Date of Defense

12-6-2024

Date of Graduation

12-2024

Department

Sociology

First Advisor

Elena Lisovskaya

Second Advisor

Katherine Tierney

Keywords

Social media, social media use, self-esteem, adolescents, gender social factors

Abstract

Prior research has found social media can impact how users feel about themselves and can influence how individuals perceive the world around them. Due to the increase in adolescent usage of social media, a systematic literature review of research available through Western Michigan University’s library was conducted. This study was aimed at summarizing and critically evaluating research on the impact of social media use on adolescent’s self-esteem using a qualitative systematic literature review from the last decade, with some quantitative analysis. Specifically, this study examined 1) what methods of data collection was used, 2) research designs implemented, and 3) results received. This systematic review found that the direction of the impact of social media on self-esteem was mixed across the studies, revealing that self-esteem was a complex matter based on individual differences. Additionally, it was found that gender differences in use of social media and their impact on self-esteem were most often examined. This research revealed a wide range of limitations of the existing research, including a limited focus on the social context and the variety of other social factors of interaction between social media and self-esteem of the users. The paper concludes with a discussion of how the field would benefit from expanding its theoretical and methodological grounds through the application of sociological frameworks.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Open Access

Presentation.pdf (483 kB)
Defense Presentation

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