Social Media and Self-Image Management in Pectus Patients
Updated: Aug 1
Individuals with pectus disease may experience some difficulties with self-confidence and self-image management when using social media. However, by using the right techniques, they can use social media to their advantage and increase their self-confidence.
Building Self-confidence
One of the most important problems of pectus patients is a lack of self-confidence due to their disease. When using social media, they can use the following tips to overcome this lack of self-confidence:
Accept and love yourself: Accept that pectus is a part of you and love yourself for who you are. This will form the basis of your self-confidence (Neff, 2011).
Sharing positive content: Share positive, hopeful and inspiring content on social media. This will motivate both you and your followers (Seligman, 2011).
Choosing followers: Follow people who support, love and accept you for who you are. Avoid negative, malicious people (Baumeister & Leary, 1995).
Personal Image Management
Another issue that pectus patients should pay attention to when using social media is personal image management. Pay attention to the following points when managing your image:
Be honest and transparent: Be honest and transparent on social media. Do not hide your illness, but do not exaggerate it either (Walther, 2007).
Look professional: Project a professional image, especially when posting about your professional life (Peluchette and Karl, 2009).
Photo selection: Make sure that the photos you share are of good quality and appropriate. Choose photos that reflect yourself in the best way (Siibak, 2009).
Labeling: Be careful when labeling. Avoid inappropriate labels (Walther et al., 2008).
Support from the Pectus Association
Another source where pectus patients can get support in using social media is the Pectus Association. The association organizes social media campaigns for pectus patients and supports them in self-confidence and image management (Pectus Association, 2023).In conclusion, pectus patients may face some difficulties in self-confidence and personal image management when using social media. However, by using the right techniques, they can use social media in their favor and increase their self-confidence. The Pectus Association also stands out as a resource where patients can get support in this regard.
Kaynakça:
Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological bulletin, 117(3), 497.Neff, K. D. (2011). Self‐compassion, self‐esteem, and well‐being. Social and personality psychology compass, 5(1), 1-12.Peluchette, J. V., & Karl, K. (2009). Examining students' intended image on Facebook:"What were they thinking?!". Journal of Education for Business, 85(1), 30-37.Pektus Derneği. (2023). Pektus Derneği Resmi Web Sitesi. https://www.pektushastaligi.org/Seligman, M. E. (2011). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Policy, 27(3), 60-61.Siibak, A. (2009). Constructing the self through the photo selection-visual impression management on social networking websites. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 3(1).Walther, J. B. (2007). Selective self-presentation in computer-mediated communication: Hyperpersonal dimensions of technology, language, and cognition. Computers in Human Behavior, 23(5), 2538-2557.Walther, J. B., Van Der Heide, B., Kim, S. Y., Westerman, D., & Tong, S. T. (2008). The role of friends' appearance and behavior on evaluations of individuals on Facebook: Are we known by the company we keep?. Human communication research, 34(1), 28-49.
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