Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCES ON BODY IMAGE

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

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 others 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 societys 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, students
eyes are glued to the screen of their iPhones and laptops while engaging in social media
platforms. In Tiggemann and Slaters (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

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 individuals
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

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 societys 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 individuals 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 Nevadas 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

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 participants responses. With approved consent from each participant, a digital
audio recorder was also implemented in order to have accurate record of each participants
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

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 ones 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 selfesteem 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.
Im just going to school and I just dont really care and it doesnt really bother me what
everyone else thinks. Definitely the extra effort puts you in a different mood.

SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCES ON BODY IMAGE

Many components in everyday life such as an individuals 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 participants
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 todays 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

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 scarfsI liked the
whole outfit. But I didnt have the jean shirt. So I went out to go look for it but I
couldnt 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. Youre not going to post a picture when you look bad.
Christina: I wouldnt really care so much if there wasnt so much pressure to be fit and
healthy.

SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCES ON BODY IMAGE

Jessica: Oh my gosh, Ive 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 medias 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, Im like oh my god she has nice fitness.
Why cant I look like that?
Mandy: Well I have unsubscribed from multiple fitness Instagrams because if you start
scrolling through and you see all of these perfect fit people Its the same with the
guys Like I dont think you can have that many abs. I have unsubscribed to a lot
Im doing everything that they say but I dont look like them.
Kimberly: Fitness makes me motivated but I dont 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 selfperceptions 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
students 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.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

What do you use social media for?

How often and when do you use social media?
Other than people you know, who do you follow on social media?
How does it make you feel about yourself when people post photos on social media?
How does fitness or beauty photos on Facebook or Instagram make you feel?
What type of pictures are you more inclined to like?
What type of things do you search for in social media?
How does Facebook or Instagram influence your life choice?
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 Universitys Occupational Therapy 2016 cohort search frequently on social media.

Table
Table 1
Age and Social Media Website/Application Used

SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCES ON BODY IMAGE

Name

15

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