Social Media

Seeking Acceptance and Validation on Social Media

Social media has taken the world by storm. As of 2017, there are 2.789 billion active social media users (We Are Social & Hootsuite, 2017). In Singapore alone, there are 4.40 million of them – which is 77% of the population.

There are many different social media platforms, with YouTube, Facebook and WhatsApp being the most popular. At first glance, social media seems to be a haven for its users and allows people to share their lives and connect with friends.

But if they are unable to find acceptance in the real world, youths may also turn to the social media space to seek validation from their online community.

Even though social media alone is not to blame for self-esteem issues, social media provides the perfect environment for disordered thoughts and behaviours to thrive (Parent Info, 2017). One may unknowingly peg their popularity or self-worth to the number of likes and types of comments they receive on their accounts; if they receive little likes and negative comments, it may make them feel inadequate.

Celebrities Under the Spotlight

Celebrities are also not immune to online flak. There have been numerous celebrities who have quit social media, either permanently or temporarily.

Ed Sheeran

Popular singer Ed Sheeran took a break from social media in December 2015 after he realised he was “seeing the world through a screen and not his eyes” (Yagoda, 2017). He eventually returned to using Instagram, but permanently deleted his Twitter account after receiving negative criticism on his account.

Justin Bieber

Popular singer Justin Bieber deleted his Instagram account in August 2016 after his fans sent mean messages to the girl that he was dating at that point in time (Kimble, 2015). He eventually reactivated his Instagram account six months later.

Protecting Oneself

There is nothing wrong in glamourising one’s life. However, it does raise concerns if such behaviour consumes the social media user. Therefore, it is important to take active steps to protect oneself.

1. Do not take things at face value

   On social media, not everything is as it seems. Social media is the ideal place to share the highlights of one’s life. Even if a friend’s life seems perfect based on what you see, that person may be facing problems that are not shared on social media. Therefore, refrain from comparing your lows with another person’s highs.

2. Take social media breaks

   As hard as it is to unplug oneself from the virtual world, it is important to spend some time in the real world. Two practical ways to do this are to set fixed timings to use social media or not bring the phone into your room at night. Remember, the online world is only a fragment of one’s life and face-to-face relationships are still, if not more, important. Therefore, take the time and effort to meet up with friends and family offline.