Research article | Open Access
International Journal of Excellent Leadership 2025, Vol. 5(2) 17-26
The Negative Effects of Recent Social Media Phenomenons on the Imagination Potential of Young People
pp. 17 - 26
Publish Date: December 31, 2025 | Single/Total View: 1/1 | Single/Total Download: 1/1
Abstract
This study examines the negative effects of social media influencers on the imagination and aspirational capacity of young people, with a specific focus on influencer-generated content on Instagram and YouTube. Drawing on a qualitative content analysis of 200 posts produced by 10 prominent influencers, the research investigates how recurring representational patterns shape adolescents’ perceptions of success, materialism, and realistic life expectations. Three dominant themes—materialistic display, unrealistic success narratives, and idealized lifestyles—were identified and analyzed through the theoretical lenses of Cultivation Theory, Social Learning Theory, and Social Comparison Theory. The findings suggest that influencer content systematically promotes consumption-oriented values, visibility-based success, and idealized representations of everyday life, while largely obscuring structural constraints, sustained effort, and failure experiences. Such representations appear to weaken adolescents’ value systems by normalizing unrealistic aspirations, intensifying upward social comparison, and fostering dissatisfaction and diminished self-esteem. Over time, these dynamics may narrow young people’s capacity to formulate realistic, intrinsically motivated goals and to imagine diverse future trajectories beyond influencer-centered success models. By clearly delimiting its analytical scope to Instagram and YouTube, this study contributes a methodologically transparent and theoretically grounded account of how contemporary influencer culture may constrain youths’ imaginative and aspirational development. The findings underscore the importance of media literacy education, the promotion of diverse and attainable role models, and the support of healthy goal-setting processes among adolescents. Future research should empirically investigate moderating factors—such as age, media literacy levels, and social support—that shape youths’ susceptibility to influencer content, as well as evaluate intervention strategies aimed at mitigating its negative developmental effects.
Keywords: Social media influencers, Youth aspirations, Materialism, Social comparison, Psychological well-being
APA 7th edition
KUZUCAN, T. (2025). The Negative Effects of Recent Social Media Phenomenons on the Imagination Potential of Young People. International Journal of Excellent Leadership, 5(2), 17-26.
Harvard
KUZUCAN, T. (2025). The Negative Effects of Recent Social Media Phenomenons on the Imagination Potential of Young People. International Journal of Excellent Leadership, 5(2), pp. 17-26.
Chicago 16th edition
KUZUCAN, Tuna (2025). "The Negative Effects of Recent Social Media Phenomenons on the Imagination Potential of Young People". International Journal of Excellent Leadership 5 (2):17-26.
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