Adam LaHay and Courtney Harrison, Writers
Throughout the beginning of the 21st century, the abundance of advanced technology people are exposed to has multiplied beyond recognition. With roughly 81% of North Americans owning a smartphone according to Pew Research, access to social media becomes quite simple. The ability to delve into the online world and act how you choose becomes very easy. With the added confidence of an anonymous persona, could it be possible that people act differently on social media than in person?
Over the years as social media’s presence increases, the amount of users has skyrocketed. With 126 million on Twitter and 1 billion on Instagram (accounts not users) social media is at an all time high. Users are now spending an average of 2 hours and 23 minutes of social media per day (study done by Medium.com). We spend hours maintaining an online presence across multiple platforms; surrounded by editing apps and filters, it’s easy to create a ‘perfect’ life.
“The amount of people I know that are ‘fake’ on social media is incredible,” said a grade 11 student.
So are you the same person in real life as you are on social media? We interviewed 18 people from three different age groups answering the question above, here are our results.
| Grade 9 (14-15) | Grade 11 (16-17) | Adults (20+) | |
| Yes | 9 | 10 | 10 |
| No | 3 | 8 | 4 |
| In Between | 6 | 0 | 4 |
While we have a seemingly perfect online profile, the backlash of it can be rather negative. 60% of people using social media reported it impacted their self-confidence negatively. We constantly compare ourselves to the lives we view online, although we never quite pay attention to the fact that most profiles aren’t a true reflection of real life. “80% of people reported it’s easier to be deceived by others through their sharing on social media.” Clarissa Silva, author of “Social Media’s Impact on Self-esteem”.
*This article was posted on behalf of the writers from English 11: New Media, Adam LaHay and Courtney Harrison
