Social media allows people to curate idealized versions of their lives and form online identities distinct from their real selves. This disconnect, combined with social comparison and echo chambers, can lead to negative mental health effects as users strive to gain approval from their online networks. Teenagers are particularly vulnerable as nearly all use multiple social media accounts, and many witness or experience cyberbullying.

1. Photo by alsuvi - Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License https://www.flickr.com/photos/55872374@N00 Created with Haiku Deck

2. Photo by Scott Cresswell - Creative Commons Attribution License https://www.flickr.com/photos/49404637@N03 Created with Haiku Deck
Social media is an arena filled with a
crowd who share ideas within the
scope boundaries of society.

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People care about
their self image and
tend to demonstrate
their character by self-
branding.
Self-branding happens
with users presenting
their individuality and
uniqueness by buying
audience attention [1].

4. Photo by Maëlick - Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License https://www.flickr.com/photos/113604805@N04 Created with Haiku Deck
So how does
a “selfie”
affect our
social image
and status?

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Online communities create
tension and despise between
users to look better in front of
each other [2]. Your identity
becomes part of a puzzle that
filters out all your emotions
drawing out a senseless figure
out of your character.

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"One of the
differences between
our self-image in real
life and online is
more ability to
change our look, and
also mask our identity
[3]. " Christine
Erickson

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Users struggle to share their real experiences from the
physical world to the digital world. These experiences
become all hidden behind their profile picture that
represents overall content state of mind.

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Too many
communities
Very little
to show

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Facebook presents exaggerated highlights
on events. Instagram triggers
unrealistically enthusiastic community
[4]. That leads users to feel a lot of
frustration to find their platform and truly
express themselves.

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On Twitter
76% of users actively
update their status [5].
40% of them are
democrats [5].

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At this point we may ask ourselves: Are we
really enjoying the moments we live in our
lives? Or is it the all about sharing them
that makes our life matters to us?

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We examine every day with the moments that
measure up to the amount of likes and comments
to be rewarded from the rest of the community.

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A biography filled with chapters that feels all the
same.

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With the Echo
chamber effect
filtering out
irrelevant
content [6], users
are experiencing
less engaging
experiences with
social media that
matches their
real life.

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"We know that many
people on social media
sites often present
idealized versions of
their lives, leading
others to make upward
social comparisons,
which can lead to
negative emotions [7]."
Dr. Rauch

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Social Media profiles are getting very connected to our lives.
It knows our names, life and social status that we become
very keen to preserve our online identities [8]. Rather than
finding them a field for self-expression, we find them as a
tool to preserve an acceptable image in the society.

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Teenagers unguided use of social
media is very dangerous.

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Pew Research Center
reported that 71% of teen
use more than one type of
social media accounts [9]. A
study by Enough is Enough
organization found that 95%
of teenagers witnessed
cyberbullying, and 33% of
them have been the victims
themselves [10].

20. Photo by ericmcgregor - Creative Commons Attribution License https://www.flickr.com/photos/15817797@N00 Created with Haiku Deck
Will we ever
feel free
vulnerable to
be who we
really are in
front of
everyone?

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Are we
living in a
world of
suitcases
that hide all
our
secrets?

22. Works Cited
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<https://hbr.org/2013/01/the-future-of-you/>.
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<http://www.newyorker.com.proxy.queensu.ca/tech/elements/how-facebook-makes-us-unhappy>.
3-Erickson, Christine. "The Social Psychology of the Selfie." Mashable. N.p., 15 Feb. 2013. Web. 12 June 2015.
<http://mashable.com/2013/02/15/social-media-and-the-selfie/>.
4-Chayka, Kyle. "The New, Improved Online Friendship." Next. N.p., 24 Mar. 2015. Web. 12 June 2015. <http://nymag.com/next/2015/03/new-
improved-online-friendship.html>.
5-Baer, Jay. "11 Shocking New Social Media Statistics in America." Www.fastcasual.com. N.p., 17 Aug. 2012. Web. 12 June 2015.
<http://www.fastcasual.com/articles/11-shocking-new-social-media-statistics-in-america/>.
6-MARTIN, ALAN. "The Web's 'echo Chamber' Leaves Us None the Wiser (Wired UK)." Wired UK. N.p., 01 May 2013. Web. 12 June 2015.
<http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-05/1/online-stubbornness>.
7-Whiteman, Honor. "Social Media: How Does It Affect Our Mental Health and Well-being?" Medical News Today. MediLexicon International,
10 June 2015. Web. 12 June 2015. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/275361.php>.
8-MADDEN, MARY, and AMANDA LENHART. "What Teens Said about Social Media, Privacy, and Online Identity." Pew Research Centers Internet
American Life Project RSS. N.p., 21 May 2013. Web. 12 June 2015. <http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/05/21/what-teens-said-about-social-
media-privacy-and-online-identity/.
9-LENHART, AMANDA. "Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015." Pew Research Centers Internet American Life Project RSS. N.p., 08
Apr. 2015. Web. 12 June 2015. <http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/teens-social-media-technology-2015/>.
10-PROBST, CAITLIN. "10 Ways Social Media Affects Mental Health." Degreed Atom. N.p., 29 Apr. 2015. Web. 12 June 2015.
<http://blog.degreed.com/10-ways-social-media-affects-our-mental-health/>.