THE SELF-KNOWLEDGE PROCESS People come to know themselves in large part by observing others’...

Question

THE SELF-KNOWLEDGE PROCESS

People come to know themselves in large part by observing others’ reactions to them when engaged in face-to-face social interaction. The popularity of and reliance on social media (e.g., Facebook) for social connection interferes with the self-knowledge process. This interference is compounded, further, by the tendency for people to pose as who they wish to be but are not (Wright, White, & Obst, 2018). Others’ reactions to them as a source of self-knowledge is based, then, on an idealized presentation, and social feedback on this idealized presentation can have little self-knowledge value.

Reference:

Wright, E. J., White, K. M., & Obst, P. L. (2018). Facebook false self-presentation behaviors and negative mental health.Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 21(1), 40–50.

TO PREPARE

Review the Learning Resources for this week and consider how people present themselves on social media and the influence this may have on how people use introspection, self-observation, and other people’s reactions to know themselves.

Also, consider how reliance on social media for meaningful connection affects a person’s confidence when meeting new people.

When relying on social media for social connection, think about the unavailability of others’ perception of you and why that information might be relevant to building self-confidence.

ASSIGNMENT:

Submit3–5 pages, excluding title page and reference page:

What implications does the pressure of presenting an ideal self on social media have in terms of how people use introspection, self-observation, and other people’s reactions to know themselves?

If relying on social media for social connection fails to provide useful information for developing an authentic self, then how confident might a person be when meeting new people face-to-face?

What information about how others perceive you might you need but do not get when relying on social media for social connection?

Your arguments and conclusions must be supported by social psychology theory and research.

In addition to the Learning Resources, search the Walden Library and/or Internet for peer-reviewed articles to support your Assignment. Use proper APA format and citations, including those in the Learning Resources.

Dipali · Accepted Answer

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT		8
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT
Table of contents
Introduction	3
Implications of Presenting an Ideal Self on Social Media	3
Impact on Introspection and Self-Observation	3
Identity Construction and Self-Esteem	3
Comparative Self-Evaluation	3
Effect on Perceiving Others' Reactions for Self-Knowledge	4
Filtered Feedback and Distorted Perceptions	4
Impact on Emotional Well-being	4
Addressing Authenticity and Realistic Self-Perception	4
Strategies for Balanced Presentation	4
Developing Self-Acceptance Beyond Idealized Images	4
Impact of Relying on Social Media for Social Connection	5
Conclusion	6
Introduction
Social media sites such as Facebook have grown ubiquitous in the modern digital age, influencing people's self-presentations and social relationships. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the consequences of presenting an idealized version of oneself on social media and how it affects self-awareness, reflection, and interpersonal confidence.
Implications of Presenting an Ideal Self on Social Media
	People these days are social media freaks and have been putting in their best efforts to make sure they present themselves well on various social media platforms in an ideal manner no matter what their real life conditions might be. This has been a major reason of dual personalities of individuals being observed in the recent times (Wright, White & Obst, 2018). Moreover, this has a negative impact on the mental health of the individuals and therefore hampers their ability to identify their natural self. 
Impact on Introspection and Self-Observation
Identity Construction and Self-Esteem
· Users are encouraged by social media sites to produce material that presents an idealized vision of them. This selective sharing may lead to a false impression of oneself.
· One may feel as though there is a gap between their real self and their online presence due to the need to uphold this idealized image. People may thus find it difficult to engage in sincere introspection and self-reflection.
Comparative Self-Evaluation
· Constant exposure to well constructed stories and images of other people might encourage social comparison tendencies.
· Users may compare themselves to others who appear to be better than them in an upward social comparison, which might leave them feeling inadequate or drive them to always strive for an unreachable ideal.
Effect on Perceiving Others' Reactions for Self-Knowledge
Filtered Feedback and Distorted Perceptions
· Face-to-face conversations are typically more honest and profound than social media connections. Feedback obtained via these sources may thus be skewed or filtered.
· The input that has been filtered due to an idealized presentation may not accurately reflect how others actually view an individual, which might compromise the validity of self-knowledge that is gained from social interactions.

THE SELF-KNOWLEDGE PROCESSPeople come to know themselves in large part by observing others’ reactions to them when engaged in face-to-face social interaction. The popularity of and reliance on...