[Hailey Rafferty]

Beyond the Selfie-

We all have that one friend (it might even be you) who excessively posts selfies of themselves on social media. Have you ever questioned, why? Why do they continue to post images of themselves? Is it that they are happy and want to share their experience with us? Studies have shown individuals that have lower social media usage in general have increases in their emotional wellbeing (Nittle, 2020). They have also found links in females who post more selfies are more likely to be depressed (Global News, 2021).

In today’s society we base a lot of our ideals on materialism and appearances. I believe, this is how the ‘selfie culture’ came to be. The main point of selfies is to create a self-image in the light of your choosing. This is usually accompanied with manipulation via filters to alter their images to be perceived in a certain way. However, this is a false image of themselves, and often our presence and appearance on social media impacts our self-worth and esteem. Selfies shouldn’t be a defining factor on one’s self worth and esteem, rather what inner qualities we each possess.

We tend to base our self-worth and value as individuals off things like attractiveness, status in society, or social media following (Ackerman, 2018). As we age looks fade, we can combat it with surgeries, expensive creams, but in the end, money cannot stop the aging process. One day you won’t be able to post that ‘ideal’ selfie…

We need look beyond the selfie and past the social media façade to look within. Qualities such as kindness, morality, compassion, etc… These cannot be bought with all the money in the world or modified with any app. They will not fade with time. We all inherently have worth and value, and that will not change based on the clothes you wear or the number of likes you get on a photo.           

Attached to the link in this article below are various worksheets, TED talks, and affirmations that may be useful in helping grow your confidence in those inner qualities. It can be difficult to change our mindset, however your worth it!

https://positivepsychology.com/self-worth/       

Ackerman, C. (2018, November 6). What is Self-Worth and How Do We Increase it? (Incl. 4 Worksheets). PositivePsychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/self-worth/

Nittle, N. (2020, November 17). Is There a Link Between Social Media and Depression? Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/social-media-and-depression-5085354

Selfies are putting young women at risk for depression, anxiety. (n.d.). Global News. Retrieved May 15, 2021, from https://globalnews.ca/news/2974514/selfies-are-putting-young-women-at-risk-for-depression-anxiety/#:~:text=Selfies%2C%20those%20self-portraits%20that%20are%20typically%20well-lit%20and

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