Social Media and Self-Esteem: Influencer Impact and Harmful Trends

Bauer, Juliane. The Effects of Instagram Influencers and Appearance Comparisons on Body Appreciation, Internalization of Beauty Ideals, and Self-Esteem in Women. Portland State University Library, 2020. Web.

This is a university thesis written by Juliane Bauer in May 2020. It explores the effect of social media, particularly Instagram influencers, on body image among women. The research has a representative group of 116 individuals, which ensures accuracy.

The results included their opinions on their bodies, internalized ideal images, and the content they usually consume the most. Even though the author’s experience is limited, the presented logic has strong support in the cited sources and is used to create a well-supported conclusion. This thesis is beneficial in evaluating the effects of social media on women.

Kim, Donggyu, and Soomin Kim. “Social Media Affordances of Ephemerality and Permanence: Social Comparison, Self-Esteem, and Body Image Concerns.” Social Sciences (Basel, Switzerland), vol. 12, no. 2, 2023, p. 87, Web.

This scholarly journal article by Donggyu Kim and Soomin Kim was written in 2023. It researches the connection between the permanency or ephemerality of content and the effects of body image and social comparison. It proves that the time of the post’s existence is not a factor here.

However, the article accents the detrimental impact of social media on women’s self-esteem. The authors provide representative figures, cite credible sources, and state limitations along with options for further research. Therefore, it can be used as proof of social media inflicting harmful stereotypes about body image among susceptible people.

Lopez, Richard B., and Isabel Polletta. “Regulating Self-Image on Instagram: Links between Social Anxiety, Instagram Contingent Self-Worth, and Content Control Behaviors.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 12, 2021, p. 711447, Web.

This is a scholarly article by Richard B Lopez and Isabel Polletta, written in 2021. It features a sample of 247 participants of diverse backgrounds, increasing its accuracy. The results are presented in graphs and a discussion, and show the prevalence of social anxiety among Instagram users. The authors state that this work can be used to research specific reasons, but fail to prove causality due to the methodology. Both authors have other articles on the topic and show great credibility.

Meadows, Mackenzie. “Social Media Can Be Damaging to Esteem.” Northern Star, Web.

This is a student newspaper article written by Mackenzie Meadows in 2018. It discusses the reports on social media effects and strongly suggests limiting the time spent on these platforms. The cited sources are from credible scholarly journals and remain relevant as the same problems are featured in modern research.

The author has written more articles on different topics and keeps their citations accurate. Personal opinions are based on objective data and convey a logical conclusion. It can be used to present the relevance of a problem and discuss the initial concerns with social media.

Thompson, Taylor, and Manar Basir. “Responding to Harmful Social Media Trends.” Communiqué, vol. 51, no. 8, 2023, pp. 4–6.

This scholarly journal article was written by Taylor Thompson and Manar Basir in June 2023. It provides specific advice for parents, educators, and administrators regarding harmful social media trends. The conclusions are based on previous credible research and can be used in educational practice.

It is also useful for further research on social media trends and their effect on young audiences. The discussed sources discuss specific examples that make the article logical and structured. Both authors are students at Radford University and show merits that make them reliable sources of information.

Cite this paper

Select style

Reference

PsychologyWriting. (2025, September 24). Social Media and Self-Esteem: Influencer Impact and Harmful Trends. https://psychologywriting.com/social-media-and-self-esteem-influencer-impact-and-harmful-trends/

Work Cited

"Social Media and Self-Esteem: Influencer Impact and Harmful Trends." PsychologyWriting, 24 Sept. 2025, psychologywriting.com/social-media-and-self-esteem-influencer-impact-and-harmful-trends/.

References

PsychologyWriting. (2025) 'Social Media and Self-Esteem: Influencer Impact and Harmful Trends'. 24 September.

References

PsychologyWriting. 2025. "Social Media and Self-Esteem: Influencer Impact and Harmful Trends." September 24, 2025. https://psychologywriting.com/social-media-and-self-esteem-influencer-impact-and-harmful-trends/.

1. PsychologyWriting. "Social Media and Self-Esteem: Influencer Impact and Harmful Trends." September 24, 2025. https://psychologywriting.com/social-media-and-self-esteem-influencer-impact-and-harmful-trends/.


Bibliography


PsychologyWriting. "Social Media and Self-Esteem: Influencer Impact and Harmful Trends." September 24, 2025. https://psychologywriting.com/social-media-and-self-esteem-influencer-impact-and-harmful-trends/.