Identity

Shaza Sakr

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

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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.

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