Group, The Burke. The Social Media Explosion. 2013. Google Web Image. Ontario, Canada.
So, what's the issue here?
Most people would agree that social media and certain celebrity figures do have a negative impact on adolescents. But do people know what is being affected in the adolescents life? Do people know how? The inundation with social media and the idolization of certain social figures has a potentially detrimental effect on the developing adolescent’s sense of self, especially in the areas of sexual expression and body satisfaction.
The media is everywhere in an adolescents life. It is always in their faces waiting to be taken in. In regards to sexual expression, female celebrities are dishing out music videos where they are fully or partially naked for the entire video, insert Miley Cyrus here. Adolescent girls pick up on this and imitate their behaviors. Young adolescent boys take this behavior as an invitation to sexual intercourse when most adolescent girls aren't even comfortable with the idea of sex.
In regards to body dissatisfaction, the media is constantly telling adolescents how they should look, what beautiful people look like, and how they should alter themselves to fit in with society's viewpoints. Females should be stick thin, tall, blonde and gorgeous. Males should be as muscular as can possibly be. How are these messages good for adolescents? Well, they aren't.
The messages portrayed in the media need to be changed. However, it may not be the media's fault that adolescents are seeing what they see. Perhaps it's actually our fault. We know we want to hear the juicy gossip stories. We know we want to see a celebrity do something dirty or risque. We gobble it up. What we see in the media is a direct reflection of what we value as a society. If we want things to change, it is up to us to change it.
The blame game needs to stop. It is time to teach our adolescents the values and beliefs that will benefit their lives. It is time to encourage our adolescents to just be themselves, to let them know that they are not alone, to ask them to value their differences and accept just how uniquely perfect they are.
Most people would agree that social media and certain celebrity figures do have a negative impact on adolescents. But do people know what is being affected in the adolescents life? Do people know how? The inundation with social media and the idolization of certain social figures has a potentially detrimental effect on the developing adolescent’s sense of self, especially in the areas of sexual expression and body satisfaction.
The media is everywhere in an adolescents life. It is always in their faces waiting to be taken in. In regards to sexual expression, female celebrities are dishing out music videos where they are fully or partially naked for the entire video, insert Miley Cyrus here. Adolescent girls pick up on this and imitate their behaviors. Young adolescent boys take this behavior as an invitation to sexual intercourse when most adolescent girls aren't even comfortable with the idea of sex.
In regards to body dissatisfaction, the media is constantly telling adolescents how they should look, what beautiful people look like, and how they should alter themselves to fit in with society's viewpoints. Females should be stick thin, tall, blonde and gorgeous. Males should be as muscular as can possibly be. How are these messages good for adolescents? Well, they aren't.
The messages portrayed in the media need to be changed. However, it may not be the media's fault that adolescents are seeing what they see. Perhaps it's actually our fault. We know we want to hear the juicy gossip stories. We know we want to see a celebrity do something dirty or risque. We gobble it up. What we see in the media is a direct reflection of what we value as a society. If we want things to change, it is up to us to change it.
The blame game needs to stop. It is time to teach our adolescents the values and beliefs that will benefit their lives. It is time to encourage our adolescents to just be themselves, to let them know that they are not alone, to ask them to value their differences and accept just how uniquely perfect they are.