As society evolves, technology and social norms do too. These two things are major factors which play into peer pressure. Peer pressure is the direct or indirect influence which people have on each other within the same social group. Peer pressure can be positive or negative; any age can experience peer pressure. However, it is especially prevalent in teenage and adolescent social circles. Constantly growing social media platforms have enamored many teens of the 21st century. Before these platforms, to access a trend you would have to hear it from your friends, on TV shows, or through the radio. This constant development of access to information plays a part in the evolution of peer pressure. Teens accessing more information opens them up to widespread exposure to any and everything. With this, teens can easily experience peer pressure from people in their age groups.
Many teens use some form of social media daily; it has influenced peer pressure in recent years. Teens on social media are on public platforms that open them up to popular trends and to others around the world. When teens post about themselves on social media, it opens them up to public criticism and scrutiny. When teens view content on social media, it opens them up to potentially harmful viral trends or information that can impact their impressionable minds. Some teens enjoy documenting their lives on social media apps like TikTok or Instagram. Posting every little detail of themselves from what they ate in the morning to personal life events. This information is open to everyone who has internet access. Imagine someone posting a picture of themselves with a new makeup look they tried, then someone comments on how the makeup makes them look weird or ugly and that they should try something else. This can easily impact a young mind and make them feel pressured to do something they originally were not interested in. This behavior can be categorized as cyberbullying. This is any bullying that is online. Cyberbullying is another version or form of peer pressure.
Many trends or viral “challenges” have occurred over the years. Some of these challenges can delve into dangerous territory and harm anyone who attempts them. Teens may feel inclined to do these for two reasons: peer pressure and poor decision making due to an undeveloped brain. Teens may feel pressured by others doing these dangerous trends to try it out for themselves. An example of some of these challenges are ingesting Tide PODS®, pressing ice and salt to the skin, trying to cut the oxygen to your brain, etc. These challenges found widespread popularity and participation due to social media exposure amongst teens. These challenges are reported to have caused bodily harm in some participants. Some teenagers cannot see that these challenges could be potentially dangerous or life threatening because of an undeveloped mind which can lead to making poor decisions.
Peer pressure is a good example of something that evolves with time. Anyone can experience it but it is more obvious within teens or young people. The evolution of peer pressure is a phenomenon that explains the influence and relationship between other people through time. As technology and people evolve, peer pressure will too.
