Social Media Use and Its Impact on Body Image: The Effects of Body Comparison Tendency, Motivation for Social Media Use, and Social Media Platform on Body Esteem in Young Women

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  • October 19, 2021
Creator
  • Puglia, Deanna
    • Affiliation: Hussman School of Journalism and Media, Mass Communication Graduate Program
Abstract
  • The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of social media use on body esteem in young women. Through a self-report survey of college women (n=339), it was found that body comparison tendency was negatively correlated with body esteem and positively correlated with the motivation to use social media for body comparisons (both p<.01). This study also provided an exploratory investigation (n=58) of the impact that different social media platforms have on body satisfaction. Of the platforms examined, Facebook showed the largest negative correlation with body satisfaction (r=-.204). Participants who engaged in higher levels of Facebook use also displayed significantly lower body satisfaction than those with lower Facebook use (p<.05). This study suggests that social media is a new avenue for individuals to engage in maladaptive body comparison processes, creating a need for health communication and behavior change interventions that address this issue, especially among vulnerable populations.
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  • In Copyright
Advisor
  • Lazard, Allison
  • Widman, Laura
  • Noar, Seth
Degree
  • Master of Arts
Degree granting institution
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School
Graduation year
  • 2017
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