Impact of social media on Body Image perception

Submitted to Dr Kajori Banerjee

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Topic Page no.

Abstract 3
Introduction 3-4
Research Objectives 4
Research Hypothesis 5
Conceptual Framework 5
Data and Variable Description 5-6
Methodology used for analysis 6
Research Instruments 6-7
Descriptive Statistics 7-9
Hypothesis Testing 9-12
Discussion 12
Limitations 13
Conclusion 13
Bibliography 14-15
Questionnaire 16-18

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 Abstract
This research is to find out how social media impacts body image perception. Nearly 100
individuals completed questionnaires assessing their acceptance of thinness norms, body
image concerns, and frequency of peer and model comparisons. We analysed our sample
using four independent variables: age, gender, social hours, and highest level of education.
Our dependent variable is Body Image Perception, which we analysed using a Likert Scale to
determine that those scoring between 4 and 12 are negatively affected by social media,
whereas those scoring between 12 and 20 are not negatively affected by social media. We
used the Chi-square test to determine if our hypothesis is being supported.
The proportion of individuals whose body image perception is affected by social media
decreases as the age of the individuals increases. Thus, individuals between the ages of 15
and 25 are more likely to be affected by their exposure to social media than those over . It is
also apparent that women are more negatively affected by their social media use than men.
Females' body image perception is more likely to be affected by their exposure to social
media than that of men. It can be seen that the proportion of individuals whose body image
perception is affected by social media increases as they spend more time on platforms like
Instagram, WhatsApp, etc. Therefore, those who spend less time on social media are more
likely to be affected by their exposure to social media than those who spend more time on
social media. It can be observed that the proportion of people whose body image perception
is influenced by social media decreases as education level increases. Therefore, those with a
high school diploma or less are more likely to be affected by their exposure to social media
than those with a college degree or higher.

Introduction
In today's society, the expansion of social media usage can have a spread of impacts on
body image and the later development of eating disorders in many individuals. Research
demonstrates conclusively that media exposure contributes to body dissatisfaction and eating
disorders. Unfortunately, social media is changing our perception of beauty. it's apparent
that regular exposure to online photographs influences how individuals compare themselves
and evaluate their own bodies.
A bad body image can lead to unreasonable expectations of how your body should look and
harmful eating habits and eating disorders. Studies have discovered an association between
social media usage and a nasty body image. The association holds stronger when
participants were rummaging through Instagram accounts of fitness instructors or models,
which contain appearance-related content. Social media photographs are replete with
individuals showing their best self. Then, social media can harm your body image by
continually exposing you to the perfect body type, causing you to constantly compare
yourself to unattainable ideals. additionally , users have quick access to Photoshop and
filters, which contribute to an exaggerated body image.
However, social media also can promote body positivity and have good effects on body
image. Individuals can become more accepting and appreciative of their bodies after viewing
body-positive content on social media platforms. additionally , social media can facilitate
your connect with others to create a body-accepting community.

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To avoid a poor body image, it's vital to study strategies to use social media in a
constructive manner. If you are feeling worse after using social media, you ought to take a
break from it. Examine who you're following on social media and unfollow any profiles that
make you feel negatively. Instead, specialise in accounts, people, and pictures that inspire
you. Follow accounts that advocate body positivity that conflicts with society's beauty
standards. Finding body-positive accounts and joining support groups can facilitate your
alter your perception of society's ideal body image. Furthermore, you'll advocate for positive
body discourse through your own social media accounts. Recognize media sources, retailers,
advertisers, and celebrity product endorsers who celebrate and promote natural appearance,
healthy body size, and different body types. you'll refuse to read, watch, or hear media or
purchase advertised products that do not promote a healthy and diverse body image.
(Aparicio-Martinez et al., 2019)
One of the ways social media can hurt your body image is by exposing you to images of
"idealized" body types, causing you to compare yourself to them. They start comparing
themselves. In a 2021 study of 15 to 35-year-olds, the more they compared themselves to
people they followed on social media, the more dissatisfied they became with their bodies.
The researchers also pointed out that, if the subjects were already dissatisfied with their
bodies, it could increase the drive to compare themselves to others on social media.
(Jiotsa et al., 2021)

Research objectives
• Does social media make people conscious about their body?
• Are men as conscious of their body image as women are?
• How does societal thinking impact your body image?
• Does a specific age group have a particular notion about how a person should look
and present themselves?

