Social Media Influences on Body Image



Social Media Influences on Body ImageKristin Caroza, Ayessa Escandar, Davis Legaspi-David, and Leslie RamosTouro University NevadaResearch QuestionDoes the usage of social media have an impact body image? Purpose of StudySocial media websites such as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter allows individuals to connect with others through commenting each other’s profiles, picture uploads, comments, and likes on posts. People often follow the lives of friends, family, and celebrities by browsing the continuous flow of updates on their profiles. Similar to magazines and television commercials, social media has become a platform for the display of society’s standards of beauty. This is an issue that raises concern because it could promote the development of an unhealthy view of body image. Studies in the past have explored the impact of social media on body image among high school and college students. However, the purpose of this study explores the influence of social media on body image amongst first year occupational therapy students at Touro University Nevada.Background Literature ReviewIt is very rare in college and high school campuses to come across a student without a Facebook account. With the advancement of technology and websites on the internet, student’s eyes are glued to the screen of their iPhones and laptops while engaging in social media platforms. In Tiggemann and Slater’s (2013) study of 1,087 high school students, 95.9% of them had access to the internet in which 75% of them had a Facebook account. This research also looked at how participation in Facebook reflected on how they viewed their own appearance. The participants of the study were given the Sociocultural Attitudes Toward Appearance Questionnaire and correlated it to the time they spent on Facebook. The effect of internet exposure to adolescent girls was significantly correlated to their body surveillance and drive for thinness. Furthermore, Facebook users in particular scored higher in reports of concern with their body concern in comparison to those who did not use the social media site.Although body surveillance due to the use of Facebook or Instagram is a behavior that is common among adolescents, use of social media continues on throughout an individual’s adulthood. Other studies examine how Facebook is associated with an individual's view of their own appearance at the college age. Tuthledge, Gillmor, and Gillen (2013) measured three components which include the number of friends, emotional investment, and amount of time spent on Facebook and linked these areas with body image. The sample consist of 255 college students ages 18 to 25 with 54% being female. The researchers used the Facebook Intensity Scale to measure the amount of time spend on Facebook and their attitudes. The Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire was used to measure body image. The results found that individuals who were emotionally invested and spent less time on Facebook were more concerned about their appearance. In addition, individuals who had more Facebook friends had a positive view of their appearance. In Facebook and Instagram, users are able to look at various pictures and updates of their friends or people that they follow. This provides individuals with a medium to compare themselves with other people that they see on these social platforms. Self-comparisons in social media is a concerning issue because it may be linked with individuals developing unhealthy views of their bodies. Smith, Hames, and Joiner Jr. (2013) explored to see if negative social evaluations while on Facebook, caused individuals to be dissatisfied with their bodies or have bulimic symptoms. 232 college females were monitored for approximately 4 weeks. Results provided evidence that maladaptive Facebook usage significantly predicted increases in bulimic symptoms and episodes of over-eating approximately four weeks later. Body dissatisfaction was found to be a trigger towards maladaptive Facebook usage and increases in over-eating episodes. However, body dissatisfaction only partially mediated the relationship between maladaptive Facebook usage and increases in bulimic symptoms.Often when individuals engage in social media, they are exposed to society’s ideal image of beauty. This generation often associates beauty with thin bodies and unblemished skin. However, this concept is usually flawed because individuals in social media often modify picture prior to posting them on their profiles. Pelosi, Zorzi, and Corsano (2014) investigated the use of a Body Image Control in Photos (BICP) questionnaire that explores behavior in photos posted on Facebook. The researchers used a questionnaire and administered it to 478 adolescents ages 12 to 19. Results from the BICP identified areas of an individual’s satisfaction of their own pictures and the methods they take to control their body image on the picture prior to posting it on Facebook. This includes strategies such as using photo editing and accepting or rejecting photos that they were tagged in.MethodologyInformation on Participants Participants were recruited from Touro University Nevada’s 2016 occupational therapy cohort. This population was easily accessible which made the recruiting process last one day. A basic survey on social media usage and interest in participation in a social media study was distributed to the occupational therapy