comment on this essay The impact of social media on self-concept is super important to me because it has changed the view on myself multiple times through out my life. Social media has taken over my life many times especially when I was younger because I always cared about what others thought of me. It was exhausting worrying about my likes, and the comments that I wanted to receive on my pictures or posts. Before I would look at other females, comparing myself to their looks and bodies especially, thinking I was fat and when I look at the pictures of my younger self I was no where near fat ! Now today, it's different but it still is a thought in the back of my mind, I was wondering 'how do these people perceive me as a mother?, Do I look like a good mom?, Does it look like I have my life together?, Do I look good enough for just having a baby?' I mean of course some of these thoughts still linger here and there but regardless of other peoples opinion I truly care way less than I ever did.

The impact of social media on self-concept affects other individuals because they themselves were seeking approval from everyone else at one point in their life. Some care less, others care more no matter on the scale of how much you actually care there is a part that still seeks validation and that's for everybody. People are looking at themselves in the mirror everyday and constantly pointing out what they would change about their appearance, when really all should embrace and accept ourselves as we are.

The impact of social media on self-concept affects society because society is what makes us look at ourselves differently. We see the more attractive people labeled now with certain looks so for females the new normal is a curvier body and bigger butt and for men the new normal is tall and more muscular. When society tells us this is what we want to look like, we start to doubt our own image because we do not look like that so we start figuring out ways to look like that such as undergoing surgery or dieting a specific way. Whatever helps us get to look like what society tells us. Sometimes this can all make ourselves look at each other in a negative way. Normative conformity is our tendency to try to match the behaviors and attitudes we see commonly among our social group. That's why social influencers, people with large social media followings who are paid to subtly advertise products, can cause items or brands to suddenly become trendy. Our attitudes and behaviors are influenced by people we admire and crave acceptance from, even if we'll never meet them in real life. (Myers & DeWall, 2020)

Some psychological concepts that stick out to me the most is some humanistic theories, I think without the social media draining our minds we would have a better understanding of self- actualization and better self esteem to realize and understand that their is nothing wrong with us or the way we look. Life would be much easier of understanding we are all different and that is perfect. Maslow(1970)developed his ideas by studying healthy, creative people rather than troubled clinical cases. He based his description of self-actualization on a study of those, such as Abraham Lincoln, who seemed notable for their rich and productive lives. Maslow reported that such people shared certain characteristics: They were self-aware and self-accepting, open and spontaneous, loving and caring, and not paralyzed by others' opinions. Secure in their sense of who they were, their interests were problem-centered rather than self-centered. They focused their energies on a particular task, one they often regarded as their mission in life. Most enjoyed a few deep relationships rather than many superficial ones. Many had been moved by spiritual or personalpeak experiences that surpassed ordinary consciousness. (Myers & DeWall, 2020)

Self-care and Emotional intelligence apply to this most because if we had more of this, we would not be worried about social media on self-concept. If we understand that taking care of ourselves mentally and physically and being connected with our bodies and minds the way we should, we wouldn't be looking at ourselves thinking we need to change something about it. If we had a higher emotional intelligence then we would be able to become more self-aware about ourselves and understanding that we are human, we have our flaws, it's okay to feel how we feel but comparing ourselves to others wouldn't help how we truly feel emotionally inside.