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Franchesca Brown

Professor Plank O’Donnell

Persuasive Writing and Research 103

30 March 2026

The Effects of Influence

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The art of social media is one of the most controlling forces that develops how people see themselves and others. From, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram are just some of the platforms individuals use to express themselves, connect with others, and ultimately build an identity that’s being seen by many viewers around the world. However, at the same time, these socials create unrealistic standards and constant comparison with people looking for validation through likes and views. Identity can be persuaded based on people chasing trendy reels, not true and genuine videos. Social expectations bring to light themes in Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, where the main characters are trying to figure out who they are in an oppressive system shaped by control, greed, and fear. Like the Orisha community was influenced into thinking that Maji are dangerous, people are manipulated into assuming their worth are based on things that are outside their control. For example, trends, algorithms, and the public are all things people can’t individually control. While social media has the ability to bring people closer by connecting culture and shared interests, it can also cause individuals to conform to what is popular, which limits authenticity and causes mental health problems. In any community or hierarchy, there needs to be a balance; otherwise, as in the novel, identity is lost. 

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Apps like Instagram and TikTok are one of the vital ways young people find their community. It can be the only interpretation people see of that person. According to the Pew Research Center, most teenagers say that social media plays a huge role in their lives, with a lot of them admitting to having mental health effects. Forty-four percent of parents say that this is one of the biggest negative effects on teen mental health (Pew Research Center). These articles show facts on how deeply social media influences people's experiences and perceptions about society. At the same time, the Aspen Institute highlights that social media doesn’t only help with communication but a cultural force that influences behavior and identity. The world is constantly driven by viral videos, memes, and the next “Big Thing”. This can unconsciously change their behavior over time. This digital environment is created not only for personal events but also outside validation with comments and likes. In the novel, the Maji were seen as dangerous and were treated as such due to the King deciding that they weren’t equal to the rest of the community. Social media does the same. It’s a modern system of leverage based in subconscious persuasion. 

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These apps allowed the opportunity for people to make a living for themselves and share their ideas with the world that wasn’t always possible. For many young people, these platforms give people a family, a home, as escape. Social media provides resources to get help for whatever individuals need. Unfortunately, it’s not always used correctly. The sense of gaining control over identity is reflected in the novel as the character recognizes their own power even when everyone else is against them. In the Children of Blood and Bone, Zélie says “I am my mother’s daughter,” she embraced who she was and where she came from (Adeyemi). This moment shifted the turning point in which an identity is being claimed by the person themselves,rather than outside acknowledgment. Similarly, social media can allow others to shape people's personalities; the identity cannot fully change unless the individual's mind allows them to.

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All around the globe, the specific question is always brought about when adolescents use these apps; does the negatives of social media outweigh the positives? Well, let's see. A lot of people would argue that being able to share experience, build connections, and for some, find confidence would be a good thing. As well as, for a lot of users, especially in minority-based backgrounds, they can create or find a sense of support. The growth of connection shown in Adeyemi’s novel, with the characters fully understanding themselves. With Amari starting to step out on what is expected of her, she begins to have the courage to make a new identity for herself, from the choices and events that have happened in her life that represent her. “We are all children of blood and bone” (Adeyemi). This quote reveals that when people are given the space, they can find out who they truly are on their own. Just like this with social media, it can influence and help communities find each other, which can grow into an empowering unity used in the correct way. 

However, that’s not always the case. With the pressures of being better than the next person, an unrealistic standard is often seen as an effect on humans’ mental health. One major issue is how people create “virtual identities”, which can change how people see themselves (Liu 2023). Some users also create an entire alternative personality that nowhere near what their lifestyle is like in real life. Since viewers only see the perfect version of their lives, this can affectan individual's self-esteem. Other users may start judging their own worth based on their own image, which builds insecurity. On top of that, this sense of perfection can damage a person's self-worth, especially with adolescents who are still developing who they are. In the article by Levy Kardash et al. (2026) found that social anxiety plays a huge role in how people find their place in the world. In relation to social media, with the constant judgment and feedback, such as negative comments, or in other words, cyberbullying. It can shape an internal understanding. This can change a teen’s personality, causing them to be negative about everyday things they would normally enjoy and sometimes to become deeply sad. This can cause depression and sometimes suicide. That's why it's crucial to hold true to yourself despite the external temptingfactors. 

