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How Society Impacts the Way We View Ourselves

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How Society Impacts the Way We View Ourselves

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Today’s society is similar to the society in Fahrenheit 451. Ray Bradbury was accurate about how the world has an effect on how people view themselves, and not all of them are positive. In today’s society, people are used to comparing themselves to others, and a lot of them compare themselves to celebrities and models that they see on social media. People are expected to look a certain way, and if they don’t, they think that they aren’t as good as everyone else. The results of a study in 2016 show that viewing someone else’s pictures on social media will lead to a lowered self-esteem (Brown). People see others being happy and living a “perfect” life and they think that they have to be the same way. In addition, when people compare their bodies to the ones they see on social media, “[They] are becoming more and more dissatisfied with their bodies, which ultimately affects their self-concept and self-esteem, health and beauty product lines proliferate and cosmetic surgeries and other types of enhancements become more and more popular. From young children to older adults, people are becoming more aware of and oftentimes unhappy with their bodies, which results in a variety of self-perception problems” (Support). At times, people that don’t fit in the society’s mold are looked down upon, being “ugly.” Research proves that when people compare their bodies to other people’s bodies, those people may develop an eating disorder, and an eating disorder could change the way they views themselves (Support). In today’s world, most people are always on social media and using the Internet. In a lot of cases, the Internet is used too often by people. Research has proven that the more time people spend of social media, the higher chance of having a lower self-esteem (Kirby). Low self-esteem from media can lead to other problems. For example, “Early research suggested that excessive Internet use could lead to loneliness and depression” (About). Internet leads to mental health problems, which then leads to problems with how people view themselves. The Internet and social media platforms show the viewers images of people’s bodies that aren’t easily attainable. The people viewing these pictures think that this is what everyone should look like. For example, they experience anxiety and distress with food and body size (Blood). In most cases, to obtain one’s desired body type, people become stressed with their diet and self-conscious of what they consume. Through research and what people have noticed, “Stereotypical images of boys (as mainly violent and sexually lustful, or as rational leaders, primary problem solvers or more physically active) and girls (as mainly sexy and concerned with their appearance and with romance, and as gentle and emotional and in submissive and passive roles) influence the way boys and girls develop their gender identities, their expectations from themselves and from the opposite sex, their self-confidence, their body image and their early sexual experiences” (Positive). Society puts pressure on everyone to fit the societal standards. When society puts all of this pressure on the people to make them look a certain way, people start to look down on themselves and have a low self-esteem, and they view themselves in a negative way.

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How People Try to be like Everyone Else in Today’s World

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How People Try to be like Everyone Else in Today’s World

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In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury included the people in the society trying to be like everyone else. This is very similar to today’s society and how people try to be like others, mostly in their actions. In the world today, some people try to imitate the things they see. According to research, “Particularly for younger children, viewing of violent content may lead to simple imitation of the violent acts” (About). For example, when playing dangerous and violent video games, people may end up performing the same actions in real life (Walther). When viewing something violent, people may think that is okay, so they may want to try it out for themselves, especially if they are younger and they don’t know how bad it can actually be. Actions don’t only have to be impacted because of imitation. They can also be impacted if someone is expected to do something. For example, an article talks about motivation. Someone can be motivated because they actually enjoy doing it; however, they could just be motivated in order to please a certain person. Pleasing that person can lead to a reward of some kind, and it could also be a way to avoid punishment (Support). The society doesn’t only have an effect on people’s actions. It also has an impact on the thoughts and opinions of people. Someone’s thoughts and opinions are based on others’. When it comes to an opinion on people, “[I]f the same news channels start to show those same victims as the bad people, then they will most likely develop a strong hatred for every individual in that race” (How). This is similar to “In a thousand less pronounced ways games have altered the way an entire generation of men relate to one another and the world” (Walther). This shows that the society and the video games have an impact on how the people interact with others, and this could be with their thoughts, beliefs, and actions. Today’s world can also impact the type of person someone becomes. The people that someone hangs out with are the basis of who that person will become. Research shows that “[W]hen an individual socializes with particular people, he or she tends to adopt the behaviors or traits they have” (Institute). Another article supports this by saying, “Good, caring, and civil friends will improve the overall behavior of the kids, whereas bad company can ruin them. They can get addicted to drugs, alcohol, and even get involved in petty crimes” (How). If a person is friends with good people, they will become a better person. They won’t get themselves into bad things like they might do if they were to hangout with the wrong people. Many different aspects in life have an effect on everyone, and many people try to be similar to what they are exposed to.

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How People Try to be Like Everyone Else in Fahrenheit 451

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How People Try to be Like Everyone Else in Fahrenheit 451

