Social media and building self esteem

A pleasant day everyone, I have been allowed to deliver a speech on Social media and building self
esteem. Nowadays, social media has become a part of people's lives. But in our use of it, do we know
what it can do to us? Do social media boost self-confidence? According to “Statista”, a German company
specializing in market and consumer data. The Philippines has one of the highest numbers of social
network users across Southeast Asia, with a social media penetration rate of approximately 67% in
January 2020. Does all of these people are happy and comfortable with the use of social media? What
exactly is the reason on why we used it?

Social media is used by people to keep up with what is happening around them. It can also be used to
communicate with other people. Despite its usefulness to us, it can also have negative effects on us. And
one of its negative effects is; decreasing one's self-confidence. The first reason for this is when we see
things better than we do. We can feel envy and self-loathing. We compare ourselves to them, and we
force ourselves to be perfect just to match what we see on social media that cannot help us. The second
reason is that soaking in social media for a long time is also one of the reasons why there is a decrease in
self-confidence.

Even though social media has a negative impact on us, there are still ways to help social media in our
lives and even boost our self-confidence. Here are three ways to increase a person's self-confidence using
social media.

First is the shifting focus. Man can live without social media. If you think social media is no longer
helping you, why not remove it from your lifestyle? Social media is not a loss. The earlier generations
grew up not recognizing social media but lived fine, so if they can, you can do it too. If you cannot get rid
of it completely in your life, you can adjust what you see in your feed. For example, instead of looking at
the posts of people we envy and making you feel as if you are not keeping up with what is happening,
why not just look at things that can give you inspiration and knowledge.

Second. More connection less exhibition. In the current era of widespread pandemics, not everyone is
allowed to go out and socialize with their friends and relatives because it would be dangerous for our
health if we interact with other people. And in this part, social media helps us to talk to our friends or
family who are far away from us, and we can get out of emotions. Through this, we boost our confidence
in ourselves. Because we see that we still have friends, and someone still accepts us even though in these
times that we are far apart.

And lastly, stop comparing yourself to others. Comparing does not help anyone. Perhaps the most
important thing you can do is to believe in yourself. Realize that appearance is just appearance. We often
use filters to make our posts look better because we want them to look better than people expect to see.
Being natural with ourselves is better because it lets people know who you are and not because of how
you look. Know yourself better. Focusing on strengths is a better strategy than working to improve your
weakness. Embrace your uniqueness; everyone has their own story to tell. Also, expect real things from
yourself. Expect the best things that you can do. In this way, you should not think of the vision of others.
We should not worry about what they will say and think about us. No one is perfect. Don't dwell on every
little mistake you make.
And most importantly, don’t think there is anything better than you. Everyone has different abilities. No
matter how famous others are, no matter how beautiful they are, you will always think that you also have
a talent that they can't reach, and with that talent, you will see that you also have the ability to do, that
others will be proud on you.

In the end, it's really how you use social media that matters. If you focus on good-- positive hashtags,
empowering online movements, or online support groups -- social media can prove to be a powerful tool
for self-esteem. Thank you