The amount of time individuals spend on social media is constantly growing, teenagers spending up to 9 hours a day on social platforms, whereas the average person will spend nearly 2 hours on social media each day, translating to a total of 5 years and 4 months spent over a lifetime (Asano, 2017). USA Today (2014) interviewed 23 Chicago university students and 20 out of 23 students believed social media caused anxiety or added stress to an individual’s life and they all realised it is easy to portray a different version of themselves online; one female student believed that social media adds pressure to be perfect (Tolly, 2014). At the same study, the individuals believe the number of likes on Facebook/Instagram or retweets on Twitter is used as a tool of verification for acceptance.
While investigating the connection between appearance, narcissism, identity and social media, this project researched the notions of body image and whether they are discredited by social platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram. It is important to note that as of the fourth quarter of 2016, Facebook had 1.86 billion monthly active users, whilst in 2009 the social networking application only registered 175 million active users (Statista, 2016); there are currently 600 million monthly active users on Instagram (Smith, 2017). These statistics point to the fact that these leading social platforms are not only growing in power, with consumer-focused and commercial businesses alike increasingly relying on them to build brand awareness through heavy advertising and marketing, but it also means that individuals are more likely to have negative responses and confidence issues. According to Smith (2017), 90% of Instagram users are younger than 35 years old, with 49% of them female. Moreover, 9% of teenage girls claim to have been bullied on Instagram.
Using both primary and secondary research, this project examined the cult of the self online through the chosen medium of a magazine. It also aims to make a statement regarding the popular glossy women’s magazines and the unhealthy values they promote, such as skinny bodies and perfect skin.
Miss Portrayed is dedicated to the feminist woman who wants to stay connected and provides a space for those affected by issues of self-image on social media, offering solace and inspiration through articles dealing with practices of self-belief.
References:
Asano, E. (2017). [online] Social Media Today. Available at: http://www.socialmediatoday.com/marketing/how-much-time-do-people-spend-social-media-infographic [Accessed 8 May. 2017].
Smith, C. (2017). By the numbers. [online] Expanded Ramblings. Available at: http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/important-instagram-stats/ [Accessed 6 Mar. 2017].
Statista, (2017). [online] Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly-active-facebook-users-worldwide/ [Accessed 8 May. 2017].
Tolly, K. (2014). Does social media affect students self-esteem?. [online] USA Today. Available at: http://college.usatoday.com/2014/10/21/does-social-media-affect-students-self-esteem/ [Accessed 8 May. 2017].
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