The negatives of social media are constantly emphasized, we have parents, articles, and media focusing on the adverse impacts on the development of children and one’s self-perception, yet solutions aren’t extensively spoken of, yet solutions are what we are desperately in need of. Young girls in particular are prone to the negative influence of social media as they are exposed to images of perfect appearance they then crave to achieve, they are given a new platform to employ their subtle aggression, and therefore there is the creation of distinct groups holding different places in the popularity ladder, with those lower on the ladder having their self-esteems diminished. A simple way to counter this could be to eliminate these distinctions between groups in adolescents, and this can be done in school by enforcing the intergroup contact theory, which is when different groups have to have sustained meaningful contact with each other.
We live in a world where we are surrounded by technology, where we are so intrinsically connected to technology as it becomes such a crucial aspect of life as we constantly reach for our phones, and scroll through social media almost instinctually as we go about our days. As technology and social media have risen to this place of significance, our devices and the access they give us to the world are now major influencers of our identities. Social media not only gives us information about various events, lifestyles, but it has the power to determine our social standing and it has the power to psychologically influence our thinking and self-perception, and this paper will assess how social media negatively affects the self-esteem of adolescent girls through its influence on popularity. But should we continue to allow these devices to govern the self-esteem and sense of place in society of our youth?
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In today’s modern world children grow up in a highly digital setting with technology being incorporated into all aspects of life “88% of adolescents in the United States now own or have access to a mobile phone and 91% of adolescents report going online from these devices at least occasionally, with 24% of adolescents reporting that they go online persistently” (George & Odgers, 2015). This exposure to a vast amount of social information about the lives and popularity of others, at almost every waking moment, results in adolescents constantly comparing themselves to what they are exposed to online (Nesi & Prinstein, 2015). This is harming self-esteem, as there are consistent standards to be met, and this is seen doing the most harm to adolescent girls. Literature speaks of these harmful effects of social media on our youth, but solutions are rarely posed, thus the paper will suggest a solution based on Allports Contact theory.
The significance of popularity in one’s life peaks in adolescence, and studies by Ferguson and Ryans show “that popularity during adolescence is a psychosocial stressor which acts much like a weight, drawing down youths” (2019). This coincides with the time of increasing preoccupation with social and thus, they are in a constant process of wanting to climb the ladder of popularity where one's standing is determined through similarity to the ideals presented online and through “comments, replies, and virtual “likes” or approval of their content” (Vogel, Rose, Roberts & Eckles, 2014). This position occupied contributes to one’s sense of self-esteem and self-worth (Nesi and Prinstein, 2015).
This constant preoccupation who popularity is undeniably harmful if one gains the status of ‘popular’, the efforts required to maintain that is stressful, and ‘not being “popular”, specifically at a developmental stage where it matters most to youth, may also bring down perceptions of social contentment” (Ferguson & Ryan, 2019). Social media brings this into an increasingly competitive arena as the presence of likes, subscribers, and followers quantifies this supposed popularity.
Furthermore, “girls are known to effectively employ gossip, rumor spreading, interpersonal betrayal, and social exclusion as means to harm the social standing of peers” (Hrdy, 1981, as cited by Hawley & Card, 2008). Social media exacerbates this as there is online competition and social pressure, in addition to the self-evaluation and comparison that takes place based on images and videos they see online, and the negative effects are greater in females (Nesi and Prinstein, 2015). This indicates that the psychological impact of popularity perceived through social media is a significant and perhaps detrimental part of the formation of a girl’s self-esteem.
Allport's contact theory states that prejudice between groups can be reduced by regular contact between them, provided that there is “equal status between the groups in the situation; common goals; intergroup cooperation; and the support of authorities, law, or custom.” (Pettigrew & Tropp, 2006) Studies show that this theory can be used in many contexts to reduce prejudice and this paper will examine how integration can be employed in the school setting to prevent the formation of distinct groups of “popular” and “unpopular”, reducing the sense of otherness and competitive inclinations of girls.
Social media is generally first introduced into one’s life during adolescence when popularity becomes of increased importance, and through its effect on popularity, it contributes to self-esteem formation. Social media presents adolescents with ideals, and images of celebrities, and peers in their best moments, and these images become the standards to reach. This causes adolescents to feel that they must reach these standards and maintain popularity, and this harms self-esteem. Social media has thus taken popularity to a new competitive arena where it is not just the tensions to be popular at school but in this ever-present virtual world. Studies by Nesi & Prinstein (2015) show that frequency of technology use is correlated with depressive symptoms as there are greater “social comparison and feedback-seeking behaviors, and these behaviors are shown more in females”, indicating the significance of social media in the formation of a young girl’s self-esteem. This competitive and evaluative behavior among girls could be reduced through intergroup contact in school which would reduce this distinction, and thus protect self-esteem, as intergroup contact is most effective when it begins in childhood (Ellison & Powers, 1994).
