SOCIAL MEDIA DRONES Written by: Sofia Eneqvist Illustrated by: Joseph Smallwood
The impact of the internet
T
he increase in social awareness has created a high demand for emotional validation. Many young social media users find their validation through their posts, likes, activities and interactions online. Social media allows users to discover other like-minded people who share interests, aesthetics and opinions. However, it can be dangerous when people limit themselves to the opinions of those same like-minded individuals.
Dr. Julie Goodman-Bowling, assistant professor of anthropology at California Baptist University, refers to this false sense of community as anomie, the condition in which society provides little moral guidance to individuals. She says social media can contribute to addictive behaviors and develop unhealthy ideals of self. It can lead to isolation and limits the ability to empathize. “We become anomie when we feel unknown,” Goodman-Bowling says. “We are such a visual
22 | Pursuit
species, that when we try to become something we are not, it ends up being harmful since it is inconsistent with our actual self. We think ‘I should be a part of that, and I am less because I am not.’” This idea of social comparison theory comes into play as social media users engage in online activity more. Surrounding oneself with people in their local environment, it is easy to find similarities in value systems, socio-economic status and resources that make the comparison more accurate. Dr. Joshua Fuller, assistant professor of industrialorganizational psychology, says comparing yourself to someone you do not know who is putting their best image on their best day with filters and flattering camera angles online creates a distorted self-image that is unhealthy to use as a comparison. “That is not the best social comparison. It isn’t going to accurately depict or reflect on where you should be in your life. It is very unfair but when that activity is engaged with more often it becomes normal,” Fuller says. “The more you use it, the stronger the effects it will have.” Fuller says a recent study found that posting on
