Further then the eye can see

Adolescent girls, social media and self-esteem: an arts-based exploration

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the influence social media is having on adolescent girls and how this impacts their self-esteem. With a group of four fourteen-year-old girls, we spent four, one hour sessions together exploring and discussing our relationship with social media. Each participant allocated different amounts of time to social media, some using it thirty minutes a day and others spending up to four hours. This created a rich and diverse discussion around the reasons why they used social media and how this directly affected their self-esteem. To enhance our conversations, we used writing, drawing and painting within our sessions to explore these ideas. 

Participatory action research allowed the participants to be fully involved within the session, it invited them to explore what they felt was important to them. As a group, we found there was often miscommunication when it came to interacting online. This was particularly relevant with the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic and its evolving online presence. 

We discovered that each adolescent had a unique experience of social media. The four participants each had a different experience of social media with some overlapping features. Multiple perspectives and  feelings of chaos were common themes highlighted by the group. This research allows arts therapists, teachers and parents an insight into what it's like to be an adolescent within today's world of social media and explores how group work can be beneficial, particularly for adolescent girls.

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