A few decades ago, information was passed on to the public via television, newspaper, or the
radio, but now just with a click, we can know what is happening on the other side of the world.
Indeed, social media has made it easier to access information, but its significant influences on
our lives cannot be neglected. Social media substantially impacts our happiness and social
acceptance by letting us know about the Boba tea café down the street to
control what we wear and how we feel about it. The tremendous popularity of having the perfect
‘hourglass’ body; wearing clothes that are ‘in trend.’ Having perfectly manicured nails and
having the ideal lip size all make teen girls believe that this is what being successful is, or
maybe if they look a certain way, they will end up being happier. Despite the positive attributes
of social media, it’s essential to understand that media has a significant impact on how women’s
bodies are perceived and contribute to setting up beauty standards, making younger
women question their self-esteem. Adolescence is the stage during which enormous changes
occur in a child’s body, making them self-conscious, and social media adds up by increasing
behaviours like peer comparison in the context of beauty. Every day I see thousands of girls
on social media who should be enjoying their lives. Still, instead, they are concerned about
achieving a hairless body and having perfectly pouty lips. This is what they see everywhere
on social media and presume that this is how they will feel beautiful, ignoring all their talents
and inner beauty. It’s high time we understand that all the celebrities who promote body
positivity continue to promote their brands and earn millions because they sell products that
make people believe that by buying that product, they will achieve social acceptance the same
way that particular celebrity did.
Therefore, even though people use social media daily, we need to make youngsters aware of how
there is more to happiness in life, and how they should be spending their teenage years exploring
themselves, rather than conforming to what social media presents to them.
