About 1.318 billion people, 20.3% of Earth’s population, use Instagram daily. New research suggests that Instagram is the most dangerous social media app.
Dangers of Instagram
In 2010, Instagram was released as a free photo and video app where people were allowed to share, comment, and like each other's pictures and videos. Over the years, Instagram’s platform has grown so much.
Now the app has more purposes such as connecting with brands, celebrities, and influencers. Instagram also allows messaging and has shopping through the app.
Due to all these features, Instagram has become a dangerous app. About 42% of users have faced cyberbullying on the app. Studies have linked depression, anxiety, lack of sleep, self esteem issues, misinformation, and body image issues to Instagram.
The Unrealistic Realities Of Instagram
The simple functions of liking and commenting on a post can make people insecure.
Since Instagram has given people the option to like posts, many people have made it a competition unconsciously on getting more likes and followers which makes people feel self-conscious about theirs.
People may do this as a form of validation, acceptance, but it could also be due to social pressure.
Influencers have become a big thing on Instagram. These people have access to large audiences and usually promote unrealistic body standards.
Many influencers and celebrities have created a false body image due to editing, photoshopping, filters, surgical operations and non surgical operations like botox fillers. These people post pictures of themselves where their looks aren't naturally achievable.
Since Instagram lets you post whatever you want people to see, influencers and celebrities post the best picture of themselves that looks like they are having the time of their lives which makes people and especially teens self-conscious about their life because it's not perfect.
Another problem with influencers and celebrities, is that they post these great life styles that consist of traveling, social life, parties, relationships, and luxury items that make people wonder why they can't live a lifestyle like that.
Most of these famous people have trips and items paid for by brands.
This affects viewers because they have an image of looking a certain way on Instagram and trying to look aesthetically pleasing for others at all times.
Because teens are easily influenced, they develop a lower self esteem and confidence issues begin because they compare themselves.
Misinformation
When it comes to information, many news accounts can post something and people will believe it, even if they aren't credible.
For example, people read false articles with fake news and start sharing and reposting it. Celebrities can add to the misinformation too.
They have to be careful on what they repost and like because according to researchers, “When a celebrity or someone in a position of trust endorses content containing misinformation,
audiences may not only believe the information, but also continue to share the content to imitate the beliefs of the trusted source.”
One example of misinformation spread was in 2020 when COVID was new and people were spreading false news about the disease and vaccines. This happened due to Instagram's suggested post feature that suggested news accounts with false information about COVID.
Instagram has tried to fix this issue by using third party fact-checkers and adding “false Information” banners on posts and giving users the option to report posts.
Some people have abused the power of reporting posts because they report any post they want to so it gets taken down or a false information banner shows up. The people that report posts for no reason do this possibly due to jealousy, insecurity, and to cause conflict.
People can still get away with spreading fake news by using trending hashtags and reposting other posts.
Instagram’s Censorship Problem
Last year, Instagram released a sensitive content filter. This filter works similarly to the misinformation one because someone can report a post or the algorithm can identify it as sensitive and not show those posts to other people.
Due to this feature, many Instagrams users have become very frustrated.
People have become mad about this sensitive filter because certain accounts that post about art, activism, and information topics have been flagged with the filter and not being shown to other people.
Many of these accounts have had to create backup accounts or delete accounts because they post about politics, sexuality, the LGBTQ+ community, and activism.
This feature has affected many people on Instagram by leading education accounts, communities who are trying to use their voices on the platform, and people who use Instagram as a second source of income like artists delete their accounts because their posts aren't showing up.
Instagram’s Cyberbullying Problem
Instagram relies on visuals like photos and videos which could potentially lead to negative comments and hurtful messages because when someone typically posts most of the time someones going to be hating on you.
About 72% of teens in the U.S. use Instagram and of those who use it, 59% of teens have been cyberbullied. Some forms of cyberbullying are making fake accounts about someone, commenting hurtful things, and spreading rumors.
This usually happens because people are able to make anonymous accounts and bully through them. The app’s algorithm prioritizes content that receives a lot of attention, even if it’s negative comments and bullying.
Another reason this happens is because Instagram allows anyone to send direct messages to anyone regardless of whether they are following each other or not.
Some people abuse this feature by harassing and sending hurtful messages to anyone
Other Social Media apps that are also dangerous
Even though social media can be a great way to connect with people, it's still very harmful. Another app that is also very dangerous among people is Snapchat. Snapchat allows users to text, post and share your location with other users.
As of 2023, Snapchat has about 383 million active users and just like Instagram, it’s dangerous.
Some of the dangers on Snapchat are because you can communicate with strangers, bullying, harassment, and unrealistic expectations with selfie pictures and filters. These cause anxiety and depression.
Twitter also has a harmful side. Twitter allows people to connect with anyone in the world by tweeting.
Twitter can become dangerous due to harassment and abuse people face, as well as the sensitive content that is displayed.
Lastly, a very popular app among teens that also have dangerous effects is Tiktok. The app has about 1 billion active users.
TikTok is distracting, it can spread misinformation, and there are major privacy concerns.
Tiktok has about 150 billion users just in the U.S alone and lately, there has been controversy that China might be stealing American's data which is seen as a national security risk.
