Research + News | Topic: Self-fabrication

China’s Selfie Culture: Youth Obsessed With The Power Of Appearances

Meitu’s popular apps and a flippant attitude towards plastic surgery are changing what it means to be beautiful, but the result is not always pretty. Read the article here.

How Teens Use Fake Instagram Accounts To Relieve The Pressure Of Perfection

Fake Instagram accounts, often referred to as “finstas” or “spam accounts”, have become the norm for many teens – but their reasoning for creating these is not as sinister as you think. Read the article here.

A Quarter of Brits Fake Vacation Photos Online

The pressure to make other people feel miserable about their dreary, deskbound existences is so great that many of us have taken to faking images of our allegedly fabulous holidays. Read the article here.

Is Social Media Fueling A National Epidemic Of Teen Suicide?

Recent suicides underscore the disturbing increase in suicide amongst young people – up at least 13% from 2010. Read the article here.

Sixty Years Ago, ‘Childhood’s End’ Author Predicted Media We Have Now

In his novel Childhood’s End,science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke predicted that in the future, entertainment choices would “pour” out of multiple channels and the evolution of motion pictures would lead to virtual-reality technology. The book was published in 1953.

Read the rest of the article here.

Split Image

ESPN takes a look at the life of Madison Holleran, a college student who, according to her Instagram account, seemed to have it all together. The truth was much different as she committed suicide in 2014.

Read the article here.

These 5 Teens Can Thank The Model Who Left Instagram For Lessons On The Dark Side Of Social Media

High school students from Southern California react to a popular Instagram model swearing off social media.

Read their reactions here.

What Happens When A Famous Instagram Teen Stops Being Polite and Starts Getting Real

Instagram-famous teen and Australian model Essena O’Neill is using the huge platform she amassed by posting bikini photos and brunch tableaus to expose the truth about social media: that it’s “fake” and almost entirely staged.

Read the article here.

How A Dating App Hookup Landed A Teen On The Sex Offender Registry

An Indiana teenager was placed on the sex offender registry after meeting an underage girl on the Internet, who lied about her age, and then having sex with her. Read the article here.

How Girls Are Seeking (and Subverting) Approval Online

From selfies to shout-outs, girls are using social media both to build up and break down their self-image. Read the article from Common Sense Media here.