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Within Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, there are a lot of instances where everyone in the society try to be like others. It is uncommon to not be like everyone else. For example, the only person that doesn’t seem to be like everyone else is Clarisse. To show that Clarisse is different, she states “‘The psychiatrist wants to know why I go out and hike around in the forests and watch the birds and collect butterflies.’” (Bradbury 20). She does things that the other people in society wouldn’t do, and people find that odd because it isn’t what they are used to. In the quote, watching birds and collecting butterflies is described. Birds are a symbol for freedom. The butterflies can symbolize life. This means that Clarisse lives a free life and she doesn’t worry about things that would come in her way. She wants to be free. In the society, people are expected to follow the paths of their own families. “‘You should’ve thought of that before becoming a fireman.’ ‘Thought!’ he said. ‘Was I given a choice? My grandfather and father were firemen. In my sleep, I ran after them.’” (Bradbury 49). The people think that they have to do the same thing that their parents did. When thinking about a career, they didn’t really have to think about it because it wasn’t much of a choice. The people in the society also try to be like everyone else when it comes to voting. They will vote based on what other people voted for. For example, one of the women said “‘I voted last election, same as everyone, and I laid it on the line for President Noble. I think he’s one of the nicest looking men ever became president.’” (Bradbury 93). Since most people voted for President Noble, others felt that they had to do the same. The people also try to be like everyone else when they are told to do something. The people were told “‘At the count of ten now!’” (Bradbury 132) to open their doors to look for Montag. When the time came, “The doors opened.” (Bradbury 132). When people are told to open their doors or look through their windows on the count of ten, all the doors open. Since everyone else does it, the other people feel like they need to so they aren’t left out. They did it on the count of ten, and the number ten symbolizes the whole of human knowledge. This can show that the people only know how to do what everyone else does. They aren’t used to doing things by themselves or doing the opposite of everyone else. Throughout Fahrenheit 451, the people in the society try to be like everyone else in their actions.

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How People View Themselves in Fahrenheit 451

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How People View Themselves in Fahrenheit 451

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In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, societal influences are present, and a lot of them are negative, and they affect how people view themselves. First of all, Guy Montag, the protagonist, acts like he is a clone to the system of the society. He goes along with all of the laws and he doesn’t say anything against them. He views himself as a clone to the society because his only job in life is to burn the books that are against the law. He acts this way because that is all he knows. He was never taught anything else, so he has view himself as a clone to the system. Since books were supposed to be burned and it was against the law to have them, Faber thought that this was because the people in the society are just like the people in the books. As Faber states, “‘The books are to remind us what asses and fools we are.’[...]‘The things you’re looking for, Montag, are in the world, but the only way the average chap will ever see ninety-nine percent of them is in a book.’” (Bradbury 82). Faber explains to Montag that the society got rid of books because the people don’t want to see what they are actually like. They think they are much better people than the ones described in the books, but they are actually the same. The society has left people scared, and some think of themselves as cowards. Faber is one person that considers himself a coward. He created a machine that allows you to hear others. Faber explains how scared he is to Montag by saying “‘I’ve had this little item ready for months. But I almost let you go, I’m that afraid!’[...]’I’m the Queen Bee, safe in the hive.’” (Bradbury 87). Faber is so scared of what the society can do that he is hesitant to show off his invention. He explains to Montag what it is like to hear everything that Montag would hear while having a conversation with someone else. Faber compares himself to a Queen Bee, and a Queen Bee can symbolize personal power. This shows that Faber has more power than people may think. Towards the end of Fahrenheit 451, Montag starts to realize that everything was being burned. He thinks to himself, “So if he burned things with the firemen and the sun burned Time, that meant that everything burned.” (Bradbury 134). Montag thinks that everything burning is his own fault because of the influence that the society has on him. Thinking that it is his own fault has an effect on his self-esteem and how he views himself. In the quote, the sun is mentioned, and the sun symbolizes life, self, influence, and strength. This symbolism can apply to Montag. Throughout Fahrenheit 451, the society influences the people, and when the society impacts how they view themselves, it is usually in a negative way.

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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wLeuxg2vKLuilAZIdl2IE2qm11izxVjZ-e4RyQaanxA/edit

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Relationship Between Media and Self-Esteem

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Relationship Between Media and Self-Esteem

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In the chart, it illustrates the relationship between media and self-esteem. The chart shows how much of an impact media has on the people. The people had to rank the impact on a scale of 1-5, and the results show that media has a big impact.

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In the picture, statistics on self-esteem are provided. The statistics show that self-esteem is being lowered and that social media is having an impact. It also shows how friends and family have an effect on one’s self-esteem and body image.

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In the image, it shows a girl comparing herself to others that she sees on social media. Looking at pictures of other people and thinking that they are better than you and have a better life leads to a low self-esteem. When you don’t worry about others, your self-esteem is higher.

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comparing self to others on social media

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In the quote, it talks about how people influence different aspects of your life. This means that removing negative influences from your life can have a positive impact.

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In the image, the things that play a role in who people are are shown. These are the nine things that have the biggest influence on human behaviors and actions.

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In the video, trying to fit everyone’s expectations is a key idea. The speaker talks about most of the factors that influence people’s lives. She talks about social norms, experiments that have been done, and how people use others as role models. Using people as role models has an effect on who that person. All of these have an impact on people’s lives, and not all of them are positive.

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Social influences | Individuals and Society | MCAT | Khan Academy

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Our Dangereous Obsession with Perfectionism is Getting Worse

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Our Dangereous Obsession with Perfectionism is Getting Worse

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In the TedTalk, perfectionism is the main idea. Thomas Curran talks about how people in today's society are trying to fit everyone else's expectations. They think that in order to be liked by others, they have to be perfect. Trying to be perfect can affect the way people view themselves, and this will impact your self-esteem.

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Our dangerous obsession with perfectionism is getting worse | Thomas Curran

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Ray Bradbury used his novel, Fahrenheit 451, to draw attention to societal issues, and according to current research, he was accurate about negative societal influences including societal pressures and how they impact the way people view themselves and how they try to be like everyone else.

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Mrs. Jenkins
English 10-7
9 May 2019