The Huffington Post put something out today that cited an study that said that women use Facebook to boost their self-esteem. I found this to be an interesting, but not totally surprising piece. More often than not it is women that are changing their profile pictures, and when I go to a party it is women that are taking the photos for everyone. I am inclined to believe that this is because they are getting ready to post the pictures on Facebook. I'm hedging my bets with what I say here because i realize that 80% of this blog's authors are...welll...women. Thoughts?
Jordan, while I'm slightly embarrassed to read this, I'm not the least bit surprised. When you mention you notice it's girls taking pictures at parties, I think everyone can agree this is true. How often do you see guys running around a party, snapping their camera as groups of people pose together? The answer: never. Reading your post reminded of a quote from "The Facebook Effect" that really resonated with me. A twenty-five year old New Yorke male states, "when I go out with my friends, there is always a camera present, for the singular goal of posting pictures on Facebook. It's as if night didn't happen unless there's proof of it on Facebook." And I think this is one of the main reasons girls take so many pictures and are so active on Facebook, they need reassurance from their peers through comments and posts that they're "omg so fun!" or "sooooo pretty" to boost their self-esteem. While I hate to admit it, I think it's a sad but true aspect of Facebook, common throughout the profiles of almost every girl.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you posted this, Jordan. It makes a lot of sense. The presentation I did in class today also showed that women are more likely to spend more time on Facebook than men. And I think that a lot of this has to do with the fact women try to portray themselves in a certain way on Facebook. I'm guilty of this and so are a lot of females that I know. I think that girls add photos of themselves to make themselves appear a certain way and I don't think that guys necessarily feel as inclined to do that.
ReplyDeleteMcKenna- what you said was true about the Faacebook comments and posts that girls both leave and receive. Saying things like "omg you look soo gorgeous" are expected comments these days and I often times wonder why that is? Do other girls feel it's necessary to boost their female friend's self esteem?
I agree that, although mildly disappointing, this Huffington Post article doesn't come as a surprise. Thanks for sharing, Jordan!