The toxic side of Instagram influencers

The rise of the Instagram influencer has been incredibly beneficial with many educating their followers on important topics. However, there is another side to influencer culture which can become damaging.

As great as social media can be, it can also lead us to compare ourselves and our achievements to those that we follow. Followers are shown a false reality and, as a result, it can cause people to feel their lives are unsubstantial. It can be difficult to remember that the perfectly filtered lives we see on Instagram aren’t real life.

Dr Danielle Wagstaff, a psychology professor at Federation University Australia, has explained influencer culture can sometimes lead us to “derive a false sense of what everyone else is doing” and that this “can definitely have a negative effect on our mental health and wellbeing.”

Social media influencers can make thousands of pounds promoting ‘detox’ teas as fundamental weight loss strategies. When advertising these teas, the posts never allude to the dangerous side effects which include: missed periods, unplanned pregnancies, and permanent gut damage. The posts never mention how they have personal trainers, exclusive healthcare, dieticians and expensive skin care that help them look the way they do.

With body dysmorphia becoming an increasingly prevalent disorder, particularly for young people, seeing these advertisements could be triggering. People can question their self worth through comparing their bodies to the idealised body image that is shown by the celebrities advertising these products. Many influencers will not use these products themselves; it is just a simple way of making money.

It is important to take a step back from social media every once in a while as you may find it to be beneficial for your mental health. Once you begin to focus on improving yourself without comparing your achievements to others, you will find you become happier within yourself.

Edited by Lauren Wilkins