RECOMMENDATION REPORT:INSTAGRAM DANGERS

Odalys Rodriguez

Technical Writing ENG 2413

Professor Maia Adamina

November 2, 2018

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INTRODUCTION/ THE REPORT

Background:

This report provides a way for content posted and shared via Instagram to be a more positive environment where there is a sharing aim for a positive community all ages, especially ages 18-29, to be themselves. This organization’s purpose has an underlying motive of positively capturing and sharing the moments of everyday lives, sharing them among multiple platforms, and bringing the creative artist within every user to utilize their filter options. Through research and extensive surveys, it is obvious that even though there are some precautions take place, Instagram is ranked as having the worst effect on young people’s mental health. The purpose of pictorial networking, well as commenting and sharing feedback on content brings up, raises great problem. The problem here is not the content, but the feedback viewers give in response. There needs to be an evaluation on explicit content, containment of the problem, and the need to promote more positivity through moral.

Significance of challenge:

The difference we are hoping to achieve by making this recommendation will come from its ability to help Instagram become a better and user-friendly social media sight that will be more accessible to different people without such negative content and will promote the good in various demographics. Due to the clear popularity of this social outlet, there a great need for activism in change and overriding the “stay quiet” type of viewpoint within the community online. The great amount of challenge that this hold can very easily be started within the program itself and the people running it all behind the grid. There is a great need for activism to see the actual negative promotion usage though Instagram.

There is a strong need for: Open mindedness Change in moral Content Regulations

Methodology:

Self-presentation mediates the relationship between Self-criticism and emotional response to Instagram feedback is an article written by Christina A. Jackson and Andrew F. Luchner tackling personality and individual differences. It was retrieved from the UTSA Library database on Monday, October 28th at 10:30 am. Appearing when searching the term “Instagram”, it is the 9th article that appears from 40, 792 results based on relevance. This article involves several flow charts and the writer shared numerous amounts hypotheses in studies that center around the mass search for the effects of Instagram.

The Independent website provided an article written by Olivia Blair on Friday the 19th of May in 2017 at 10:20 p.m. . Categorized under the “INDY/ LIFE” tab on the top of the website it’s clear that the topic on Instagram is seen as a contemporary and modern platform in today’s society.

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This article was found on October 25th, 2018 form searching the Google engine by the term “Negative Results of Instagram”. This article titled as, Instagram Ranked As Having the Worst Effect on Your Mental Health, Reports Fin, provides the turnover of a social media engine that flips completely across the spectrum to shift completely into the negative zone.

Retrieved from the UTSA library database by searching the term, “Instagram”, Secret Society 123: Understanding the Language of Self- Harm on Instagram appears as the tenth article. Written by Megan A. Moreno, Adrienne Ton, Ellen Selkie, and Yolanda Evans, on January 2016, but this particular article is brought out through pages 78-84. This article was accessed on October 26th at 12:05 p.m. immediately seeing the first impression by their offering of a box highlighted of their highlights that would mention in the article. The highlights expressed their knowledge using the hashtag term “#selfharmmm”, non-suicidal self-injury terms with hashtag evaluated for meaning consistency, non- suicidal self-injury hashtag terms included “#secretsociety123” and “#blithe”, and the similarity between the terms with their meanings being determined using triangulation. The rest of the article explains the research with two images that allow the reader to understand content better.

The Role of Narcissism in Self-Promotion on Instagram is an article written by Jang Ho Moon, Enujo Lee, Tae Rang Choi, and Yongjun Sung under Personality and Individual Differences in October 2016. This is found in pages 22-25. This was accessed on October 26th at 1 p.m. under the UTSA Library Databases. Immediately was opened, the first appearance shows the goals and Highlights such as the following:

Instagram users with high in narcissism tend to:• Post more selfies and self-presented photos• Update their profile picture more often and spend more time• Rate their profile pictures as more physically attractive• GE is a positive and LA is a negative predictor of self-promotion behaviors

This is just followed by further explanation and cross examination back to the ideas that Instagram manifests into a hierarchy of power in users across the usage of photos in its effect for personal and social ideals amongst users.

A screen shot taken from the Instagram account under the screen name @laurenrosegoodger was taken on October 29th @ 3:05 p.m. where she shames herself in a body full of her walking into a plain lawn where she is wearing a yellow two-piece. This image shows a focus on her over weight and depicts a negative image of her body depicted in the image.

Recommendation:

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Instagram should hold more investigative, involvement in current slang and usage of their social media content. In realizing the negative use of their platform can grant a more positive environment for all current and potential future users.

BODY:

The following content is an analysis of the sources in research provided above. In this, there will be a connection between all information to show that Instagram should regulate and acknowledge the affect it has on its users by spinning it all in together.

RESEARCH:

Personality Dependency

Emphasizing on photo-sharing on being popular among young adults, research reveals both positive and negative consequences from SNS use. By investigating a sample of Instagram users between 18–30 year old emotionally responding to positive and negative Instagram feedback depends on personality and self-presense on Instagram,. From evaluating different questionnaires, false self-presentation mediates the relationship between self-criticism and affective response to negative Instagram scenarios, focusing on the negative intent to try their best to deceive their viewers. Furthermore, individuals scoring high in the maladaptive personality measures, dependency and self-criticism, responds with negative effects to negative Instagram scenarios. Participants scoring high in dependency of the site and the efficacy as an adaptive personality responded with positive affect to the positive Instagram scenarios. Evaluating the effects within the context of the two polarities model the effects on personality and the intent for negative actions. (Jackson and Lunchner)

