Ripley Newman

From SI410
Revision as of 17:07, 27 January 2023 by Ripbn (Talk | contribs)

Jump to: navigation, search

Social media’s effects on adolescent girls' body image

Social media’s effects on adolescent girls' body image is associated with body dissatisfaction and dangerous behavior. [1] Reactions to media can vary because of factors like the social networking platform, the environment of the individual, the individual's ethnicity, whether media icons are human or virtually, and more. Considering that adolescent girls are at the intersection of youth and femininity, social scientists and community members alike have shown concern for the ethical implications of social media’s effects on this group in particular. While literature on this specific demographic has risen significantly in recent years, continuing research is a priority given the ever evolving nature of technology. [2]

Relevancy of Demographics

This specific grouping of adolescent girls is of interest to those studying the effects of social networking for two major reasons.

Relevancy of Girlhood

In terms of gender expression, there is a notable discrepancy in the effect that media use had on body image. A 2013 study from University of Minnesota showed that girls of this age have higher levels of body dissatisfaction as compared to their male counterparts. With that being said, this study has a limitation in its adherence to the gender binary with no data on intersex or non-binary individuals. [3]

Relevancy of adolescence

Additionally, in the last 20 years, adolescents as a whole have increased their online presence rampantly. [4] Epidemiological statistics from the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health even suggests that in a 24 hour period, on average, this age group spends more of their time using electronics than sleeping. [4]Additionally, due to adolescence being a period of physical and mental development, confusion with body image is heightened. Additionally, cognitive function like judgment and decision making is lowered due to an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex. This means that this particular age group is potentially extra vulnerable to addiction to social networking sites, a habit that is associated with depression and isolation. [5]The combination of these two factors spotlight the cause for growing ethical concerns about adolescent girls’ use of social networking sites.

Overview of Relevant Literature

In the present media environment, social networking sites accelerate the distribution of bodies considered ideal. A 2021 meta-analysis of more than 20 experimental studies found that exposure of images on social media depicting the ideal appearance cause users to have a moderately negative body image effect.[6]Social Networking Sites like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, and Twitter all have been evaluated to see their individual and combined effects on female, adolescent users. Notably, the data from the study showed that body dissatisfaction does not predict how much one will use social media; this is crucial to understand this relationship because it clarifies that social media is not being sought out by people with poor body image. Rather, social media causes people to develop body dissatisfaction and poor body image. [7]Additionally, a study from the University of Miami found that maladaptive usage (like making social comparisons and seeking negative feedback) on Facebook were associated with higher than usual body dissatisfaction.[8]

Mitigating Factors

There are ways to combat negative effects of social media usage.

Body Positive Imagery

One strategy is increasing user’s exposure to body positive imagery. In a study that examined the efficacy of micro interventions on body image, researchers found that small changes like viewing body positive Facebook posts for a few weeks improved participants' body image.[9]

Protective factors

Protective factors against harm from social media to adolescent girls body image can include parental support, parental guidance, and self appreciation. [10] One study, which observed that an intersectional approach is crucial for addressing this complex and diverse issue, investigated social media’s influence on body image in Latina adolescents. The results of this study revealed that the ethnic identity Latina can mitigate feelings of body dissatisfaction.[11] There is also preliminary empirical evidence supporting media literacy being a protective factor for body image but researchers want more exploration to see how social media literacy skills may impact different groups.[12]

Contributing Factors

There are other technological factors aside from media platforms themselves that can contribute or prevent harm in the form of negative body image effects.

Photoshop

The emergence of photoshop has caused discussion surrounding the ethics of exposing children to photos that perpetuate unattainable beauty standards. A between-subject experiment from the Behavioural Science Institute in the Netherlands repeatedly exposed 14-18 year old girls to either untouched photos or photos manipulated by photoshop. Results revealed that exposure to Instagram photos that had been tampered with led directly to a lower body image. Results also showed that the majority of the girls in the study could not tell what photos were manipulated, raising even more ethical concerns about this age group viewing such content.[13] Due to similar types of concerns, the country of Norway has been the first to nationally ban undisclosed paid posts that depict photoshopped pictures in an effort to “reduce body pressure” among young people. [14]