students during class. After gathering this information, the participants were randomly selected by giving each eligible participant a number and randomly drawing a total of 8 participants. The participants in our study were required to use either Facebook or Instagram to be an eligible participant for the study. Verbal consent was retrieved from all 8 participants and there were no drop outs. The sample consisted of all females ranging between the ages of 22 to 26 years, with an average age of 23.6 years. All but 1 participant used both Facebook and Instagram and 5 of 8 stated that they used additional forms of social media. Refer to Table 1 for details on demographics and social media usage of individual participants.Data CollectionAll of the individual interviews were conducted in a quiet study room at Touro University Nevada. Semi-structured interviews were conducted which lasted approximately 20 minutes per participants. All interviews were transcribed by 2 researchers and were recorded for accuracy. After retrieval of all needed information, the paperwork and audio files were destroyed.Research DesignDuring the semi-structured interviews, researchers collected data on each subjects’ perspective and experience on social media in relation to their physical appearance. Each participant was asked a total of 9 questions relating to the topics. During the interview process, each participant met with 2 researchers who conducted the interview and 2 additional researchers transcribed each participant’s responses. With approved consent from each participant, a digital audio recorder was also implemented in order to have accurate record of each participant’s statements as reference.Data AnalysisAfter each individual interview was concluded, each of the researchers listened to the digital audio recordings of each participant to ensure that the transcribed notes did not miss important statements. Once the transcribed data was completed, an open coding method was used to formulate categories based on the recurring statements each subject made. This was accomplished by reading through all the participants’ transcripts and identifying what topics reoccurred the most. Once the categories were formulated, an axial coding method was used to confirm that the categories created represented the interviewers responses. ResultsThemesInterview data was analyzed to construct three themes associated to social media and its influence on body image. These themes were identified as (i) body-image; (ii) fashion and beauty; and (iii) fitness. The data relevant to each theme will be discussed with statements from participants in each category.Body image.Body image is described as a subjective picture of one’s own physical appearance based on self-observation of others. The way body image is perceived, whether it be positive or negative, can impact feelings and beliefs about looks. It is common for many people to struggle with body image and this emotional state can influence daily life choices.Britney: Body image affects my self-esteem. I want to be healthy and I want to be in shape so I go to the gym.Christina: The better I feel about my body the better my self-esteem.Mandy: In general, my body image affects my self-esteem. I think body image and self-esteem is closely connected. Like do I feel healthy today? My self-esteem will feel better. If I have a bad binge of Johnny rockets it would probably make me feel lower. I think when I dress up it kind of boosts my self-esteem. Bianca: The days you have to fix up your hair if you definitely feel better about yourself. I’m just going to school and I just don’t really care and it doesn’t really bother me what everyone else thinks. Definitely the extra effort puts you in a different mood.Many components in everyday life such as an individual’s social environment can greatly influence internalized feelings about their own body image. With the use of technology today, social media is one of the prominent outlets that can alter standards of beauty. Social media is easily accessed among college students in the current generation because of the high prevalence in the usage of smart phones and laptops. Many of the participants describe their use of Facebook or Instagram as something that they engage in on a regular basis. The participant’s constant exposure to posts about fitness, beauty, and fashion on social media platforms may guide their choices and views about their own body image. Fashion and beauty.The theme of fashion and beauty describes what different societies consider to be aesthetically pleasing or important. In today’s digital age, individuals are constantly bombarded with the theme of fashion and beauty; especially, those who use social media. Social media is a powerful tool that can influence a person to purchase a certain product or mimic a certain look. One of the products that women tend to be interested in social media is makeup. Britney: The makeup ones makes me feel like I should buy more of their makeup.Britney demonstrated that social media has persuaded her to feel as if she must financially spend even though there is no need for her to do so. Similarly, Kimberly another graduate student has also experienced the attraction to makeup products due to the influence that social media creates. Kimberly: If I see makeup or a makeover, I like to watch it and see how they do their makeup. Back when I was home for the break my little sister and I would watch video