18-year-old Marie Lundgaard sits with two friends in a corner of the sofa at the secondary school in Gausdal. They swipe on Instagram and discuss how social media affects them. A new study from the Institute of Public Health shows that girls are far more concerned with how they present themselves on SoMe, or social media, than boys are. The group of friends are shocked by the discovery. – I’ve been really unsure about the things I post. And how much should one post on Instagram, and what is worth posting?, says Lundgaard. Turns off the possibility of “likes” Research shows a connection between being very preoccupied with how one presents oneself on social media and experiencing more psychological problems. Recently, 2,000 pupils in secondary schools in Bergen took part in the “LifeOnSoMe” study. The study shows that gender and personal characteristics can have something to say about whether you are negatively affected by social media. Is it important to you to get a lot of likes and/or comments on what you post on social media? No, not at all! Sometimes, so… Yes, of course! Show result 18-year-olds Marie Lundgaard, Ymjør Aamot and Ida Brattås explain that there are many girls who turn off the opportunity to get “likes” or comments on Instagram. Then you don’t have to be embarrassed that you get few “likes”, and you can protect yourself. Marie thinks it depends on how much self-confidence you have. – I can also experience posting a picture, then I am very nervous about who likes it. How many “likes” do I get? Will I get more “likes” on this picture? Do I get fewer “likes” on this picture than a picture I posted a year ago? FIRST IMPRESSION: The friends think it has something to say where you come from. Marie comes from Lillehammer, which has a larger youth environment than Gausdal. – When you might have many acquaintances who only follow each other on Instagram, what you show of yourself is the impression they get. And you always want to make a good impression, she says. Photo: Mette Vollan / news Marie thinks it is difficult for young girls to think that others do not judge. – I can often be afraid of who comments and who doesn’t, because I think there are a lot of people who think that it says something about who is good friends with people. Focus on what others perceive Gunnhild Johnsen Hjetland is a researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and one of the people behind the study. She explains that the participants could be divided into three groups that had similar response patterns. The groups had a low, medium or high focus on self-presentation. It is about how we try to control how others perceive us. – We saw that girls have a greater risk of being in the group that has a high focus on self-presentation, when we compare with boys, says Hjetland. The researchers found that the way one uses social media can also be linked to personality. They also found that those who score very high on being sociable and at the same time have low emotional stability had a greater chance of being in the group that had a high focus on self-presentation. Young people with low emotional stability generally have a tendency to react more strongly and experience negative feelings. – It is possible that those with a high focus on self-presentation have a greater risk of negative consequences from their use of social media, explains the researcher. The knowledge from the study will be used to develop a health-promoting measure for young people. Read more about the research findings here. IMPORTANT SOCIAL ARENA: Gunnhild Johnsen Hjetland (FHI) reminds that for many young people, social media is an important social arena. At the same time, she says that previous studies have shown that it can be bad for well-being and mental health if you are very preoccupied with “likes” and comments, and compare yourself a lot to what you see on social media. – We will investigate that more closely, says Hjetland. Photo: Eivind Senneset / University of Bergen Measuring “focus on self-presentation” in social media Self-presentation is about how people present their identity to other people. Among the participants, 56 percent were girls, and 44 percent were boys. A smaller number of young people stated “other sex”, and they were kept out of the analysis. In the survey, over 2,000 young people took a stand on these claims. I spend a lot of time and energy on what I post on social media. It is important to me to get a lot of likes and/or comments on what I post on social media. It is important to me to have many followers on social media. I delete what I post on social media if it doesn’t get enough likes or comments. I retouch pictures of myself to look better before I post them on social media. What others post on social media (photos/status updates/stories) makes me feel less satisfied with myself and my own life. The response I get to what I post (photos/status updates/stories) affects how I feel. The statements were introduced with the question: “To what extent are the following statements true for you?”. The answer options were: “Not at all”, “a little”, “sometimes/partly true”, “a lot” and “very much”. The results of the research led to 1) seeking feedback, 2) social comparison with people who are perceived as “better” and 3) being strategic in how one presents oneself, were brought together in “focus on self-presentation”. Source: Hjetland, GJ; Finserås, TR; Sivertsen, B; Colman, I; Hella, RT; Skogen JC Focus on Self-Presentation on Social Media across Sociodemographic Variables, Lifestyles, and Personalities: A Cross-Sectional Study Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 11133. Comparing themselves to others Marie, Ymjør and Ida think it is right that girls seek more feedback and compare themselves more than boys do. – There aren’t that many guys I know who post pictures of themselves, says Ida. “FOMO”: – What I think is the worst is that people post pictures if they have been to a place. “Oh, why couldn’t I be part of this?” That is what I feel is more important to me, reflects Ida. Photo: Mette Vollan / news The 18-year-olds think it is both about interest and that girls experience more pressure in society to look good. Although they may be inspired by “influencers”, they believe that comparison with peers in the same situation is more common. – Just how your profile looks says something about yourself; how many followers you have, what kind of picture you have, what you have in your “bio”. It’s things like this that you notice first, says Marie. Not surprised Hanne Sæterbø Syversen is a health advisor at Gausdal secondary school. She is not surprised by the study’s findings. – For many people, getting confirmation can mean a lot. It is very individual, others can feel more that they can perhaps be a little more themselves when they do not have the physical meeting. The health adviser says that young people who are very critical of themselves, and who seek confirmation and feedback, often need to strengthen their self-image in general. It has gotten better over time. The girls believe that the use of social media has only changed since they went to secondary school. For example, there were more ugly and degrading comments before. Marie thinks it is better now that there are more apps to choose from. Then you don’t need to be equally active at all. And then it’s good to get older and more confident in yourself. – It’s like just getting over that little bit, where you actually realize that there is no one who analyzes the pictures as much as you do, that no one cares as much as you do, explains Marie. GETTING EASIER WITH AGE: – If I were to compare myself now to four years ago, I would have been much more afraid of what I was going to post four years ago than I am now, says Marie. Photo: Mette Vollan / news Children’s lives on social media – online resources for parents Photo: Beate Oma Dahle / NTB Hello! Thank you for reading the matter! If you have feedback or input on this topic, you are welcome to write to me .I also welcome tips for other things I should look at!
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How you use SoMe can affect your mental health
