Pressures of Social Media

I’ve Got A New Tinder Match

January 22, 2017 by Andrew Davies Leave a Comment

“I’ve got a new match on tinder!” is becoming an increasingly familiar sound. Online dating is now more popular than ever and has transfixed modern society. Driving the traditional method of meeting someone in the real world to extinction, online dating is becoming increasingly accepted as a way to meet a potential future spouse. The Guardian’s David Cox suggests that

today, as many as one in five relationships are believed to begin online

So what effects could mixing the online world and our relationships have?

Online dating has sky-rocketed in popularity (By Santeri Viinamäki, CC BY-SA 4.0)

If you’re looking to join the world of online dating, there are certainly no shortage of places to sign up. “Match.com” and “PlentyOfFish” have proven to be the most popular internet-based sites, attracting an estimated 58 million combined monthly visits. Alongside these, and leading the way in the world of mobile apps is Tinder. The dating app revolves around the aim of ‘matching’ with other users by swiping left or right on their profile. Swipe left if you don’t want to match, swipe right if you do… it’s that simple. The app, which has been downloaded over 100 million times, has joined the ranks of online platforms evolving the way relationships are formed.

The dating app Tinder has millions of active users worldwide (Image by Tinder)

So what effects can online dating have?

In general, dating online before meeting with someone in real life puts less pressure on the first meetup. Meeting someone can be nerve-wracking at the best of times, let alone with the added pressure of a potential relationship. Getting to know someone online before meeting can ease the pressure and make for a better date in general.

Dating websites, in general, match people based on the similarities between their personalities, interests, behavioural patterns etc… The dating website eHarmony boasts a 29 degree of compatibility, aimed at matching people who are “truly compatible”. The results of using this method are clear, with eHarmony creating over 400,000 successful relationships.

eHarmony is one of the UK’s most popular online dating websites (Image by eHarmony)

However, it’s not all fun and games

Like most things, online dating comes with it’s flaws and dangers. “Catfishing” is a term used when someone creates a false online persona, for destructive and harmful purposes. The unfortunate truth of the situation is that, every now and then, ‘catfishing’ can lead to horrific cases, such as Gayle Newland’s repeated sexual assault on an unnamed woman. That being said, such cases are extremely rare, with sites such as eHarmony and match.com taking care to prevent similar incidents happening.

As mentioned previously, online dating sites use compatibility scales to ensure people are matched with someone they have a chance of creating a successful relationship with. Sadly however, this isn’t entirely foolproof. As Dr. Key Sun writes for Psychology Today,

everyone wants to make the self appear as attractive as possible to potential dates by exaggerating the self desirable traits

Ultimately, people lie or exaggerate about themselves, in a bid to make themselves more desirable to others. This inevitably results in a failed attempt at a relationship.

But what pressures do these internet based platforms put on real life relationships?

I spoke to student Catherine Goss to find out.

Student Catherine Goss has long stopped using the popular dating app Tinder

For me, the main problem with things like Tinder is that they give you far too much of an ego boost. People are generally much more complimentary online than they are in real life, and it builds up a false image of what being in a real life relationship is like.

Catherine, 19, is a law student at the University of Manchester and has been in a stable relationship for over a year.

Downloading apps such as tinder must be very tempting for some people because they’re so accessible. Without physically cheating on a partner, people can swipe and match, and it’s an instant confidence boost. It can occasionally tempt people out of happy relationships and into an addiction of “I need as many matches as possible”

I would also say that society almost frowns upon relationships that started online. Forming a relationship online is a very taboo way to do things nowadays

There are good and bad things to take away from online dating. It offers a new and exciting way to meet people and start relationships, especially for those who lack confidence in social situations. It also has the ability to form long lasting, successful relationships. However, along with these internet sites comes downsides and dangers, with people trying to trick others into traps, and lying about themselves in an attempt to find love.

Yet I believe that online dating is something to be relished. The world is changing faster than ever, and if finding love online works for some people, then we should cherish the successes.

Youtubers – Internet Sensations or Abominations?

January 7, 2017 by Andrew Davies 4 Comments

We live in the technoera – wherever we look we are surrounded by technology, whether we like it or not. Visual media is immensely popular within the realms of the online world, with Youtube proving to be the most popular, with hundreds of millions of hours of videos being watched everyday… Crikey. Within Youtube come the Youtube Stars, or Creators if you want to use the technical terminology. As of 2015, over 17,000 ‘channels’ had at least 100,000 subscribers, with over 1,500 passing the million milestone. So who are these people, why are they so popular and what influence are they having over those that choose to watch them?

Youtube is the world’s most popular video streaming site. (Image by FreeCliparts)

Youtube stars, or ‘Youtubers’, have formed a new wave of celebrity. Everyday, millions of viewers tune in to watch their favourites show off their new clothing ‘haul’ or play the latest video game. For those that are unfamiliar, the concept of a Youtuber is someone who records videos, whether they’re ‘vlogs’, tutorials or just them talking to a camera, and uploads them to Google’s video streaming site Youtube.