In the Children of Blood and Bone, the characters’ identities are not shaped by outside factors but the inner struggles of remaining true. The Maji are forced to live in fear, where the world treats them as dangerous due to their magical powers and white hair. Their existence is constantly being threatened. Due to this, they can’t freely be themselves. T This shows thathaving a unique identity doesn’t always give complete freedom. These treasures reflect a deeper understanding of reality where it is often conformed of constraints rather than freedom. In the book, illustrates that “power is not always loud. Sometimes it’s the quiet strength to keep going” (Adeyemi), This highlights that reliance is able to change the confidence of a person in the event they go through. With social media today, even when people aren’t in immediate danger, dealing with subtle pressures and expectations is a form of digital danger people should watch out for. In the book, the characters must constantly adjust in the act for survival. With social media, people make videos that have already been viral to get quick likes and approval. Such as slime or mukbang videos. In both situations, identity is ever-changing, shaped by the social systems the world has created. 

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Even with the debate over whether social media is good or bad, both sides share similar goals. Growth and identity. Individuals who support social media talk about the connections and self-expression they make. At the end of the day, the same outcome for both sides lies in young people feeling accepted and confident in themselves. In Children of Blood and Bone, the Maji and the community are forced to face their differences and understand what they have in common.  The book suggests growth happens when differences have been met. Similarly, good and bad shouldn’t be the test on what social media is, but rather how different groups of people respond to its similar experiences. Recognizing the common ground allows a more balanced perspective to take place, bringing awareness and opportunity. 

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Instead of making social media a one-sided idea, a solution for using it in a healthy way is digital literacy. This means if people truly understand how the media works and how influential it is. Learning the algorithms and how content is curated. People should start seeing the media more critically instead of accepting everything. With people being more aware, there also needs to be personal boundaries set. Like limiting screen time and being more intentional of the type of content you consume. This reduces the feeling of pressure of seeing and believing unrealistic standards. Intentional choices are evident in Children of Blood and Bone, where characters like Zelie face life-changing decisions. The novel explains “We have a choice. To stand up for what is right…or to fall” (Adeyemi). This shows that identity is about the choice that you make. Correspondingly, people today have to decide how they are going to use social media, whether they are going to use it to share relatable, real content, or are they going to control others or get controlled themselves. 

In summary, social media challenges people's perspective based on how they communicate, interact with others, and who they see themselves to be. Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and many others shape identity in complex and valuable ways. These platforms create invaluable opportunities for personal growth and for individuals to find valued communities. At the same time, these apps create unnecessary pressure to have the perfect image, which, in some cases, is the cause of anxiety and depression. Through this essay, we have explained the positive and negative sides of social media. But we have concluded that it depends on the individual engaging in it. This theme is reflected in Children of Blood and Bone, where identity is shaped by outside factors and personal choice through these systems. The characters have to navigate fear and control in the monarchical systems to find who they are, while individuals have tounderstand that perfect socials don’t make you special, true from within. Knowing the challenges and whether it's a monarchy or social media, what the individual does about it is ultimately the deciding factor in whether they change or not. Social media or broad influence shouldn’t define a person; what they do with the tools handed to them is what they become. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Levy Kardash, Omer, et al. “Relations Between Social Anxiety and Identity Formation Among Adolescents: Social Participation and Self-Esteem as Resilience Resources.” Youth & Society, vol. 58, no. 2, 2026, pp. 336–368.

Liu, Yunjie. “Impact of Virtual Identities on Social Media on Women’s Self-Esteem.” SHS Web of Conferences, vol. 180, 2023, p. 2005.

Pew Research Center. “Teens, Social Media and Mental Health.” Pew Research Center, 22 Apr. 2025, https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2025/04/22/teens-social-media-and-mental-health/.

van Erkel, Patrick F. A., and Peter Van Aelst. “Why Don’t We Learn from Social Media? Studying Effects of and Mechanisms behind Social Media News Use on General Surveillance Political Knowledge.” Political Communication, vol. 38, no. 4, 2021, pp. 407–425.

“What Is the Internet Doing to Our Culture?” Aspen Institute, 2017, https://www.aspeninstitutece.org/article/2017/internet-social-media-changing-culture/.

 

 

 

AI Statement

Developing this essay, AI helped me fully understand what I needed to find, starting with the easiest way to understand what a Rogerian argument was and what components it needed to find. Once I decided what I wanted to write about, social media, I went to look up HU sources, and I asked chat how strong the sources were compared to the previous ones I found. Lastly, I asked if I had everything and if my sources were going to make the essay strong.