By Daniel Gonzalez
ASST SPREAD EDITOR
Liking Facebook posts, tweeting, commenting and uploading photos are all part of social media networks used around the world.
Social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram create opportunities for users to either improve or damage their self-esteem.
“The positives of (us- ing social media) are when people are able to connect via social media and celebrate together and support one another during difficult situations,” said Marilyn D. Moore, associate professor of behavioral sciences.
As with all positive things, when abused, social media can have its negative side effects.
“However, most of the negative repercussions come from two specific areas,” Moore said. “One of them is language: When some one reads a comment that someone made, they read it by their emotional filter— good or bad.”
Moore said the other problematic area comes from what is lost in non-verbal communication. Thirty percent of communication comes from words alone.
The rest of the 70 percent, which includes voice inflection and body language, is lost because it cannot be conveyed through text, increasing the possibility of miscommunication.
However, social media can often hurt an individual’s self-esteem in various ways.
“When you use social media you are putting yourself out there for everyone to judge you,” said Alexis Whitlock, senior graphic design and film studies double major. “Especially when it comes to women, social media objectifies women on how they look.”
Social media outlets also perpetuate objectify- ing both sexes and can hurt one’s self-esteem in various ways.
