Social Media and Anxiety - Kayla Pelly

It is evident that digital and social media have a number of negative effects on society, specifically on teenage girls. Research shows these negative effects are felt by many young girls and Facebook recognizes this, yet they do not do much, if anything, to change this. In 2012, Zukerberg discussed making changes to the platforms but said that these changes “may be good for the world but it’s not good for us unless people also share back to Facebook and that content increases the value of our network” (Bloomberg, 2019). Facebook has also actively suppressed this information regarding negative effects and its influence on the rise of anxiety in young girls. 

As Baym discusses, interactive media causes anxieties and creates an inauthentic reality. Through Baym’s theoretical perspectives, the social shaping of technology helps explain the way in which technology is not neutral and is shaped by the dominant social, political, and economic values of society. This directly impacts the shift in values and then leads to different technological outcomes, resulting in social science considerations being used to shape technologies (p.51).  

Although Facebook recognizes the negative effects of Instagram and nothing is done, Baym’s discussion of the social shaping of technology theory is an approach that allows us to critically analyze not only the technology but the social relations that generate and maintain them. According to Baym, people often rely on unexamined assumptions about how technology develops. 


In the CNBC article titled “Facebook documents show how toxic Instagram is for teens”, based upon reports from the Wall Street Journal, Baym’s theory of the social shaping of technology is apparent in the way in which society and technology rely on and are shaped by social media. For example, the article discusses the culture of only posting the best pictures and moments on Instagram. The app not only creates anxieties but also operates as an addictive product, further outlining Baym’s argument. According to research conducted by the Wall Street Journal, 32% of teen girls are insecure about their bodies, and Instagram only makes them feel worse. The passive use of social media can be unhealthy, especially for young girls which can lead to feelings of envy, inadequacy, and less satisfaction in life. It is clear that the anxiety about the interactivity of social media is apparent in the effects felt by many Instagram users.  


If you are interested in reading more about Facebook and Zukerberg’s approach, look at this article written by the LA Times: 

https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/story/2019-11-08/facebook-staff-lamented-unethical-practices-but-were-rebuffed

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