tutorials to do the smokey eyes. Furthermore, makeup was not the only product that affected Kimberly through social media. As a matter of fact, she and another participant, Ashley, has also been allured by the fashion styles that they see. Kimberly: Like in fashion, just recently I saw a little blue jean with scarfs—I liked the whole outfit. But I didn’t have the jean shirt. So I went out to go look for it but I couldn’t find it anywhere.Ashley: I follow Victoria secret and when I see a cute zip up it will make me want to go buy it. Ultimately, social media sometimes causes individuals to go out of their way to mimic a certain look or style. Similar influences of beauty and fashion are seen in the category of fitness.Fitness.Fitness is the state of being physically fit and healthy which is a recurring theme throughout all the interviews. The participants have experienced pressure and/or motivation to be more fit by viewing images and advertisements that were linked to their Instagram or Facebook. The participants describe feelings of pressure to look and feel good about their own bodies when viewing fitness culture in social media. Pictures of extremely fit people on Instagram and Facebook are popular topics that the participants view. When asked if fitness on social media affects the way they perceive themselves:Ashley: I will say that it does have an effect. People are more motivated to upload a picture when they look good. You’re not going to post a picture when you look bad. Christina: I wouldn’t really care so much if there wasn’t so much pressure to be fit and healthy.Jessica: Oh my gosh, I’ve been eating like crap and I haven't exercised and it would make me feel self-conscious.The participants are graduate students and their time is of great importance. It can be difficult to manage their time wisely, especially when there are multiple assignments and examinations that must take priority over their fitness. The participants want to include healthy eating and working out into their daily routines but time and motivation to work on it played a big role. In addition, fitness profiles often led participants to compare themselves to the standards of social media’s representation of how fit women should look like. When asked about why they follow fitness profiles on Instagram:Emily: I follow fitness too... even though I do less of that. I go on there and say one day I am going to look like that. When I see fitness, I’m like oh my god she has nice fitness. Why can’t I look like that?Mandy: Well I have unsubscribed from multiple fitness Instagram’s because if you start scrolling through and you see all of these perfect fit people… It’s the same with the guys… Like I don’t think you can have that many abs. I have unsubscribed to a lot… I’m doing everything that they say but I don’t look like them.Kimberly: Fitness makes me motivated but I don’t do anything about it.On the other hand, social media can be beneficial to help the participants afford great deals on fitness classes. One participant enjoys seeing deals on her Facebook which motivates her to take classes of her favorite workout called Pilates.Bianca: Sometimes there are advertisements that will catch my attention. Like the pilates places have promotions and it helps me pursue exercising more and it makes me want to do it more so I can do it cheaper.DiscussionThe participants expressed their views on social media in three major categories: body image, fashion and beauty, and fitness. Majority of the participants were aware of their self-perceptions of body image after being exposed to social media. However, the participants had mixed responses on the influence of social media and their life choices to change their body image. The sample of participants consisted of occupational therapy students in an accelerated two year program. Their schedules consist of many hours dedicated to school which made time management play a huge priority in their lives. The participants expressed that they care about their looks and compare themselves to others but generally are not influenced by social media to do something about their body image. In addition, occupational therapy students are more mindful and confident about themselves to let social media impact how they choose to live their lives.SignificanceIt has been reported that outside of schoolwork, today's American youth spend an average of more than 1.5 hours on the Internet a day visiting popular social network sites such as Facebook or Instagram (Tiggeman & Slater, 2013). As a result, these teenagers are constantly bombarded with media made ideals of what defines beauty. Therefore, it would be safe to assume, due to certain cultural commonalities, that their graduate student counterparts also dedicate a significant amount of time perusing Facebook or Instagram and are exposed to the same marketing ideals as well. For that reason, this research is significant because there is yet to be a study that examines how social media affects OT students.First are the social stresses that OT students go through besides academic stresses. Often times when undergoing a demanding graduate program such as occupational therapy, students have stated that they frequently feel that they have no social life since their time is mostly occupied in their academic. Specifically, exercising, hanging out with friends, and experiencing something new are usually pushed to the side. The burden of no social life for