Identity

Shaza Sakr

How exposure to idealized lifestyle and appearance content on social media influences stress and negative self-perception among adolescents?

A 'No Image Available' placeholder image with a bold, black serif capital 'S' centrally located. The background is an off-white, overlaid with three blurred abstract shapes: a light blue rectangle in the top center, a yellow circle in the bottom left, and a burgundy triangle in the bottom right. The text 'No Image Available' is displayed in black sans-serif font at the bottom of the image, all enclosed within a thin black border.

Shaza Sakr is a fourth-year Professional Communication student with a strong passion for storytelling, media, and strategic communication. She will be continuing her academic journey in the Master of Professional Communication program at Toronto Metropolitan University, where she aims to further develop her skills in research, digital communication, and audience engagement.

She has experience in marketing, where she has developed an understanding of how to craft meaningful messages, build brand identity, and connect with diverse audiences. In her free time, she enjoys creating social media content, particularly short-form videos that combine creativity with current trends. Content creation serves as both a creative outlet and a way for her to explore how communication shapes perception in everyday life.

Shaza has a strong interest in the fashion and beauty industry, where she enjoys following trends, experimenting with style, and analyzing how visual culture and aesthetics influence identity and self-expression. This passion closely aligns with her work in communication, especially in areas related to branding, image, and media representation.

With a Lebanese background, she brings a deep appreciation for culture, community, and storytelling. Her heritage continues to shape her perspective, inspiring her to approach her work with authenticity, creativity, and a strong sense of identity.

Shaza’s research examines how exposure to idealized lifestyle and appearance content on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram influences stress and negative self-perception among adolescents and young adults. Social media is a central part of everyday life for youth, where highly curated images and videos often present unrealistic standards of beauty, success, and daily routines. The goal of this study is to analyze how this content is experienced and interpreted by young people, identifying common emotional and psychological patterns such as comparison, pressure, and dissatisfaction. Through this analysis, the research explores how repeated exposure to idealized content shapes broader understandings of identity, self-worth, and what it means to measure up in a digital environment.

Lightning Talk

Browse More Identity Research

More Projects

A head-and-shoulder portrait of a Black woman with voluminous, dark, curly hair framing her face. She wears brown tortoiseshell cat-eye glasses, a black scoop-neck top, a delicate gold chain with a slender pendant, and gold triangular drop earrings. She looks directly at the camera with a neutral expression, set against a softly blurred background showing hints of buildings.

Juliette-Gloria Le Saout

Now, Listen: A Study on How Public Speech Structures Attention
A professionally lit headshot of a young man with East Asian features, dark curly hair with a fringe, and brown eyes. He has light stubble, small silver stud earrings, and is wearing a blue and black horizontal striped crew-neck sweater over a black t-shirt against a smooth gray background.

Vince Cabansag

Building Visibility: Entrepreneurial Narratives on Social Media
A 'No Image Available' placeholder image with a bold, black serif capital 'S' centrally located. The background is an off-white, overlaid with three blurred abstract shapes: a light blue rectangle in the top center, a yellow circle in the bottom left, and a burgundy triangle in the bottom right. The text 'No Image Available' is displayed in black sans-serif font at the bottom of the image, all enclosed within a thin black border.

Cameron Hooper

Breaking News or Breaking Trust? Shifts in Journalism in the Age of Algorithms
Scroll to Top