Images of bodies in mass and social media and body dissatisfaction: The role of internalization and self-discrepancy

Summary & key facts

The study asked people which body images they see in their own mix of mass media (TV, magazines) and social media (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat) using a new picture scale for women (thinness) and men (muscularity). It found that Facebook and YouTube were linked to stronger perceptions of media body ideals, and that having a larger gap between one’s actual and ideal body (called self-discrepancy) was linked to more body dissatisfaction. For men, perceived media body ideals did not show these links. The authors looked at internalizing media ideals and self-discrepancy to explain how media images relate to body dissatisfaction.

Key facts:

• The study measured the specific body images people perceive in their personal media diets across TV, magazines, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat.
• Researchers used a newly developed pictorial scale: images of thinness for women and images of muscularity for men.
• Facebook and YouTube were specifically associated with shaping the body ideals participants perceived to be prevalent in the media.
• Greater self-discrepancy (a larger perceived gap between actual and ideal body) was associated with higher body dissatisfaction.
• For male participants, perceived media body ideals did not predict internalization of those ideals, self-discrepancy, or body dissatisfaction, while the overall model showed links for female concerns.
• The study tested internalization of media ideals and self-discrepancy as mediators to explain how perceived media images relate to body dissatisfaction, rather than claiming direct causation.

Abstract

The study examines the influence on body dissatisfaction of viewed images of bodies transmitted over mass media and social media, as mediated by the internal...

Topics

Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification Eating Disorders and Behaviors Media Influence and Health

Categories

Clinical Psychology Psychology Social Sciences

Tags

Advertising Affect (linguistics) Biology Business Cell Communication Epistemology Genetics Ideal (ethics) Internalization Law Mass media Philosophy Political science Psychology Social comparison theory Social media Social psychology