Virtual vs Human Influencers

Additionally, the presence of virtual influencers brings up new avenues for social media technology. Virtually constructed influencer, Miquela, has an online presence on multiple social networking media apps and has amassed 3 million Instagram followers. One study from the Chongqing Technology and Business University in Chongqing, China found that the presence of virtual influencers like Miquela mitigated some of the body dissatisfaction that occurs in a parasocial relationship between two humans. Participants enrolled in the study who viewed the virtual influencer’s posts reported significantly lower scores in appearance anxiety than those who viewed real, human influencers. Head researcher Fengyi Deng concluded that adolescent girls on social media are less negatively impacted by virtual human influencers.[15]

References

  1. ↑ [1], de Valle, M. K., Gallego-García, M., Williamson, P., & Wade, T. D. (2021). Social media, body image, and the question of causation: Meta-analyses of experimental and longitudinal evidence. Body Image, 39, 276–292
  2. ↑ [2], Prinstein, M. J., Nesi, J., & Telzer, E. H. (2020). Commentary: An updated agenda for the study of Digital Media Use and Adolescent Development – Future Directions following Odgers & Jensen (2020). Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 61(3), 349–352.
  3. ↑ [3], Bucchianeri, M. M., Arikian, A. J., Hannan, P. J., Eisenberg, M. E., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2013). Body dissatisfaction from adolescence to young adulthood: Findings from a 10-year longitudinal study. Body Image, 10(1), 1–7.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 [4], Prinstein, M. J., Nesi, J., & Telzer, E. H. (2020). Commentary: An updated agenda for the study of Digital Media Use and Adolescent Development – Future Directions following Odgers & Jensen (2020). Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 61(3), 349–352
  5. ↑ [5],Kuss, D. J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2011). Online social networking and addiction—a review of the psychological literature. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 8(9), 3528–3552.
  6. ↑ [6], de Valle, M. K., Gallego-García, M., Williamson, P., & Wade, T. D. (2021). Social media, body image, and the question of causation: Meta-analyses of experimental and longitudinal evidence. Body Image, 39, 276–292.
  7. ↑ [7], de Vries, D. A., Peter, J., de Graaf, H., & Nikken, P. (2015). Adolescents’ social network site use, peer appearance-related feedback, and body dissatisfaction: Testing a mediation model. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 45(1), 211–224.
  8. ↑ [8], Smith, A. R., Hames, J. L., & Joiner, 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.
  9. ↑ [9], Fardouly, J., Slater, A., Parnell, J., & Diedrichs, P. C. (2023). Can following body positive or appearance neutral facebook pages improve young women’s body image and mood? testing novel social media micro-interventions. Body Image, 44, 136–147.
  10. ↑ [10], Sukamto, M., Hamidah, H., & Fajrianthi, F. (2019). “Can i look like her?”: Body image of adolescent girls who use social media. Makara Human Behavior Studies in Asia, 23(1), 60.
  11. ↑ https://doi.org/10.1177/0739986319860844], Opara, I., & Santos, N. (2019). A conceptual framework exploring social media, eating disorders, and body dissatisfaction among latina adolescents. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 41(3), 363–377.
  12. ↑ [11],Paxton, S. J., McLean, S. A., & Rodgers, R. F. (2022). “My critical filter buffers your app filter”: Social Media Literacy as a protective factor for Body Image. Body Image, 40, 158–164.
  13. ↑ [12], Kleemans, M., Daalmans, S., Carbaat, I., & Anschütz, D. (2016). Picture perfect: The direct effect of manipulated Instagram photos on body image in adolescent girls. Media Psychology, 21(1), 93–110.
  14. ↑ [13], Grant, K. (2021, July 6). Influencers react to Norway photo edit law: 'welcome honesty' or a 'shortcut'? BBC News. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  15. ↑ [14], Deng, F., & Jiang, X. (2023). Effects of human versus virtual human influencers on the appearance anxiety of social media users. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 71, 103233.
Retrieved from "http://si410wiki.sites.uofmhosting.net/index.php?title=Ripley_Newman&oldid=112993"