Let’s use Zoella as an example. The UK’s leading lady in the Youtube world, Zoe Sugg has over 11 million subscribers and over 900 million total channel views. Her worldwide success has lead to numerous beauty and lifestyle product ranges, and three published books. On top of this, her debut novel, Girl Online, is the fastest-selling debut novel since records began. However, if you’re older than your late twenties, the chances are that you’ve never heard of her. Zoella’s primary target audience, young teenage girls, obsess over her more than they do over your bog standard ‘celebrity’. Her uploaded content is absorbed by millions around the world, and her influence is legendary.

Zoe Sugg, aka Zoella, is one of the UKs most popular Youtubers (Photo by Gage Skidmore)

Sugg uploads a variety of videos, including beauty tutorials, clothing hauls and collaborations with other popular Youtubers. She also has a second channel, MoreZoella, devoted to daily ‘vlogs’ of her normal life (I use the word ‘normal’ rather loosely here). Zoe is open about her struggle with anxiety and resulting panic attacks. In a video labelled Just Say Yes, Sugg offers viewers her advice on how to deal with feeling down and anxious. As she writes in a blog post,

I feel so much better for saying yes to things. It has improved my confidence drastically, and it’s made me want to go out and do more things I normally never think/want to do.

Utilising Youtube as a platform, she can spread a positive message to millions of people globally, Zoella is, therefore, a perfect example of how people can use the internet for good.

All well and good?

As it turns out, not quite. An article published by The Independent, accused Sugg of

lying about her anxiety to boost her following online

With this comes a series of problems. To put it plainly, if such allegations are true it demonstrates the destructive nature of today’s Youtubers. Rather than being one person sitting with a webcam in their bedroom, they have become brands. The management company Gleam Futures manages Zoella and a number of other British Youtubers. Ultimately, with a management team, the focus of the internet sensations has turned to money making, as opposed to content creating.

Alongside this, Youtubers are promoting an unrealistic lifestyle, one which the majority of their audience won’t be able to achieve. Through their sponsorship deals, lavish houses and ever increasing bank accounts, the lives they lead in no way reflect normality. As Twitter user @tara_smiles points out;

@LivingPerfect @Independent I wouldn't be surprised if some over exaggerated events. YouTubers are normal people. Most people lead

— Tara's Rambles (@tara_smiles) January 5, 2017

@LivingPerfect very, very uneventful lives.

— Tara's Rambles (@tara_smiles) January 5, 2017

These internet ‘sensations’ are creating an unhealthy ideal for a standard of living, which viewers will compare to their own lives. Their younger viewers especially will be naive to the fact that what they’re watching is not, in fact, an accurate representation of reality.

What effect is this industrialisation having on the influence of the Youtubers?

In a recent twitter poll, 47 percent of voters said they are not influenced by the views of a Youtuber. 33 percent saying they were and 20 percent being influenced occasionally. It seems, therefore, that Youtubers are becoming less influential. This has both good and bad connotations. It’s good in the sense that fewer people will compare their lives to those on the small screen. On the other hand, Youtube is a brilliant platform for reaching out to millions of people. Zoella, for example, utilised her global influence to support and raise awareness for a widespread problem.

Question time! Do you often find yourself influenced by the views of a Youtuber?

— Andrew Davies (@LivingPerfect) January 3, 2017

Overall, I would argue that with such an intense drive for money and more viewership, the creators of these videos are betraying the trust of those that watch them. They are promoting an unreachable lifestyle that those watching at home will compare their own lives to. At the same time, forgetting it is those they are affecting who got them where they are today.

Call Me Kylie

November 10, 2016 by Andrew Davies Leave a Comment

Celebrities are like marmite; you either love them or you hate them.

Celebrity culture is more popular now than it has ever been before. Programmes such as I’m a Celebrity, Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Juice are dominating our television screens, all revolving around ‘celebrities’ (I use that term loosely for some). Our society has become obsessed with following and creating celebrities. Channel 4’s Gogglebox has created a new wave of ‘celebrity’, with Scarlett Moffatt appearing on the 2016 series of I’m a Celebrity. Ordinary members of the general public are becoming famous for watching television, perfectly highlighting the popularity of celebrity culture.

Shows such as Strictly Come Dancing have become increasingly popular (Photo by BBC)

The royal family of reality entertainment and social media is unquestionably the Kardashian-Jenner clan. Starring in their own reality show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, they dominate all aspects of the social world, holding between them over 389 million Instagram followers, 156 million Twitter followers and 105 million Facebook likes. With their every move being documented by eager fans and intrusive paparazzi they make headlines daily. With such a high fascination with the more famous among us, what effects are these super-humans having?

What Instagram allows over all other social networking sites is the ability to easily show off the user’s lifestyle, through the upload of photos and short videos. The lifestyles that celebrities such as the Kardashians promote, are often unattainable and unrealistic. Let’s use Scott Disick as an example. He regularly uploads photos to his 18.4 million Instagram followers and, as you can see, likes to show off his luxurious lifestyle.

