TITLE:
The Influence of Social Media on Adolescent Body Image Ideals: A Study of Middle School Students in Guangzhou-Foshan, China
AUTHORS:
Yitong Zhu
KEYWORDS:
Body Image, Social Media, Social Comparison Theory
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Applied Sociology,
Vol.13 No.8,
August
30,
2023
ABSTRACT: This
research is aiming to fill the data gap between Eastern and male data on
adolescents’ body image and examined the relationship between social media
usage and body image concerns among 132 middle school students aged 14 and 19
in the Guangzhou-Foshan area, China, using partial subscales of the Negative
Physical Self Scale (NNPS) and quantified media exposure questionnaire to
conduct Pearson coefficient analysis. Modern social media is not only a tool
for leisure but also a key marker of popular trends. Previous research has
highlighted the main difference between traditional media and social media,
with the latter putting more emphasis on comparison combined with the “high-visual”
nature. Researchers have identified this as one of the major factors
contributing to negative feelings about body image, and existing studies have
proved that upward social comparison among people on social media has aroused
widespread body image concern. Given that women tend to express greater
concerns about body image than men do, many studies on body image often focus exclusively
on female samples, with existing data mostly concentrated in western countries.
The results revealed a negative correlation between body image satisfaction and
the degree of media exposure in adolescents. These findings suggest that
exposure to the ideal body image in the social media environment make a
detrimental effect on adolescents expressing dissatisfaction with their
adolescents’ body image and pursuing a more perfect body. Dissatisfaction will
increase with heavier involvement of specific content views and browsing time.
Future research could focus on whether interventions aimed at enhancing media
literacy could effectively mitigate negative body image among adolescents.