Negative impact of Facebook on self-esteem
Facebook is said to have negative effect on academic achievement. It is a distraction from studying, causes reduction of learning and a waste of time. It also bears potential threat on one’s feelings of self-esteem. Since users use Facebook as an extension of self-identity, one cannot simply ignore the idea of comparing one’s self to others and be either positively or negatively affected by it.
In a study by Steers et al., (2014), it suggested that social comparisons made on Facebook are associated with depressive symptoms. Frequent engagement in social comparisons can negatively impact one’s mental well-being. Furthermore, individuals with low self-esteem may end up feeling worse due to the effects of social comparison on social networking sites such as Facebook (Steers et al., 2014).
Further study by Chou & Edge (2012), it was found that Facebook use is linked to people’s perceptions of other people’s lives. In a study at the
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In one study, it was found that Facebook can enhance “social self-esteem”. This includes an individual’s perception of physical appearance, interpersonal, and significant romantic relationships. It is mainly manifested when an individual receives compliments and positive feedback from peers, especially on Facebook (Gonzales & Hancock, 2011). Additionally, Omolayo et al., (2013) stated that the number of friends an individual has on Facebook has a positive relationship to social connection which changes his/her personality from less talking to being open, friendly, and being involved in socials. Whenever a Facebook user shares a status on what he/she is feeling and in return, the user would receive an advice from friends on the network (Omolayo et al., 2013). Feedback¬_from friends posted publicly on people 's profiles tend to be overwhelmingly positive, which can further boost self-esteem (Shackford,