Narcissism Production

Instagram, the rising photo-sharing social networking site, has gained an enormous amount of global popularity. This study examined the relationship between narcissism and Instagram users' self-promoting behavior. A total of 212 active Instagram users in Korea made an independent survey where the results showed that individuals that are higher in narcissism tend to post selfies and self-presented photos, update their profile picture more often, and spend more time on Instagram, as compared to other users. They also rated their own Instagram profile pictures as more physically attractive, also see to have a higher frequency selfie postings and profile picture updates. In the eyes of these users, this idea of perfection has even brainwashed people to believe to degrade themselves as seen as Figure A. To accomplish this goal, people either put others down if not in perfection or are self-obsessed if they fall into this darkness in beauty ideals. Narcissistic users tend to post more selfies and self-presented photos, update their profile picture more often, and spend more time acting in self-promoting behaviors. (Moon)

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Figure A: Screenshot of Instagram User @laurenrosegoodger Body Shaming Herself

Top Priority for Safety

The top priority of Instagram should be keeping the platform a "safe and supportive place" as a top priority. Keeping Instagram, a safe and supportive place, where people can feel comfortable by expressing themselves, should be a top priority, particularly when it comes to young people when they are the main user age group as users. Michelle Napchan, the company's EMEA head of policy says, "Everyday people from all over the world use Instagram to share their own mental health journey and get support from the community. For those struggling with mental health issues, we want them to be able to access support on Instagram when and where they need it. That’s why we work in partnership with experts to give people the tools and information they need while using the app, including how to report content, get support for a friend they are worried about or directly contact an expert to ask for advice on an issue they may be struggling with.”  By this the idea of change in focus should be targeted as a main issue and should upheld for revision. (Blair)

Evaluating Suicidal Content and Hashtags

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Nonsuicidal self-injury, also known as NSSI, refers to content that is currently that may be ambiguous and thus challenging for those outside the NSSI community to understand. In evaluate the meaning, popularity, and content advisory warnings related to ambiguous NSSI hashtags on Instagram these studies have found that using the search term “#selfharmmm” to identify public Instagram posts. As shown in Figure 1, hashtag terms co-listed with #selfharmmm on posts are evaluated for inclusion criteria; selecting hashtags that assess using a structured evaluation for meaning and consistency. We also investigated the total number of Instagram search hits for each hashtag at two time points and determined whether the hashtag prompted a Content Advisory warning. Results of the samples of 201 Instagram posts led to finding 10 ambiguous NSSI hashtags. NSSI terms included #blithe, #cat, and #selfinjuryy. We discovered a popular image that described the broader community of NSSI and mental illness, called greater than 1.5 million. Only one-third of the relevant hashtags generated Content Advisory warnings. The conclusion on NSSI content is popular on Instagram and often veiled by ambiguous hashtags. Content Advisory warnings were obviously not reliable meaning parents and providers remain the cornerstone of prompting discussions about NSSI content on social media and providing resources for teens. (Moreno)

Figure B: The Process by which the NSS Evaluates Hashtags

1. Access the post using #selfharmm

2. Evaluate each additional hashtag also included in caption

3. Decide whether or not it is NSSI related

4. Exclude or include uniquivical or amiguous

meanings

5. Final hashtags with amiguous meanings are to be investigated

for meaning and consitency.

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Survey Results:

From surveying 25 people on whether they feel good or bad after logging off their Instagram visit or session, 60% of them voted yes to feeling bad or having lower self-esteem. The other 40% of these results said they felt happier and with a more uplifted spirit since they try their best to regulate who and what they follow in order to control their experience. These results prove that being someone that follows more content proves having more opportunities to have negative feedback on their experience while being more objective to what types of content there is on a feed.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Based on extensive research, Instagram should be more involved in content regulations by first realizing that their site with very few regulations has resulted in a very negative outbreak. By doing the following, they can reach a more positive environment for all current and future users.

Educating themselves with modern slang Knowing the purpose/ background of hashtags Evaluating comments and reactions to posts (negative) Boost positiveness and reminders on Instagram

2. Regulating NSSI structure will allow a broader evaluation of as many accounts as possible. This process will evaluate hopefully, automatically evaluate faster and more effectively

More personal on call Younger generation of staff who are up to date on Social Slang Promote this process to as many people as possible as a serious

movement

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Works Cited

Blair, Olivia. “Stop Using Instagram Immediately.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 16 Oct. 2017, www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/instagram-young-people-mental-health-worst-effect-negative-social-media-photos-report-a7744211.html.

Jackson, Christina A., and Luchner, Andrew F. “Self-Presentation Mediates the Relationship Between Self-Criticism and Emotional Response to Instagram Feedback.” Personality and Individual Differences, vol. 133, Elsevier Ltd, 2017, pp. 1–6, doi:10.1016/j.paid.2017.04.052.

Moon, Jang Ho, et al. “The Role of Narcissism in Self-Promotion on Instagram.” Personality and Individual Differences, vol. 101, Elsevier Ltd, pp. 22–25, doi:10.1016/j.paid.2016.05.042.

Moreno, Megan A., et al. “Secret Society 123: Understanding the Language of Self-Harm on Instagram.” Journal of Adolescent Health, vol. 58, no. 1, Elsevier Inc., pp. 78–84, doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.09.015.

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Instagram Emotional Response Survey Questions______________________________________________________________________________

Please answer these questions to the closest to your opinion!Express on your experience!

1. Do you feel uplifted in a positive way after using Instagram?a. Yesb. No

2. Do you feel uplifted in a positive way after using Instagram?a. Yesb. No

3. Will you continue using Instagram today?a. Yesb. No