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EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON PEOPLE

Effects of Social Media on People

Grays Harbor College
Dr. Cavin

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EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON PEOPLE

Abstract
In current society, technology surrounds people on a daily basis. This phenomenon is
prevalent amongst young people for they cannot detach themselves from their phones. It has
gradually become a daily necessity. One of the daily temptations that young people cannot resist
is scrolling down to refresh their social media page, whether it be Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook,
or Instagram. Social media allows people to be updated on the latest trends, celebrites, or their
friends. This could lead to undesired consequences. Social media is often used as a tool to
present a superficial, ideal misunderstanding of the users life. Celebrities often post pictures of
their bodies or selfies that are most likely filtered or photoshopped. These images could lead to
comparison of ones image to another persons image that they found on social media. The
purpose of this study is to determine the difference between self-perception of those who use
social media and of those who do not use social media. The expectation of this study is that
social media users will have more negative self-perceptions as opposed to non-social media
users.

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Introduction
Purpose of Study
The purpose of this study is to determine the difference between self-perception of those
who use social media and of those who do not use social media.
Significance of Study
A research Sponcil and Gitimu (2011) conducted shows that the participants, male and
female, are affected by the use of social media. In the end, social media did have a negative
impact on their self-concept. This study will build on this idea by taking 60 participants, 30 male
and 30 female. This group will then be divided into subgroups of social media users and nonsocial media users. It will differ from previous research by including the subgroups of social
media users and non-social media users. In order to avoid maturation, a threat to internal validity,
this study will use participants that are adults, because they will have developed cognitively.
Research Questions
This study aims to answer one question.
1. Is there a significant difference in self-perception of those who use social media and
those who do not use social media?
Theoretical Framework
The purpose of this study is to determine the difference between self-perception of those
who use social media and of those who do not use social media. The independent variable will be

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EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON PEOPLE

the use of social media and no use of social media. The dependent variable will be the subjects
self-perception.
The theory behind this study is that self-perception of those who use social media will be
more negative opposed to those who do not use social media. A research question will be asked
to determine this theory. Sponcil and Gitimu (2011) asserted that out of their 96 participants, 52
students admitted to having negative self-esteem after browsing social media. This study led to
the concept that social media does negatively impact self-perception.
Literature Review
Effects of social media on self-perception
Fardouly (2015) conducted a study that examined the effects of social media on women
and their body image. Participants, ages ranged from 18 to 25, were asked to surf through
Facebook for ten minutes. Their responses were compared with those who looked at control sites
that did not deal with physical appearance. After the women finished browsing, the researchers
asked the participants to share three things they would alter about themselves. Their answers
could be about anything, not just appearance. Fardouly found that among the Facebook browsers,
many of the participants mentioned things they would fix about their appearance. Subsequent to
the experiment, Fardouly e-mailed the subjects asking them how often they compared their
appearance to others. For women who often made appearance comparisons, spending time on
Facebook made them more concerned about their facial appearance. They were less likely to
mention dissatisfaction of their bodies because there are more portrait images than full body
photos.

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University of Haifa (2011) conducted a similar study to that of Faudoulys. They

hypothesized that the more time adolescent girls spend in front of Facebook, their chances of
developing negative body images would escalate. A group of 248 girls aged 12 through 19 took
part in the survey. These girls were asked to provide information on their internet and television
viewing habits. In addition, they filled out questionnaires that examined their perceptions on
problems associated with body image and their sense of personal empowerment.
Results showed that the more time girls spend on Facebook, the more they suffered
conditions of eating disorders, physical dissatisfaction, negative physical self-image, and
excessive dieting. Extensive online exposure to fashion and music showed similar tendencies.
The study also revealed that the level of personal empowerment in these girls were negatively
linked to eating disorders.
Fardouly and Vartanian (2015) conducted a search on how comparisons about ones
appearance mediate the relationship between Facebook usage and body image concerns. Body
dissatisfaction is prevalent among young women. This study examined the relationship between
Facebook and body image concerns among 227 female university students, and tested whether
appearance comparisons on Facebook, or comparisons to specific female target groups mediated
this relationship. These 227 participants were female first-year psychology students at a large
public university in eastern Australia. The average age of participants was 19.13 years, and their
mean Body Mass Index was 21.41. One hundred and five of the participants were identified as
White, 95 identified as Asian, and 27 identified as other. Participants were asked on a 5-point
scale, When looking at photos of the following people on Facebook, how often do you compare

