Page 35 - Intra Muros November 2023 Issue

TODAY’S CHILD

iPhones, iPads and iWorry

By Dr Ilse Ruane

nstagram is a visually-led social media For a teen, the goal of having an Instagram • teens start investing more time online
platform where the primary method of account is to gain the most likes. Some teens at the expense of communicating and
Iinteraction is double-tapping an image to like go to great lengths to gain these likes – but interacting in real life, in sports and in
it. Posts go viral due to the posts feeding into online life isn’t real life. friendships;
the dominant culture. The app allows users • it’s always about looking flawless. It is not
to post their photos or videos onto their feed. According to studies, Instagram is the real; and
Photos or videos are often edited or enhanced worst social media network for mental • it creates an unreal popularity contest.
before sharing to gain as many likes as possible. health and wellbeing. While Instagram got
points for self-expression and self-identity, Compare and despair
By following the person, you are able to access it was associated with anxiety, depression, Instagram makes it is easy to compare the
their online gallery of photos, provided they bullying and the fear of missing out (FOMO). number of ‘friends’ you have against your
have not hidden it from you. Instagram looks friendly and fun, but: peers. It is natural to compare. We compare
• users have little control over what they ourselves with others in terms of ability,
Locations may also be shared, which opens seeing; social standing and even how we feel.
up all sorts of concerns. Instagram’s algorithm • the pseudo-positivity of Instagram
tailormakes feeds for the user based on their encourages its users to present an Social media is making it impossible to avoid
previous searches, hashtags and other users attractive image to get maximum comparing. Researchers are even calling this
they follow. Instagram has three account followers; the ‘compare and despair’ of Instagram.
settings to choose from: private, business or • it presents unrealistic, edited images The typical Instagram user spends most of
open. and posts that speak directly to teens. his/her time observing other people and
They quickly forget that people edit their messaging, but not too often posting. In
The widest net for gaining followers and photographs. These can lead to the risk other words, users spend most of their time
‘friends’ is an open account. But this also of developing an unhealthy body image. gathering information about others. As
means anyone on the internet has access to all They can also set unrealistic expectations a result, it is nearly impossible not to use
your posts, photos and videos – and, therefore, and create feelings of inadequacy and low this information to compare our lives with
ultimately has access to you. self-esteem; others.

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