Social Media's Effect on Younger Generations' Perception of Life and the Self
Creation of new career paths
New internet celebrities open new advertising opportunities and help promote phsyical and lifestyle standards of today
Social filtering translated to person to person relationships
Unhealthy expectations of life and self have contributed to the rise in mental health related issues
Miscellany
Success of Youtubers, Tik Tok stars, Travel bloggers
Amount of money made by Internet personalities has become a new benchmark for success
The amount of work these jobs require appears to be minimal. -- Much more enjoyable than other jobs
Promotes an unrealistic benchmark for the level of success one should get out of life and the amount of work it should take to get there
promotes an unrealistic accessibility of this kind of success
Can advertise to children with little to no montioring.
Often advertise supplements, detox teas, and diet/food boxes
Emphasis on physical appearance and "quick fixes" promote unhealthy body images
Contributes to rise in eating disorders
Capitalizes what began as a creative outlet
alters content and intention of creation
The detached appearence of social media created a unique medium for bullying
Include personal narrative about middle school
Social media created an awareness for cliques - FOMO
Made social media a popularity contest
Expectations of perfection on social media created the need to maintain that facade offline also
Dislike for sad content creates the need to hide negative emotions
In classic Millennial fashion I still question whether all of my evidence is just confirmation bias and if my opinions are just the manifestation of internalized childhood trauma. But I guess the search for understanding is less about finding THE truth and more about uncovering your truth.
Millenials and Gen Z have reported an increase in Depression and Anxiety in recent years
Could be due to increased awareness and acceptance
Other possible causes for increase: "helicopter parenting", increased emphasis on academic success
Increase in sucide outcomes in Millenials