One’s social standing and popularity among peers is of great importance to an adolescent (Lafontana & Cillessen, 2002) and thus greatly contributes to self-esteem. Popularity contributes to one’s “social self-concept” which is “a self-assessment of social well-being by comparing one’s social skill and opportunities to those of others” (Ferguson & Ryans, 2019). Trying to achieve a positive self-concept thus includes gaining a satisfactory popularity level, and as their studies show, achieving a level of popularity is a stressful process and so is maintaining it (Ferguson & Ryans, 2019). This desire for popularity is driven by the fact that “being on top makes one feel good” (De Bruyn & Van Den Boom, 2005), and on the other hand, low levels of popularity leave one feeling unworthy. This hierarchical system present among adolescents is harmful and segregating as it creates different groups, however, the intergroup contact theory has been tested in many circumstances, “on target groups as diverse as elderly, physically disabled, and mentally ill participants.” (Pettigrew & Tropp, 2006), and thus could be employed in the school setting, forcing these different groups to mingle meaningfully can thus reduce this otherness and competition.
Social media has a great influence on popularity, and this in turn largely contributes to one’s self-esteem. “Self-esteem refers to a person’s positive or negative evaluation of the self; that is, the extent to which an individual views the self as worthwhile and competent” (Coopersmith, 1967 as cited by Vogel, Rose, Roberts & Eckles, 2014), and this is highly determined by social comparison. This is an intrinsic characteristic of humans that’s facilitated by social media that constantly presents one with the lives of others. Studies show that higher use of Facebook correlates with higher social comparison, particularly upward comparisons, which are “comparing oneself with superior others who have positive characteristics” and this leads to self-critique as you perceive yourself as inferior (Vogel, Rose, Roberts & Eckles, 2014). These comparisons are critical in the formative adolescent years as they internalize social comparisons through which they assess their self-worth, and this can resonate throughout their lives (Rosenberg, 1986 as cited by Pelham & Swann, 1989). Therefore, we see the significance of self-esteem formation and the influence social media has on it, in a technology-driven world. These social comparisons are so powerful due to the great distinctions one creates between groups. The social contract theory is useful here as the study by Consiglio, Guarnera & Magnano (2015), where they tested the effectiveness of ‘contact’ in reducing discriminative attitudes in children towards disabled peers, demonstrated that there was a significant increase in positive attitudes towards these peers, with increased contact, and so surely this can be used in the school setting between children of different levels of popularity.
These negative social media effects predominate in females as they show lower self-esteem, possibly due to societal pressure girls receive to possess a particular physical appearance (Kling, Shibley Hyde, Showers &Buswell, 1999). As self-esteem becomes increasingly connected with the self-perceived appearance of one’s body, young girls grow up desiring a particular appearance, and this is highly influenced by the standards for beauty set online. Social media sets standards for what is beautiful via popularity as it is those who possess ideal characteristics that often rise to popularity. This leads to self-evaluation as girls want to reach these standards, and females are more prone to these negative influences on self-esteem as they are more susceptible and highly targeted in this world where photographs of ideal body types, and facial features are constantly circulated (Nesi & Prinstein, 2015). Further, studies by Dollinger show that more attractive people are likely to be more socially connected (2002), and this is often highly illustrated through social media it quantifies the social connectedness through several followers, likes, and comments, which translates into popularity. Therefore, this distinction between the popular and unpopular groups can be reduced through enforced contact between the two groups in school to reduce the sense of rivalry.
To achieve this popularity that is so deeply intertwined with adolescent self-esteem, they employ social aggression- “actions designed to inflict interpersonal damage using non-confrontational means” (Dawes & Xie, 2014). Rodkin, Ryan, Jamison &Wilson identify popularity goals in adolescents and describe the “social demonstration- approach goal” to be “garnering positive feedback and gaining social status”, and their studies show a correlation between high levels of motivation towards this goal and aggression (2013). This makes it evident that adolescents resort to violent aggressive behavior to gain social status. As opposed to the common belief that males are more aggressive, “indirect aggression” is most thoroughly employed by girls as they attempt to gain a position of dominance (Hawley, Little & Card, 2008). Social media allows adolescent girls to take their aggression and competition for popularity to an online platform, as they fight for social dominance and popularity, and this aggression leads to the reduction of the self-esteem of their victims. Increased contact between these different groups who compete for popularity could reduce this aggressive behavior. Studies on racial attitudes show that with increased contact between Black Americans and whites, there are increased feelings of friendliness and improved relationships between the two, especially when this contact begins in childhood (Ellison & Powers, 1994). Therefore, we see that enforcing this contact at school could eliminate the bridge between different groups, eliminating the hostility between them, and attacks on each other can hurt self-esteem.
In conclusion, we see social media has become a critical aspect of our lives, not just a source of information or form of entertainment but something that significantly contributes to our psychological development. Social media effectively draws in adolescents, captivates them with images of ideals, and takes their social lives into a vast platform. It makes the notion of popularity among young females more complex as it provides a new place for them to employ their subtle forms of indirect aggression and they fight for social dominance this fight, now taking place in the virtual world, which is not confined to school or to face to face to interactions, is exacerbated and has greater power to harm self-esteem. The contact theory may be one way in which this gap between different groups, and this aggressive fight for popularity can be reduced, thus lessening the negative impact social media-driven popularity has on adolescent girls.
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