The world of social media has radically changed communication and the way people relate to each other and the impacts of these innovations are not always positive. This is demonstrated by a recent investigation by the Wall Street Journal which dug in-depth into one of the most used social networks in the world and its parent company: we are obviously talking about Instagram and Facebook.
The WSJ investigation focuses on a specific aspect of the huge internal report that the newspaper has had the opportunity to consult exclusively, namely the impact of Instagram on teenagers and teenagers, especially on girls. The complete document is visible directly on the WSJ website without any paywall (the link is in the Source) and allows us to have a clearer idea of all the critical issues caused by excessive use of the social network and why it is fundamentally impossible to solve the problems it poses.
Everything is obviously focused on appearances and on the image of themselves and others that Instagram tends to form in the individual, who is constantly compared and compared with thousands of model characters who live perfect lives, have no financial problems, they have a fairytale body and constantly convey the feeling of success and happiness.
Images and lives that, as we well know, are often built at the table, but whose continuous exposure – through the feed, advertisements and Stories – develops a dangerous sense of inadequacy in the youngest, leading them to judge themselves and themselves through the eyes of the social media, thus adopting its canons as an absolute reference point for evaluating one’s life.
What is most striking about the WSJ investigation is not so much the discovery of these effects – let’s face it, they are a bit of Pulcinella’s secret – but the fact that the analysis of these phenomena comes directly from Facebook, which proves well aware of the damage caused by its platform to the youngest.
This is despite the fact that the company continues on every occasion to belittle all the accusations made against it. Instagram has more positives than negatives; this is the mantra that emerges from every public intervention, despite the fact that we are well aware of the problems caused.
The investigation also highlights that not all social networks are the same and that the Instagram problem is actually linked explicitly to the format of this platform. For example, TikTok and Snapchat do not suffer – at the time – the same critical, as the focus shifted to other factors. On TikTok is most rewarded knowing how to do something, the act of giving way to a performance, while on Snapchat is the face to be the protagonist, through the goliardic use of filters and effects.
On Instagram this does not happen, as the focus of the platform is excessively focused on physicality, beauty and lifestyle, all elements that bring with them values that – for better or for worse – end up influencing the habits of the beholder. , going to dictate new fashions and new standards and fees to be respected in order to be current on the platform.
According to what emerges from the investigation, the negative impact of Instagram is more evident in girls, who can easily fall prey to eating disorders, depression, problems in relating with their friends and even come to consider the option of suicide. once it is acknowledged that one’s existence is light years away from the glossy one experienced by others.
Facebook, as already mentioned, is well aware of this huge Instagram problem and is equally aware that there is no solution that can make the use of the platform less toxic. On the other hand, Instagram works exactly the way it was conceived, that is to allow 99.9% of people to admire the good life and the satisfaction of 0.1% of users who manage to breakthrough. Until this approach changes, Instagram has no hope of salvation.