graduate students is only intensified after seeing all the news feeds of their friends who have the time to do the things stated previously. The second significance of this study is that it depicts how social media is a big part of a student’s life. Most of the graduate students that were a part of the study are from out of state; therefore, they had shared how social media is the easiest method for them to stay in touch with family and friends especially because of their hectic schedule. Multiple subjects had even mentioned that without the use of social media they would feel even more homesick, which is another issue of its own. The last significance of the study is how it shows the influence of social media on graduate students’ life decisions. Specifically, the key points that were discuss in this paper such as purchasing beauty product, as well as certain styles of clothes, and the pursuit of attaining a “perfect” physique through exercise. Limitations of StudyThis study has several limitations. First, the sample size consisted of only 8 out of 36 students in the TUN occupational therapy program. This limited selection of students is not the best representation of the occupational therapy class of 2016 considering there were no males represented in the study. The sample also consisted of a small age range from 22 to 26. Second, the interviews were conducted in a study room with four researchers present. Two of the researchers conducted the interview while the other two researchers transcribed the participants’ responses. This may be an uncomfortable situation for the participant. The participant may not answer truthfully as they would during a 1-on-1 interview. Third, all researchers in this study had no prior experience conducting a qualitative research study. The researchers asked different follow up questions based on the participants’ answers. In addition, the researchers may not have transcribed all of the participants’ fast paced responses accurately. Although all the interviews were recorded, most of the transcribing was done during the interview due to time constraints.Recommendations Further research is needed to specifically analyze how social media influences body image. Due to the limitations of the study, much of the results can be seen as skewed to only demonstrating the results of those in a specific population. Specifically, due to the use of convenience sampling as the method of participant selection, member representation did not reflect those of the entire population. Therefore, future research should consider random sampling to ensure representation of the entire population. It is also important to note that the participants in the study are those who we know personally, consequently the interview questions could have not been answered truthfully because of our relationship with the individuals. In future studies, it is important to choose participants who have no personal relationships with the researchers. Another area in the study that can be further addressed in future research are the questions asked during the interviews. Most questions asked during the interview related to social media, however not many addressed body image. Hence the study lacked the understanding of how the participants viewed body image. Lastly, peer debriefing is another component of the study that would be recommended when analyzing the data. The benefits of peer debriefing will allow for impartial examination on the researchers’ transcripts and will enhance credibility and ensure validity.ReferencesPelosi, A., Zorzi, G., & Corsano, P. (2014). The 'Body Image Control in Photos questionnaire' (BICP): A new tool for the analysis of self-presentation of body image on Facebook during adolescence. Bollettino Di Psicologia Applicata, 269(62), 42-52.Ruthledge, C. M., Gillmor, K. L., & Gillen, M. M. (2013). Does This Profile Picture Make Me Look Fat? Facebook and Body Image in College Students. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 2(4), 251-258. Smith, A. R., Hames, J. L., & Joiner Jr, T. E. (2013). Status Update: Maladaptive Facebook usage predicts increases in body dissatisfaction and bulimic symptoms. Journal Of Affective Disorders, 149(1-3), 235-240. Tiggemann, M., & Slater, A. (2013). NetGirls: The Internet, Facebook, and body image concern in adolescent girls. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 46(6), 630-633. doi: 10.1002/eat.22141AppendixInterview QuestionsWhat do you use social media for?How often and when do you use social media?Other than people you know, who do you follow on social media?How does it make you feel about yourself when people post photos on social media?How does fitness or beauty photos on Facebook or Instagram make you feel?What type of pictures are you more inclined to “like”?What type of things do you search for in social media?How does Facebook or Instagram influence your life choice?How does your body image affect your self-esteem?FigureFigure 1. Areas of Interest on Social Media. This figure illustrates topics that individuals in Touro University’s Occupational Therapy 2016 cohort search frequently on social media.TableTable 1Age and Social Media Website/Application UsedNameAgeFacebookInstagramOther (Pinterest, Twitter, etc.)Mandy23YesYesYesKimberly22YesYesYesChristina22YesYesYesBritney24YesYesYesJessica26YesYesNoEmily26YesYesNoAshley23YesYesYesBianca23YesNoNo ................
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