Online Content and Its Effect on Our Self Esteem

One day, you may find a video of yourself saying things that you have NEVER said in your life. How come? Media manipulation has been around since the beginning, and in many cases in a very subtle way. Even marketing ads are crafted to manipulate you in a way. Today, deepfakes are rising which is the ability of professionals to produce a fake video or audio recordings. You can only imagine how much trouble you can get into if someone created a video of you with life-threatening messages to public figures. Awareness of media manipulation and techniques is key in reducing the dangers of such acts. 

Why should I be mindful of the online content I get exposed to? 

1. The media doesn’t show the full story. Many images are photoshopped, and many realities have been altered to reflect perfection. This can cause a lack of self-esteem to viewers leading to depression.
2. Many people feel underprivileged after viewing the life of social media influencers, even though they are privileged in many ways that they fail to see. Influencers tend to show the positive side of their lives only. 
3. Many posts can contain negative underlying messages that you may not be aware of due to maturity level or life experience. Such messages can remain in the back of your head and influence your behavior in a certain way. 
4. You may feel peer pressured when you see others doing something. For example, internet challenges that went viral and some of which were very harmful.  
5. Similarly, seeing posts of oppressed people would trigger platform algorithms to bring up more of such content. Eventually, you may develop a mentality that the world is evil even if it’s a small minority. 

How do I know if this content is affecting my self-esteem and self-image?  

Negative content usually makes you feel negative, even if it seems positive. For instance, you could see a post of a kid with a brand-new phone and feel underprivileged. Negative emotions can include sadness, anger, sorrow, and such. 

The bigger issue here is beliefs, as they lead to emotions then actions. Realizing that you are “underprivileged”, makes you feel sad and start behaving in a certain way. In this case, contentment can bring an emotion of gratitude to what you have instead. Similarly, seeing perfect photos of famous people makes us feel less confident. In reality, they use makeup, professional photographers and get the photo edited afterward to construct that perfect image. 

Recently in Qatar, many professionals pursued life coaching accreditation. They became dedicated to spreading positivity and awareness among society. They also offer private sessions to listen and assist individuals. Try following 2-3 local life coaches for a week, and assess your self-image before and after to compare their influence on you. You can do a similar trial with social media influencers that you have been following to assess whether they have a positive or negative impact on you. If it was negative, then you should get rid of them. 

What do I do to support myself and others after being affected by negative online content? 

 With awareness and maturity, we can absorb only the content that meets our standards and beliefs. Here are few things you can do to protect yourself from negative content: 

• Validate information before sharing to stop rumors 
• Be aware of what is considered negative content, by assessing its impact on you 
• Develop a full understanding of what consequences this negative content can have on you or others 
• Do your best to seek the full truth by researching or consulting the right resources 
• Take time for your own to meditate and contemplate how blessed you are compared to less privileged ones 
• Never accept peer pressure, and have a bold stand that reflects your own beliefs 
• You may feel down from time to time, and it’s good to discuss these thoughts with grownups or an expert. 

Our belonging in the virtual world is as important as in the real one. With maturity and vigilance we can reveal any mystery it holds within.