The Effects of Social Media Use on Adolescent Development: Do the Pro’s Outweigh the Con’s?

What are the pro’s and con’s of social media use on adolescent’s development today? Since it is a relatively recent phenomenon, it is an understudied topic. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter have the potential to reshape the lives and experiences of contemporary adolescence in a variety of ways. Let’s explore some of these impacts by using Instagram as an example.

We’re all pretty familiar with Instagram, right? Instagram is a popular social networking service where videos and pictures are the predominant focus in terms of content posting and sharing. The app allows users to upload visuals with editing features as well as to use hashtags to enable cross-referencing of popular key words or phrases. The unique hashtag feature also allows people to be able to search for content that fall within the same niche, subject, or theme. They usually appear at the end of comments on posts as a way to encourage participation in viewers and gain more following, to give credit to the original source of a shared media post, or as an advertising technique and search engine optimization (SEO) tool to attract people interested in specific content. Sometimes this feature is even used to portray sarcasm in the author’s tone to whatever topic their post is centered around. It is most commonly used by companies for marketing purposes and bloggers to categorize messages in trending topics.

Regular use of this platform impacts adolescent development with regard to the psychosocial tasks of identity and intimacy in a variety of different ways, with both positive and negative effects to consider:

With regard to identity development, social media platforms such as Instagram create an outlet for self-expression and experimentation with adolescents’ possible selves, or the various identities that they normally image for themselves during this developmental period. This has positive impacts in the sense that it prompts self-reflection about questions adolescents tend to ask about their own identity and their future. For example, it can assist in revealing self-conceptions and how they think about themselves or in forming an “ideal self” image about the kind of person they want to be. Posting Instagram pictures also aids in teenagers to focus more upon their feelings and social lives and gives them tools to be able to characterize themselves such as their traits and their attributes. These factors have scientifically been proven to yield in better health and relationships as they facilitate adolescents to have increased self-awareness and clearer self-conceptions. However, there are potential negative consequences to consider as well. Typically, adolescents with a high level of peer support at school also experience positive outcomes in their relationships and connections as a result of social media use. On the other hand, those with little or no peer support and few friends suffer from it. This is because social media use, especially Instagram where the primary focus is usually on visually appealing material, causes adolescents who have social problems or are depressed to engage in social comparison or approval seeking – such as thoughts like, “Is she prettier than me?” These adolescents are also more likely to be victims of cyberbullying through this social platform. Other negative impacts frequent Instagram use can lead to is the development of internet addiction, or in this case, “Instagram addiction”, as well as mental health problems like social withdrawal, social anxiety, or procrastination. It can also create new opportunities for teenagers to engage in risky behavior, which they are already prone to at this age, including sexting and sexual harassment through nonconsensual sharing of photos in order to humiliate a victim.

To expand on these potential negative consequences of Instagram use, we can consider the effects on intimacy. As we previously mentioned, victimization through cyberbullying creates problems in adolescent’s relationships. In the relationship department, the development of FOMO, or the fear of missing out, may also occur and cause even more social isolation for those with low self-esteem and weak boundaries. However, it has proven to be beneficial in other cases where evidence has been found of adolescents being more likely to form close online relationships if they come from a background of having poor family relationships or history of psychological issues. Instagram and other similar social media platforms can serve as an outlet for these teenagers to share private information about themselves and their lives online and with the public, if they so choose and desire to do so. Viewing it through this lens, we can reasonably assume that these social media tools can be used as a resource of reaching out to others for help if, for instance, a youngster has experienced some type of abuse in a relationship. It can provide the means to escape these types of situations, or even to just join an online community of like-minded individuals for those who are lonely and are seeking belonging. It also provides a different avenue in terms of forming relationships and connecting with others for those who feel more comfortable expressing themselves in a different way due to their personality type. For example, individuals who have more introverted personalities may prefer to get their messages across in their writing or particular talents like photography, rather than verbally or face-to-face. This in effect creates higher intimacy levels because it facilitates with adolescent’s communication when forming connections, as well as continue to aid in them being able to maintain those connections by being able to keep in touch with their contacts more conveniently, more often, and even publicly.

Overall, Instagram use has very mixed results with both positive and negative aspects contributing to either the formation of new online friendships and stronger ties or excessive focus on self-image and self-esteem issues leading to situations such as being victimized through cyberbullying.

Citation:
Steinberg, L. (2020). Adolescence, 12th edition. McGraw-Hill Higher Education, pp. 211-215.