitute for belonging, but often a barrier to it. Because true belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance. (Richardson 34-35)
The relationship between the culture of Instagram and the feeling of belonging is greatly supported by the book. Individuals crave the feeling of approval above all else but rarely feel the satisfaction of the approval because of the lack of depth and genuine acceptance. The feeling of true belonging is only achieved through the expression of the authentic and imperfect self but Instagram, however, is promoting the very opposite. The hollow approval of followers is constantly growing from the constant improvement of Instagram pages. The culture of Instagram promotes the lack of authenticity by constantly rewarding users with likes and followers allowing users to feel a sense of belonging. The human nature of belonging causes extreme actions such as completely altering reality to assimilate with the mass of individuals. While lacking depth and authenticity, the likes and followers promote a small feeling of belonging and fill the urge for a short period of time until the user feels as though they must post another picture. The lack of complete satisfaction in users continues to be a positive element for the Instagram platform by causing users to constantly come back and either looks at other pages to compare each other or to continue to post pictures for the sake of maintaining a level of approval online. The journal study Exploring the relationship between frequency of Instagram use, exposure to idealized images, and psychological well-being in women researched the negative effects of Instagram on the psychology in the minds of specific women. In the study, 129 women between eighteen and thirty-five were tested on the frequency of Instagram use and negative mental side effects. “Women completed a series of questionnaires related to mental health outcomes and self-perceptions. Results showed that the frequency of Instagram use is correlated with depressive symptoms, self-esteem...and body dissatisfaction…” (Sherlock 4). With the constant comparison structure of the Instagram platform and the constant cycle of seeking approval from followers, the users constantly feel incomplete and inadequate compared to others. Although Instagram users feel the brutal feelings of self-doubt as though their lives are not sufficient, the gratification of accumulating likes continues the cycle of individuals returning to the platform and at times serves to compensate for the lack of self-esteem by relying on the likes on a picture to determine their importance. Society is increasingly disconnected from their identity and the people around them. The effects of the Instagram culture in society promote the lack of authenticity in the platform and services to create short-lived satisfaction and approval. The separation of real life and the personality on Instagram causes users to escape reality but eventually develops a dissociation between the identity of the individual due to the addictive features on the Instagram platform such as the appreciation shown through positive comments and likes. Society is increasingly disconnected from reality and individuals are not only detached from their own identities but also detached from everyone around them. Although Instagram has allowed many individuals to connect like never before, the negative aspects of reality versus online personalities have caused people to be more disconnected than ever.
The negative effects of social media directly contribute to the difficulty of forming an identity. The constant comparison to other people forms a cycle of self-criticism that leads to the feeling of inadequacy. While others purposefully alter their reality by forming a perfect life online, others consume this form of media and immediately begin to compare their lives to others. The constant comparison weakens the self-esteem of individuals and disrupts the development of a strong identity and has essentially caused a weakness in the sense of self that not only has formed a disconnection within individuals but has formed an isolation in humanity.
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