Impacts of Social Media Use

Purposes:This study explores the impact of the influence mechanism of social media on female college students’body dissatisfaction in China and the neglected factors which are not involved in the dominating theoretical framework in this field.Methods:The study adopts a qualitative,in-depth interview method.Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 female college students who were concerned about their weight and figures in an attempt to understand their social media use and their perceptions of their body shapes.Findings:Internalization of the thin-ideal,perceived discrepancy,and appearance comparison moderate the relationship between social media use and female college students’body dissatisfaction.Participants exposed to social media tend to internalize the thin-ideal,perceive a discrepancy between their actual body shape and the thin-ideal,and make appearance comparisons,particularly with their peers;subsequently,these students experience body dissatisfaction.Conclusions:The ideal image of thinness that is promoted and diffused by social media creates a strict standard for females.Female college students are likely to suffer from body dissatisfaction the more they consume certain types of social media.Due to the interactive and virtual quality of social networking platforms,peers play a unique role in the influence mechanism,which is not present in traditional forms of mass media.