Social Medias impact on Women

 This was one of my favorite lessons this year because I really enjoyed how discussion-based Ms. Davey made this class. Social media has corrupted my generation, whether we admit it or not, and it's not necessarily our fault; it's addictive. I think pretty much every kid has heard their parents say something along the lines of, "Well, back in my day, we could do whatever we wanted and not worry about the consequences or what others are doing", and you stop to think, imagine that. Media consumes our day-to-day lives and leaves scars on us by targeting things to us personally, which can take away the authenticity of ourselves. As we mature, we can begin to navigate social media and use it as a tool, as opposed to a weapon, but it can still cause serious mental health issues to us, especially females. 

Females in studies show more severe signs of depression and anxiety as screen time elevates. I believe one side of this may be the fact that men are less inclined to share how they feel because it's not a masculine way of going about life, and they have an ability to push their emotions down. Other factors that can target females more than males is the idea of chasing an aesthetic, such as the "clean girl" or the "cool girl". We see that this doesn't only apply to younger females, as the TikTok women posted about how chasing the cool girl vibe ruined their marriage. It takes away your sense of self and personality while making you seem like you are doing the right things. That's what makes younger females more vulnerable to brainwashing because they don't recognize these patterns and disregard them. To some that may be true bur for me it wasn't and for my sister. My sister and I used to bicker like we hated each other, and maybe for a year or two, I thought she hated me. However, I always knew things had gotten too far when she would cry, not from something I said but from her being angry at me. This wasn't a frequent thing, but looking back and reflecting, it made me think about the stereotypes of being a woman and showing emotion. I knew that she had a tougher time navigating social media than I did when I was younger. Her friends weren't always kind, and social media didn't soften the blow, especially if they were posting things that made her feel excluded. Over time, she moved through this and is now the one giving me advice about things I see on social media and helping guide me through it. 

To tie all of this back into what Ms. Davey was talking about, this idea that men need to surprise and dominate while women need to stay small and "shrink" plays a pivotal role. The fawn response a woman feels can directly translate to a feeling of not being enough, especially through the lens of social media and influencers preaching their personal opinions to dilute how you really feel. In order to fix this, there should be no expectations and rules for how people should express their emotions, and since social media is gaining a male audience more than female, there should definitely not be as many symptoms of depression and disorders in women due to social media.