Media: How it Affects Teenage Identity

Throughout the past couple of decades, media has immersed itself into our everyday lives through the form of television, movies, video games, magazines, and of course social media. But who does it impact the most? Our country’s population of adolescents is the demographic that consumes the most significant amount of media. According to CNN, teens spend about nine hours a day on media for the purpose of entertainment. This shocking amount of exposure can become severely damaging because the media can have a negative effect on a young teenager’s developing sense of personal identity. Media, especially forms of it that involve visual imagery, can greatly affect a teenager’s self-esteem. Social networking sites, in particular, are harmful because they lead teenagers to believe that they need their peers’ approval and validation through the number of comments and likes they receive on a post. It also provides teens with the idea that their success in life is measured by comparing their milestones to what others are doing online. A study conducted by New York University in 2010 found that people who spent more time online had lower self-esteem and posted more “self-promotional” posts in an effort to garner attention. This lack of self-esteem can then lead teenagers to begin struggling with body image issues and eating disorders, which can continue on into adulthood. These issues begin due to the “thin-ideal” body type that is most frequently portrayed throughout the media. Extensive research has made it abundantly clear that there is a connection between the media and body dissatisfaction in both young girls and boys. For boys, this means a muscular physique and for girls a stick-thin body. An analysis of fifty different social media accounts geared towards promoting healthy and fit lifestyles revealed that many of them encouraged guilt about weight, promoted dieting, and contained language that was pro-anorexia. If this is the kind of messages adolescents are receiving about their bodies on a daily basis, it’s no wonder their generation struggles with self-esteem and body image issues.

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