I began my research with The Pursuit of Wellness: Social Media, Body Image and Eating Disorders, a scholarly journal published by Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. The article states that "excessive use [of social media] can lead to toxic social comparisons and negative body image perceptions, which can often be reinforced and normalized by friends and influencers on various platforms" (1.1). Different categories of negative self-image can full under psychological distress, appearance idealizations and body image concerns.
Researchers attribute the correlation between social media and mental distress to "the quality of online interactions which affect wellbeing" (1.2). Since most social media interactions involve passive scrolling, liking, or commenting, a real relationship never fully forms and leads to dissatisfaction. These feelings of unhappiness and anxiety reflect directly towards how we feel about our bodies. When we mindlessly scroll, we easily get caught in comparison traps without actively connecting or understanding the stories behind the posts. When I don't get as many "likes" on my picture, the lack of physical connection and external validation leads to instant comparison with other's lives and bodies. If I had a nickel for every time I thought, "if I looked like ____, maybe I would get more likes on my picture," then I could probably buy Instagram. Social media doesn't allow users to really connect with each other, leading to our internal assumptions about ourselves and comparisons to each other.
In terms of appearance idealizations, "social media platforms allow individuals to communicate a desirable representation of themselves...manipulating pictures through filters and editing apps" (1.3). The process, referred to as "self-presentation," leads to instant comparison. Researchers suggest these comparisons are "exacerbated by social media because it inherently leads people to look at themselves through an observer’s gaze...the disconnect an individual feels between who they are online and in real life can heighten anxiety about appearance" (1.3). This reminds of me of what my mom refers to as "Fake-Book." Whenever I fall into scrolling comparisons about myself versus others, she reminds me that the post you are seeing is only a moment in time. You don't know the story or emotions behind the picture. While it may look like influencers or the "Insta-Famous" are living perfect lives, we all just compare ourselves to each other.
The journal cites research proving a direct negative correlation between social media and body image, attributing to heavy filter use and the external validation of liking and commenting. "Some scholars have...examined time spent viewing, commenting and posting images on Facebook among female adolescents, and found that heightened exposure to image based content was associated with body dissatisfaction and internalization of the thin ideal...feedback giving and receiving exaggerates social comparison, which drives appearance internalization" (1.4). While the ideal body changes in popular culture over time, the ideal people currently seek out is thinness. When current social media influencers promote fad diets, their own weight loss or heavily filtered images (think the Kardashians), those images and supportive validation from the comments can really affect media consumers. This is why I think the relationship between social media and body image also depends on the individual and their personalized feed. If we introduce more body positive figures and diversify our influencers/social media, then maybe apps like Instagram and Facebook can be a more positive and healthy-body promoting place.
In terms of my other question (whether this negative relationship affects men or women more), I found that certain social media initiatives seem to affect both genders in different ways. For example, hashtag “Fitspiration” on Instagram "normalizes compulsive exercise and spending excessive amounts of time preparing food...also targeting men through its emphasis on muscularity" (1.5). I think that when diversifying our social media feeds to welcome body positive content creators, posts and outreach programs should be directed towards men AND women (more on this later).
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