Do you think the media plays a role?

I've read some articles where the authors assert that things like anorexia are often aggravated or partially caused by the mass media's emphasis on impossible standards.

Question:

Do they affect the development of SA? Everywhere you go in the 'civilized' world, you find that to some extent the mass media are around. They set up expectations in people. "Be the perfect this, be the perfect that... you can have everything. The perfect romance. Unlimited success. Fame. Losers/winners, black/white mindset... etc"

For my own personal experience, I find that the mass media does influence me in my early years in aggravating perfectionistic tendencies as well as sometimes making me procrastinate due to wanting to watch the latest movies/games... etc.

What do you think?

Do you not see those bimbos in Hollywood? The effect of Mass Media.

We dress like what we see on tv, we eat like it.. media shapes our conciousness...
enough said..
I know most of me wanting to be perfect came from tv shows where the lead actresses were beautiful, charming, funny and smart..

In Norway, we refer to the newspapers as "the fourth governmental power", because of how much it affects everyone's lives. Because the media puts more and more pressure on people to strive for their standards, more and more people develop anxiety, depression and so on.

It can shape how we see things to a certain extent, and set unreasonable expectations on people. Depending on what those expectations are, someone with SA may be affected a great deal.

Take for instance getting your first job. It might make good TV to have people getting jobs at around 14-15 years old, no matter if that is the norm or not. If you are constantly exposed to shows and movies where 14 year old's have jobs then you might expect to have one yourself at that age. If SA prevents you from getting one, then you feel like an outcast and that something is very wrong. The same could be said for any issue that is persistent in the media.

The portrayal of loners in the media is generally a negative one. The 'social' or group-knit people tend to act vigilante by believing it's right to 'see off' or mistreat a loner (like it's their own fault and that all loners must have a mental illness and are nut jobs), particularly a loner of the male gender. I don't need friends to validate me as a good person, but others seem to think the opposite to this.

Media definitely has an affect on my confidence, which in turn affects my stuttering and SA, avoiding people, etc.

In my case definitely not, I was always like this.