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your body to theirs? (1= never, 5= very often.) The target groups varied in relational closeness
and included female family members, close friends, and celebrities.
Results showed that participants frequently compared their appearance to close friends
and celebrities, and significantly less frequently to female family members. Participants rated
their body most negatively when comparing to female celebrities or close friends, and least
negatively when comparing to female family members.
Sponcil and Gitimu (2011) investigated how social media affects college students selfconcept. All of the sampled college students were using at least one form of a social networking
website. There was a .658 Pearson correlation between usage of social media and self-concept.
The participants consisted of 96 undergraduate college students attending a mid-western
university in the United States. There were 67 females and 29 males. Ninety percent were
between the ages of 18-33. Of the undergraduate college students sampled, 71.9 percent were
junior and senior level while 28.1 percent were freshman and sophomore level. Seventy-nine
percent were Caucasian, 16 percent were African-American, 4 percent were Hispanic, and 1
percent other. A convenient and stratified sampling method was used to acquire the sample.
Participants were asked if their self-esteem was affected positively or negatively when on social
media. Results showed that out of the 96 participants, and 52 of the participants reported
negative feelings due to social media. This implies that other users comments to students on
these sites does influence students self-concepts or students just do not think about whether
social networking sites affect them.
All of these studies examined the repercussions of social media on self-perception,
specifically body image. The study by Fardouly (2015) dealt with a more mature age group, and

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the study by University of Haifa (2011) dealt with teenage girls, and the study led by Fardouly
and Vartanian (2014) also dealt with a more mature age group, specifically university students.
The study led by Sponcil and Gitimu (2011) also consisted of a mature age group. The
comparison target groups were specific. All of these studies were conducted in different regions
of the world. Regardless of the age or location, these studies conclude that social media
influences the perceptions people have on their appearances.
Effects of social media on bullying
Hinduja and Patchin (2010) conducted research on cyberbullying that occurs among
teenagers. The research involved approximately 2,000 randomly-selected middle school students
from one of the most populous school districts in the United States. These participants were then
asked questions and filled out a survey regarding different bullying situations and the
repercussions of bullying. Even though suicide rates have decreased 28.5 percent among young
people in recent years, upward trends were identified in the 10 to 19-year-old age group. There
have been several high-profile cases involving teenagers taking their own lives in part because of
being harassed and mistreated over the internet. Of those middle-schoolers, 20 percent reported
seriously thinking about attempting suicide. Individual behaviors in regard to cyberbullying
ranged from 9.1 percent to 23.1 percent for offending and 5.7 percent to 18.3 percent for
victimization. The most common form of cyberbullying offending reported by respondents was,
Posted something online about another person to make others laugh. Twenty-three and one
tenths percent of the participants admitted to this. The most frequently cited form of bullying
victimization was, Received an upsetting email from someone you know. Eighteen and three
tenths percent of the participants have experienced this. Finally, the researchers wanted to see if

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cyberbullying experiences were related to an increased likelihood of an adolescent attempting

suicide. Results showed that all forms of peer aggression increased the likelihood of that
respondent attempting suicide. Cyberbullying victims were 1.9 times more likely and
cyberbullying offenders were 1.5 times more likely to have attempted suicide than those who
were not cyberbullying victims or offenders.
Pinchot and Paullet (2013) administered a study on the perceptions and experiences of
college students regarding cyberbullying and their relationships with social networking usage. A
survey was conducted to a convenience sample of 168 college undergraduates at a mid-Atlantic
university. Sixty-two percent were male and 38 percent were female. The age range of
participants spanned from 18 to 45. Participants included in the sample were all enrolled in a
core university course at the same time between January and March 2013. Students from this
course were chosen purposefully to capture a cross-section of university students from different
major courses of study. The survey questionnaire consisted of 22 questions that asked if
participants have been victimized, witnessed, or committed the act of cyberbullying.
Results concluded that 21 percent of the 168 students surveyed responded that they had
been a victim of cyberbullying, 54 percent reported the incident of cyberbullying when it
occurred, and 37 percent of these students who did report stated that they received help. Sixty-six
percent indicated that they personally know a victim of cyberbullying. A minority, 2 percent of
students admitted that they would join in on the bullying.
Salinas, Coan, Ansley, Barton, McCaig, and Edwards (2013) investigated how bullying
impacts interpersonal communication on social networking websites. Students were asked the
first question which was, How does bullying through Facebook affect students? and the second

