Social Media has a strong impact in society. It allows people to engage with the world around them. But using social media can impact ones health, lifestyle, and the way they view themselves, both positively and negatively.
Many people are affected from social media because of the advertisements shown. They always are encouraging people to lose weight, and providing people with more effective ways to lose weight fast. Models are called beautiful, which can lead to people believeing that they have to be a size 2 to be socially accepted as beautiful, and makes them change the way they view their body image. This is a negative impact from social media, because it can make people believe they are not pretty and skinny enough, and can encourage people to develop an eating disorder. An example of this would be the 2014 Victoria’s Secret campaign, which featured some of the Victoria’s Secret models standing together, with the bold words “The Perfect Body” showcased in front. The toxic nature of those words created a public uproar, though it was a play on words announcing the new additions to their Body by Victoria line.
Social Media can also have positive effects. There have been many large campaigns that focus on spreading body positivity. For example, the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty. Dove conducted a study which revealed that only 4 percent of women worldwide accept themselves as beautiful. And by using powerful videos, campaigns on social media and more, Dove is beginning to help women find confidence in themselves.