Social Networking Changing Standards

Shannon Grosenbacher
1/29/13

We can all agree that technology has flourished especially in the last ten or so years. But has it gotten to the point where it's become a threat? It's as if it's gotten to the point where our self-worth is shattered until someone non-verbally makes it known online or through any type of social media. Since we’ve been given the “luxury” of social-networking, we’ve been able to put ourselves out there, keep up with old friends, check up on ex girlfriends or boyfriends (oops), etc. Ever since the Myspace era, more and more young people have been brainwashed to believe that their worth stems from the amount of Likes, Comments, and attention they get towards their personal posts, pictures, and video.

And that’s not what I have a problem with. I have a problem with how far people go to receive this attention, whether positive or negative. I’ve seen people on numerous occasions post vulgar comments to ruffle a few feathers on the Internet. This, in turn, is turning the audiences attention towards them. Granted, the attention that they’re receiving isn’t a positive one; however, too many people feel like they don’t have a voice unless they post something outlandish or taboo.

There’s also a hidden evil on the other side of the spectrum. We often try to make our life online appear majestic and perfect. I'm as guilty as the next person. And for many girls with appearance issues, they use picture-editing to air-brush themselves to perfection.  However, there is a fine line. I feel like these tools are creating false images of oneself and damaging the self-esteem of society. Since our standards of what is "beautiful" are sky-rocketing so much, people are finding flaws in themselves every day. Beauty is becoming defined as having perfect skin, symmetrical teeth, and a bronze tan.

Don't get me wrong, I do believe that social networking has the intention of being good for increasing social capital. But I think it's becoming dangerously close to a virtual world of unrealistic standards of "happiness" and "perfection."