Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCES ON BODY IMAGE 1

Social Media Influences on Body Image

Kristin Caroza, Ayessa Escandar, Davis Legaspi-David, and Leslie Ramos

Touro University Nevada

SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCES ON BODY IMAGE 2

Research Question

Does the usage of social media have an impact body image?

Purpose of Study

Social 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 Review

It 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
SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCES ON BODY IMAGE 3

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
SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCES ON BODY IMAGE 4

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.

Methodology

Information 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
SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCES ON BODY IMAGE 5

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 Collection

All 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 Design

During 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 Analysis

After 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
SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCES ON BODY IMAGE 6

reoccurred the most. Once the categories were formulated, an axial coding method was used to

confirm that the categories created represented the interviewers responses.

Results

Themes

Interview 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.
SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCES ON BODY IMAGE 7

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.

SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCES ON BODY IMAGE 8

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.
SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCES ON BODY IMAGE 9

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.

SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCES ON BODY IMAGE 10

Discussion

The 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.

Significance

It 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
SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCES ON BODY IMAGE 11

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 Study

This 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
SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCES ON BODY IMAGE 12

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.

SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCES ON BODY IMAGE 13

References

Pelosi, 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.22141
SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCES ON BODY IMAGE 14

Appendix

Interview Questions

1. What do you use social media for?

2. How often and when do you use social media?

3. Other than people you know, who do you follow on social media?

4. How does it make you feel about yourself when people post photos on social media?

5. How does fitness or beauty photos on Facebook or Instagram make you feel?

6. What type of pictures are you more inclined to “like”?

7. What type of things do you search for in social media?

8. How does Facebook or Instagram influence your life choice?

9. How does your body image affect your self-esteem?

Figure

Figure 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.
SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCES ON BODY IMAGE 15

Table

Table 1

Age and Social Media Website/Application Used

Name Age Facebook Instagram Other (Pinterest, Twitter, etc.)

Mandy 23 Yes Yes Yes

Kimberly 22 Yes Yes Yes

Christina 22 Yes Yes Yes

Britney 24 Yes Yes Yes

Jessica 26 Yes Yes No

Emily 26 Yes Yes No

Ashley 23 Yes Yes Yes

Bianca 23 Yes No No