Give the surge of media outlets in the last decade, one vital factor to consider is whether or not young girls who are engaging heavily with such platforms are actively finding or searching for positive role models through the media. The primary concern with media today is that it is heavily oriented around physical appearances, flaunting materialistic items, or highlighting what an amazing life one has.
Though the issue may seem trivial, as the forms of consumption for the average teenager revolve more around the categories presented above, there needs to be a greater effort to present influencers in media that inspire in realms that are beyond the physicality. It is not to state that role models cannot be women who focus on self-care, beauty, and materialism but rather, that the definition of a role model should not continue to drift towards these. Individuals with a lot of influence or who have contributed in the world should be sharing their stories, sharing their aspirations, and being role models that individuals follow.
There are studies that are prevalent in STEM that illustrates that girls who have role models within STEM are more likely to consider STEM careers. Microsoft documented 11,500 young women in 12 countries of Europe and discovered that those with a role model within STEM were more likely to work within STEM. Girls who didn’t identify with having a role model in the field were much less likely to be interested in working in the STEM field. Although this study is primarily documented the effects of having someone to look up to within the STEM field only, having someone to look up to within your interests may help young women be more confident in pursuing their dreams with the “If she can, I can too!” mentality.
Two public figures who have done a fantastic job of not only engaging on social media platforms but also being a role model for young women is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortex (@AOC) and Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama). While your politics may or may not differ from the women above, what they have done with her social media presence is inspire beyond the image that most “influencers” present. They motivate young women to make an impact on the world and to be whoever they set their minds to be.
There needs to be more people stepping up to remind young individuals that striving for dreams beyond a follower count or being as beautiful as Kylie Jenner is much more fulfilling in the long term. While we’re only young collegiate women and men, maybe we hesitate to express our passions and what impact we’re striving to make because we believe we haven’t “made it yet” in our careers or in life. The truth is that we, as Berkeley students, are currently in a place that a lot of young people hope to be someday and a lot of us are doing incredibly within the internships, research, or positions that we hold.
Therefore, we must then consider the current state of social media and figure out where each of us has placed our efforts in —whether or not we care more about the photos of ourselves or the contributions we can make with social media. To use social media as solely a place to flaunt, as it has been for a lot of us, is a shame. To use social media for its original purpose, to connect is fine but to use social media to inspire the next generation is what we should all aim to do.