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question was, How do the effects of bullying through social networking impact academic
performance in school? Results were gathered from 44 undergraduate students attending a midsized higher education institution in central Texas. After a two-week gathering period, the
participants responses were analyzed. For question one, 23 participants indicated that they have
not personally been affected by cyberbullying but have been witnesses in some way. Many have
seen bullying pages which write hateful comments about other people via Facebook. For
question two, cyberbullying does alter academic performance. Seven participants stated that they
were personally affected by cyberbullying. Participants recall being affected psychologically. A
response stated that the participant was told to kill herself and could not think straight for days.
Many participants shared that they know someone or has personally moved schools due to online
harassment. One participant shared that a sibling had experienced cyberbullying and
subsequently changed schools.
This study was limited to 44 undergraduate students attending a rural, predominantly
white university in Texas. For further research, a more diverse sample might be attempted in
order to have more racial and ethnic diversity.
Effects of social media on grades
Researchers from Miriam Hospital investigated the correlation between academic
performance and social media (Davis, 2013). Researchers tracked female first-year college
students uses of 11 forms of social media including television, movies, music, the Internet and
video games over the course of an academic year. They concluded that on average the students
spent nearly 12 hours a day using social media. In order to collect this data, researchers
conducted a survey to nearly 500 first-year women at a northeastern university about their

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weekly social media usage. At the end of each semester, the women reported their GPAs. The
study found a correlation between GPA and social media use. Women who spent more time
watching television and reading magazines reported lower academic performance, and those who
spent more time on social networking sites reported having lower grades. Academic confidence
and academic behaviors were factors that affect GPA.
Researchers at Whittemore School of Business and Economics at the University of New
Hampshire conducted a study to determine whether there is a correlation between heavy usage of
social media and grades (Martin, 2012). A total of 1,127 students from all colleges at the
university (College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, College of Liberal Arts, College of
Life Sciences and Agriculture, College of Health and Human Services, Thompson School of
Applied Sciences, and the Whittemore School of Business and Economics) were surveyed. The
results of the study showed that there is no correlation between the amount of time students
spend using social media and their grades. Light usage of social media was defined as fewer than
31 minutes per day. Heavy usage was defined as usage exceeding 61 minutes per day. High
grades were considered As and Bs and lower grades as Bs and lower. Sixty-three percent of
heavy users received high grades, compared to 65 percent of light users. Thirty-seven percent of
heavy users received low grades and 35 percent of light users received low grades.
Alwagait, Shahzad, and Alim (2014) conducted a study of the impact social media has
upon academic performance among students in Saudi Arabia. One hundred and eight college
students agreed to partake in this study. Their GPAs were examined throughout a three-month
period and the amount of time spent on social media was reported. Thirteen cases were removed
which left 95 cases to use for analysis. In terms of the relationship between the two variables, the

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correlation between the two variables is very weak. There is no relationship but some results are
clustered together. The lack of relationship concludes that the frequent use of social media has no
effect on their studies.
There are contradicting results on this topic. Researchers from Miriam Hospital found
through their conducted study that heavy usage of social media affected their participants GPA
levels (Davis, 2013), while researchers at Whittemore School of Business and Economics at the
University of New Hampshire (Martin, 2012), and Alwagait, Shahzad, and Alim (2014)
concluded that social media does not affect academic performance among students.

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EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON PEOPLE

References
Alwagait, E., Shahzad, B., & Alim, S. (2014). Impact of social media usage on students
academic performance in Saudi Arabia. Retrieved from doi:10.1016/j.chb.2014/09/028.
Davis, R. (2013). Social media use may lead to poor grades. Retrieved from
http://www.browndailyherald.com/2013/04/24/social-media-use-may-lead-to-poorgrades/.
Fardouly, J. (2015). Putting the face in Facebook: How the social network shapes body image.
Retrieved from http://www.betaboston.com/news/2015/02/06/putting-the-face-infacebook-how-the-social-network-shapes-body-image.
Fardouly, J., & Vartanian L. R. (2015, January). Negative comparisons about ones appearance
mediate the relationship between Facebook usage and body image concerns.
Retrieved from doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2014.10.004.
Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. (2010). Cyberbullying Research Summary: Cyberbullying and Suicide.
Retrieved from
http://www.cyberbullying.us/cyberbullying_and_suicide_research_fact_sheet.pdf.
Martin, C. (2012). Social networking usage and grades among college students. Retrieved from
http://www.unh.edu/news/docs/UNHsocialmedia.pdf.
Pinchot, J., & Paullet, K. (2013). Social Networking: Friend or foe? A study of cyberbullying at

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EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON PEOPLE

a university campus. Retrieved from

http://iacis.org/iis/2013/270_iis_2013_174-181.pdf.
Salinas, E., Coan, D., Ansley, S., Barton, A., McCaig, C., & Edwards, J. (2013). Bullying on
Facebook: How it affects secondary school and college students. Retrieved from
http://www.kon.org/urc/v12/salinas.html.
Sponcil, M., & Gitimu, P. (2011). Use of social media by college studetns: Relationship to
communication and self-concept. Retrieved from
http://www.aabri.com/manuscripts/121214.pdf.
University of Haifa. (2011, February 7). Facebook users more prone to developing eating
disorders, study finds. Retrieved from
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110207091754.htm.