Filtered Perceptions

Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Discord - we are all familiar with them right? In fact, approximately 83.1% of the Malaysian population are active social media users. In today’s world, social media is everywhere. Almost every place you go, people are keeping their heads down, scrolling through their phones at full-speed, be it a comedy reel, our friends’ stories or even daily horoscope news. 

So, the question is, how does social media content influence our views on gender? Social media doesn’t just connect us, it also shapes our perceptions towards gender unknowingly, either reinforcing stereotypes or breaking them.

The pros of social media: it breaks stereotypes that have been passed on for decades or even centuries. For example, do you immediately associate the colour blue with guys and pink with girls? Cool history fact, during the 19th century, pink was sometimes considered a stronger, more masculine color, which was suited to the men, whereas blue was seen as more delicate and feminine. The trend changed in 1940 when baby boomers dressed their boys in blue and girls in pink. They claimed that pink was a delicate color that suited girls and blue was vigorous, perfect for boys. Social media allows people to challenge the traditional roles in a positive way, making way for greater career explorations such as female gamers, male make-up artists, female mechanics and etcetera.

Other than that, social media provides a platform to spread awareness on gender inequality. Campaigns like #HeForShe are prevalent throughout social media to encourage discussions about interesting, debatable topics regarding gender. For those that are facing gender discrimination, positive comments or solutions can be shared to help boost confidence and self-expression for the person themselves and also the people around them. Of course, scrolling through posts relating to gender may not be absolutely necessary, but it is always beneficial to be aware of what is happening in the world.

The cons of social media: it sometimes reinforces unhealthy stereotypes. For instance, it has always been a stereotype to say men are better than women in math or old people are always forgetful. Just remember that, stereotypes remain as stereotypes; they do not define everyone, nor do they provide a definite true representation of people. In fact, some older adults remain sharp during their golden years. To paint all elderly people with the same brush is unfair and inaccurate. It can lead to discrimination against elderly workers. Yes, a simple sentence can spread from one to tens, tens to hundreds, hundreds to thousands and thousands to millions, so think before you create or believe stereotypes.

Furthermore, modern technology brought filters, photo editing and AI generated content. It isn’t fully a bad thing, but these technologies make people question whether the content they’re watching currently is true. It might bring up self-esteem issues for people. When they’re scrolling through social media, they might think: Oh, why are the people nowadays all so pretty, why am I unlike them? Social media drains your confidence in yourself, leading you to set unattainable expectations for appearance.

To conclude, it is a must for everyone to be able to differentiate the knowledgeable and entertaining content, and of course try to avoid fake rumours. And to those that are reading this, you’re beautiful in your own way, and you needn’t change what’s true to you. Happy International Women’s Day! :D

March 31st, 2025