In today’s world teenagers including myself are addicted to social media. In the text “My Instagram”, Dayna Tortorici discusses how addicted she is to Instagram. She stated “Each morning I woke up to my phone alarm and rolled over to tap it off and, If I had time, looked at Instagram half-asleep. I easily spent an hour on it a day—in bed, on the subway, or at my desk during lunch”. I wanted to share this article because it covers how social media could make you feel insecure even though most of the pictures are photoshopped. Social media could be toxic since it manipulates you to feel that you have to look a certain way in order to satisfy yourself and your followers. Tortorici says “in truth, my self image began to prune from swimming so long in the sea of fitstagram, I spent too much time at the gym and worried about my forward head position, an affliction common to people who spend too much time on their phones”. This quote shows how Instagram could set unrealistic expectations on what you believe you should look like after seeing such a “perfect” body. It lowers others self esteem because they feel they could never look like that no matter how much time they put in at the gym. Everyone has a different body type which is what a lot of people don’t understand. Tortorici originally only followed people she knew but then started to follow fitness gurus with photoshopped pictured which led her to feel self-conscious about herself. If you noticed, people only post the highlights of their life on social media which is another reason why low self esteem is common. Not only does social media make you feel self-conscious but it also makes you feel like you’re missing out on life. For example, when you see Kathy going on vacation three times a year and exploring the world while you’re sitting home and scrolling through Instagram. I tend to take a break from social media because I noticed that it actually helps me stay focused on my goals. It’s difficult to stay away from it but it is ultimately the healthiest option.
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I like the way that you present the negatives of social media use as it’s a real problem that many people, and maybe even ourselves actually face, but we just don’t notice until it’s pointed out to us. When you said that “Not only does social media make you feel self-conscious but it also makes you feel like you’re missing out on life”, I think that you just cracked the reason why so many people are both addicted to it and why so many people shy away from social media and refuse to use it. Social media usage can either go one of two ways: either you use it responsibly and keep in mind that it’s not real life, or you inevitably become addicted and start believing that it is indeed real life. It’s really interesting to see the fine line between these two options, and to think about the numerous factors that can determine which path one ultimately takes. Do you have any stories of people who have either become really good at being responsible with social media or people who don’t see the difference between social media and real life?