The Impact of Social Media on Self-Image

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 4

The Impact of Social Media on Self-Image

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to discuss the impact of social media on your self-image.

Start by introducing the learning objective and what students are expected to learn by the end of the lesson.

What is actually self - image? How do you understand this term? 

How do we create self- image? 

Introduce the definition of self-image and ask students if they have any questions about the term.

Definition of self-image:

Self-image is how you see yourself and how you believe others see you.

Introduce the definition of self-image and ask students if they have any questions about the term.

Can you list any positive effects of social media on self- image? 

Discuss some of the positive effects of social media on self-image and ask students to share their thoughts.

Positive Effects of Social Media on Self-Image:

Social media can help boost self-esteem, promote body positivity, and provide a sense of community.

Discuss some of the positive effects of social media on self-image and ask students to share their thoughts.

Can you list any negative effects of social media on self- image? 

According to you , do socials have more positive or negative effects? 

Discuss some of the positive effects of social media on self-image and ask students to share their thoughts.

Negative Effects of Social Media on self-image:

Social media can create unrealistic beauty standards, promote comparison, and lead to feelings of inadequacy.

Examples include heavily edited photos, filters that alter appearance, and the pressure to conform to beauty standards.

Discuss some of the negative effects of social media on self-image and encourage students to share their experiences.

Self - harm experiment 

Selfie Harm Experiment

The British photographer Rankin recently conducted an experiment for a project titled “Selfie Harm.” He photographed 15 teenagers between ages 13 and 19 and gave them the untouched portraits to edit themselves. Each teen was instructed to retouch their face until it was “social media ready.” 

The teens were given 5 minutes to use any editing apps available these days for mobiles.

Provide examples of how negative self-image is perpetuated on social media and ask students to share any examples they have seen.

Coping Strategies: 

Coping strategies include limiting social media use, unfollowing negative accounts, and focusing on positive affirmations.

Discuss some coping strategies for dealing with negative self-image on social media and encourage students to share their own strategies.

The Importance of Self-Love: 

Self-love is crucial for a positive self-image and can be promoted through self-care, self-acceptance, and self-compassion.

Emphasize the importance of self-love and discuss ways to promote it.

Task: Positive Affirmations

Write down three positive affirmations about your classmate and share them with him/her.

Write down three positive affirmations about yourself.

Instruct students to write down three positive affirmations about themselves and encourage them to share with the class.

Conclusion

Social media can have both positive and negative effects on self-image. It's important to be aware of these impacts and practice self-love and positive coping strategies.

End the lesson by summarizing the main points and emphasizing the importance of self-love and positive coping strategies for a healthy self-image.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.