Not bad

A post shared by Scott Disick (@letthelordbewithyou) on Nov 7, 2016 at 3:11pm PST

My other big headed alien

A post shared by Scott Disick (@letthelordbewithyou) on Oct 29, 2016 at 8:37pm PDT

Kinda chilling

A post shared by Scott Disick (@letthelordbewithyou) on Oct 26, 2016 at 5:40pm PDT

Is this all well and good?

Arguably, it isn’t.

Exposure to a constant stream of ‘mine’s bigger than yours’ style posts can make people feel inadequate. Student Kate Yuille, 19, says

“The lifestyles that celebrities live are completely unrealistic. They make their lives seem more perfect than they actually are, which leads to their followers have unfair expectations for their own life.”

The issue of body image is more relevant today than it ever has been, especially in teenagers. Teenage years are a time of dramatic change. Puberty results in adolescent bodies changing and developing, which can lead to embarrassment and self-consciousness, resulting in aspirations to have the perfect body. A study by the Keep It Real Campaign shockingly found that 80 percent of 10 year old American girls have been on a diet. Dr Gail Gross points out this impossibly unrealistic body image that celebrities promote

is the criteria to which teenagers measure themselves.

The Kardashians especially provide unrealistic body images with trademark tiny waists and large posteriors, as well as supporting the use of plastic surgery to enhance their own looks. In an article for the Daily Mail, Joanna Crawley writes how Khloe Kardashian has openly supported the use of plastic surgery, saying it’s

almost like makeup

Alongside her sister, Kylie Jenner’s lips have had the most obvious transformation, with the reality star admitting to having had lip fillers.

Kylie Jenner has been the centre of controversy surrounding her lips (Photo by Capital One, 2015)

What’s the problem then?

The main problem with this is the message it puts across to Jenner’s followers. In using and supporting plastic surgery to give them the perfect body, celebrities such as Kylie Jenner are effectively leading their fans to believe that natural beauty does not exist. The message of not seeing natural beauty as being good enough is extremely unhealthy.

Some question whether Kim Kardashian has gone under the knife (Photo by celebrityabc)

So what can we take away from this? Firstly, it is important to separate ourselves from what is real and what is not. Our lives are real, the lives celebrities, such as Kylie Jenner, post on Instagram are not. To compare our own lives to the Kardashians, or any other wealthy celebrities, is extremely unfair on us. In reality, very few people have private jets and drive flash cars. Secondly, we must learn not compare our bodies to anyone else. Everyone is unique and has individual qualities. It is unhealthy to make comparisons to those with different bodies to us, especially those who have had cosmetic alterations.

Compare yourself only to the best version of you.

Am I Really Myself Online?

October 28, 2016 by Andrew Davies Leave a Comment

In the modern age of internet and technology, there is an ever increasing list of ways for users to put themselves on display to the world. The rise of Facebook and other social networking sites has created an entirely new culture online. According to Facebook, there were 1.7 billion active monthly users of the site during June 2016. It’s not just Facebook either, other popular networking sites such as Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat all have hundreds of millions of active users. As it seems, there are a lot of ways to put yourself online, and a lot of people doing it.

Social media is used by millions across the globe (Image by Christiaan008)

When scrolling through your Facebook or Instagram feed, it’s rare to see a negative post. I would hardly feel inclined to write a status update if I were declined in a job interview. But that’s the reality of social media – it doesn’t reflect the reality of real life. As Carmen Fishwick wrote in The Guardian,

life has its ups and downs… [but] you’ll be hard-pushed to find a really bad moment in your feed

But what effects does this have on the users of such platforms?

Example: Essena O’Neill

O'Neill edited the caption of her photos to reveal the truth — O’Neill edited the caption of her photos to reveal the truth

Essena O’Neill; an Australian teenager who amassed more than half a million followers on Instagram sensationally quit social media in 2015, reaching international headlines. Deleting more than 2000 posts, she edited the captions of the remaining to tell the real truth behind them.

I was consumed by it… I wasn’t living in a 3D world

We have here a perfect example of the pressures surrounding being on social media. She wanted people to believe that she had the ‘perfect’ life. This meant even going to the extent of having photos professionally taken purely for the purpose of Instagram. Social media led her to create this online persona, purely to gain approval from faceless profiles. This doesn’t only apply to those with thousands of followers however.

Why is this?

An article in The Telegraph suggests that one fifth of young people admit that their online profile exhibits little resemblance to real life. So why are we so obsessed with inventing this perfect persona that only exists online? Dr Richard Sherry suggests that it could be down to being competitive and so only uploaded the best and most desirable aspects of our life.

One fifth of young people admit their online profile bears little resemblance to real life (Image by mkhmarketing)

Obsessing over trying to achieve the ideal life online has repercussions in the offline world. We are becoming increasingly transfixed with creating an online persona. As a result, we deem it more important than being who we are in the real world, and lose a part of who we are. A culture has been born in social media, where gaining the admiration and adoration of those online has become more important than those around you.

Ask yourself this: do your social media feeds accurately represent your life, or a version you want people to see?