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Abstract

The popularity of social media has grown substantially over the past few years and has revolutionised how we see each other, how we see ourselves, and how we interact. Social media sites, like Instagram, have taken a firm stance in society, offering millennials and Gen Z alike a virtual photo-sharing platform for entertainment and communication. While previous research has been concerned with social media sites' detrimental effects on mental health and body dissatisfaction (particularly amongst females), little research has been explored on the influence Instagram has on individuals' perception of body image and beauty standards amongst males and females. As a result, this study aims to learn more about Instagram's effects on young people's body satisfaction by looking at characteristics like age, gender, time spent on Instagram, social comparison behaviours, and appearance-related beliefs. Further, the study aims to understand how young adults perceive the beauty ideal communicated on Instagram and its potential effects on body image and body dissatisfaction. An online questionnaire was developed as part of this study and distributed on student forums and via social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. A total of 66 people between the ages of 18 and 35 took part in the survey. Of the 112 Participants, 22 (33%) were in the age category of 18-24, 24 (36%) were in the age category of 22-25, 14 (21%) were in the age category of 26-29, and 6 (9%) were in the age category of 30-35. According to the findings, those who visited their social media accounts more frequently each day were more likely to participate in social comparison behaviour with fashion models, celebrities, and peers. Furthermore, the more individuals compared themselves to fashion models, celebrities, and peers, the stronger their appearance-related sentiments resulted in more insufficient body satisfaction. Age had no bearing on how much time was spent on social media, whether people engaged in social comparison behaviour or how they felt about their appearance. On the other hand, younger participants were generally more content with their bodies than older participants in the sample.

Course: Digital Marketing - BA (Hons)

Date Deposited: 2022-02-10

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis13747.html