Executive Summary
This article looks at one of the most popular platforms, Instagram. Today, most people cannot imagine their life without social media. The penetration of communication in all spheres of society and the emergence and development of a qualitatively new type of communicative structure requires a profound rethinking of the communicative nature of social reality, which actualizes the problem of network communication in modern socio-humanitarian knowledge. The article analyzes the impact of Instagram on people’s lives and activities, their psychological state, and the pros and cons of having a social network in the life of a modern person.
Evaluating Social Media Through Self-Presentation
Social networks are comparable in today’s socio-cultural situation to mass communications since they perform all the functions. By the criterion of frequency and accessibility, network communication is the most effective in the modern communication space. Instagram is one of the most popular social networks in the world. People share photos and videos of their lives, thoughts, and beliefs on this platform. Users show an impeccable life, looks, and clothes and travel to the best resorts and luxurious apartments.
After looking at some of the posts, I concluded that people often use Instagram to share news, show their journey, or progress at the gym. Many of the photos are photoshopped to perfection and are not true. Bloggers do not show the whole picture; they only show a selected part. Because of this, readers can get complex because they will believe this picture and think that other people have everything perfect.
Dominant Motive Observed: Self-Enhancement or Self-Verification?
I believe that the motive for self-enhancement is most evident on the Instagram platform. People try to seem perfect and try as much as possible to hide their flaws. Before posting a photo to Instagram, people apply filters that make the picture more attractive but far from the real world. For example, filters in Instagram stories are increasingly being used. People put masks on their faces to make themselves seem prettier, which can further drive them into complexes.
Self-enhancement and self-verification motives for self-esteem are defined by the fact that people seek validation and praise from their surroundings. They share their photos to receive compliments and self-assert themselves through it. A person with normal self-esteem will not need proof from others to feel beautiful or intelligent. After reviewing the posts through the lens of self-presentation, I have determined that most of the photos and videos users sit in are designed to impress and exalt themselves.
Accuracy of Online Self-Portraits
Online portraits of people on social networks are as inaccurate as possible. Users can pretend to be anything, hide all their flaws, and become the best version of themselves in the virtual world. This possibility creates a considerable problem: people prefer to photoshop their photos instead of changing themselves for the better in real life. Such people create an illusion of an ideal life and discard difficulties.
Social Media’s Influence on Behavior and the Social Self
Social media directly affects behavior and self-development. Instagram and other platforms cause addiction, sleep deprivation, and instill complexes. “With the proliferation of social media tools in the last decade, research has emerged assessing the potential for overuse and addictive use of social media” (Dalvi-Esfahani, Niknafs, Kuss, Nilashi & Afrough, 2019, p. 2). Children grow up in these realities, which significantly affects their development as individuals. They choose an authority figure as a role model and try to copy it. It is in the 21st century that the number of people suffering from depression, eating disorders, and other scary diagnoses has increased. This problem can also be linked to the development of social networks.
Positive and Negative Aspects of Social Media
I have highlighted several pros and cons of social media. The advantages of social networks include communicating with colleagues, relatives, and friends who live in different cities and countries and making new acquaintances. Also, social networks can be used as a tool for self-development. Social networks can help in the learning process. They can be an excellent tool for business development, especially during quarantine: “Social media has been widely used for health-related purposes, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic” (Chen & Wang, 2021, p.1).
The disadvantage of social networking can be that due to the abundance of unnecessary information, the time spent on social networking increases significantly. Such a pastime can hurt human health because a large amount of data often tires and strains the nervous system. The downside is that a person loses the skill of honest communication, as they are used to communicating online. The most crucial disadvantage is the addiction caused by social media.
References
Chen, J., & Wang, Y. (2021). Social media use for health purposes: systematic review. Journal of medical Internet research, 23(5), Web.
Dalvi-Esfahani, M., Niknafs, A., Kuss, D. J., Nilashi, M., & Afrough, S. (2019). Social media addiction: Applying the DEMATEL approach. Telematics and Informatics, 43, 101250.