Research hypothesis
We have used Chi square test in order to analyse if our hypothesis is getting proven right.
Our hypotheses are as follows -:
➢ H01 - Age of an individual affects the body image perception
H1 - Age of an individual does not affect the body image perception
➢ H02 - Gender of an individual affects the body image perception
H2 - Gender of an individual does not affect the body image perception
➢ H03 - Educational qualification of an individual affects the body image perception
H3 - Educational qualification of an individual does not affect the body image
perception

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 ➢ H04 - Hours spent in social media of an individual affects the body image perception
H4 - Hours spent in social media of an individual does not affect the body image
perception

Conceptual framework

Data and Variable Description

Variables are divided into two segments dependent and independent variables. Independent
variables directly influence dependent variables whereas dependent variables are those
variables that are the result of independent variables. In this case, Independent Variables
include age, gender, education qualifications and hours spent in social media. Dependent
Variables is Body Image Perception
Independent Variables
• Age- particular age groups are more conscious about how they look and if they fit
perfectly into the good body category among the society especially their peers. This is
the adolescent age when puberty hits and the body starts to change little by little.
• Gender- On research, we found out women are more conscious about their body
image and nature than men. How they look makes them feel a certain way. Being on
the heavier side of the balance or being even a little more curvy than what the society
accepts makes them conscious about themselves, depressed and irritable.
• Education Qualifications- People more educated are likely to be more concerned
about their health and well-being than the lesser or not qualified ones.
• Hours Spent on Social Media- People who tend to spend more time on social media
are more likely to be affected with negative body image.

Dependent variables
• Body Image Perception-
With respect to age, gender, literacy and time spent on social media directly
influences the result i.e. the body image of a person.
(“Body Image Perception and Body Composition in Early Adolescents: A Longitudinal
Study of an Italian Cohort | BMC Public Health,” n.d.)

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 METHODOLOGY USED FOR ANALYSIS
• Chi Square - A chi-squared test (also chi-square or χ2 test) is a statistical hypothesis
test that is valid to perform when the test statistic is chi-squared distributed under
the null hypothesis, specifically Pearson's chi-squared test and variants thereof.
Pearson's chi-squared test is used to determine whether there is a statistically
significant difference between the expected frequencies and the observed frequencies
in one or more categories of a contingency table.

• Correlation Hypothesis Test- The correlation coefficient, 𝑟r, tells us about the strength
and direction of the linear relationship between 𝑥x and 𝑦y. However, the reliability of
the linear model also depends on how many observed data points are in the sample.
We need to look at both the value of the correlation coefficient 𝑟r and
the sample size 𝑛n, together. We perform a hypothesis test of the "significance of the
correlation coefficient" to decide whether the linear relationship in the sample data is
strong enough to use to model the relationship in the population. (Grabe et al., 2008)

RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS
• Likert scale was used the analyse the body image perception. We had asked a range of
questions analysing the body image perception. We had given a range of options from
strongly agree to strongly disagree.
• We have adopted a cross-sectional research design. A cross-sectional study is a type
of research design in which you collect data from many different individuals at a
single point in time. In cross-sectional research, you observe variables without
influencing them

• Snowball Technique- In the sampling collection technique, we have used the

SNOWBALL TECHNIQUE i.e. Snowball sampling or chain-referral sampling is
defined as a non-probability sampling technique in which the samples have traits that
are rare to find. This is a sampling technique, in which existing subjects provide
referrals to recruit samples required for a research study. In simple words, we asked
our family and friends for their samples and to further ask their peers and
acquaintances to respond

• Projective Technique-

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 We have used projective technique by using pictures in our questionnaire in order to
analyse the people’s body image perception without making them conscious about it.
(Carey et al., 2014)

DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS

Percentage of people getting impacted due to

social media considering their age
90.00%
80.00%
70.00%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
15-19 years 20-25 years >25 years
Percentage of people getting
76.47% 76.56% 55.17%
impacted due to social media
Percentage of people not
getting impacted due to 23.53% 23.44% 44.83%
social media

Looking at the graph, it can be seen that the percentage of individuals’ body image perception
getting impacted by social media is showing a downward trend as we further down the line
towards the higher age individuals. Thus, the individuals aged between 15-25 are more
susceptible to get impacted due to their exposure to social media than are individuals above
25 years of age.

Percentage of people getting impacted due to

social media considering their Gender
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Female Male
Percentage of people
getting impacted due to 78% 63%
social media
Percentage of people not
getting impacted due to 22% 37%
social media

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Looking at the graph, it can be seen that females are getting more adversely impacted by their
social media usage than are men. Thus, Females’ body image perception is more susceptible
to get impacted due to their exposure to social media than that of men.

Percentage of people getting impacted due to

social media considering the hours they spent
on Social media
90.00%
80.00%
70.00%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
<1 Hours 1-3 Hours 3-5 Hours >5 Hours
Percentage of people
getting impacted due to 52.63% 72.73% 75.00% 81.25%
social media
Percentage of people not
getting impacted due to 47.37% 27.27% 25.00% 18.75%
social media

Looking at the graph, it can be seen that the percentage of individuals’ body image perception
getting impacted by social media is showing an upward trend as we further down the line
towards the individuals spending higher amount of time on the social media platforms such as
Instagram, WhatsApp, etc. Thus, the individuals spending less than one hour on social media
are more susceptible to get impacted due to their exposure to social media than are
individuals spending more than 1 hour on social media.

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 Percentage of people getting impacted due to
social media considering their highest
Educational Qualification
80.00%
70.00%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
High school Undergarduate Post-Graduate
Percentage of people
getting impacted due to 68.97% 75.41% 60.00%
social media
Percentage of people not
getting impacted due to 31.03% 24.59% 40.00%
social media

Looking at the graph, it can be seen that the percentage of individuals’ body image perception
getting impacted by social media is showing a downward trend on average as we further
down the line towards the individuals with higher education qualification. Thus, an individual
who is either a high school graduate or an under-graduate is more susceptible to get impacted
due to his exposure to social media than is an individual who has attained a higher
educational qualification.

HYPOTHESIS TESTING
We have taken 4 independent variables to analyse our sample. The independent variables are
as follows -:
• Age
• Gender
• Social Hours
• Higher Education Qualification
Our dependent variable is Body Image Perception which we have analysed using a Likert
Scale wherein anyone ranking between 4-12 is being affected by social media & anyone
ranking 12-20 is not getting adversely impacted by social media.
HYPOTHESIS TESTING:
1. Chi-Square Test:

a) AGE CATEGORY:
H01 - Age of an individual affects the body image perception
H1- Age of an individual does not affect the body image perception

The alpha value over here is 12% & p value came out to be 0.094043 which is less
than alpha value therefore we accept the null hypothesis. This indicates that the age of

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 an individual is impacting the body image perception. Thus, as and when the age of
an individual increases, so will the body perception change. (Carey et al., 2014)

b) GENDER:
H02 - Gender of an individual affects the body image perception
H2 - Gender of an individual does not affect the body image perception

The alpha value over here is 12% & p value came out to be 0.103435 which is less
than alpha value therefore we accept the null hypothesis. This indicates that the
gender of an individual is impacting the body image perception. We can see that body
image perception changes more in case of female as compared to male. (Body Image
Perception and Body Composition in Early Adolescents: A Longitudinal Study
of an Italian Cohort | BMC Public Health)

c) EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION:
H03 - Educational qualification of an individual affects the body image perception
H3 - Educational qualification of an individual does not affect the body image
perception

The alpha value over here is 12% & p value came out to be 0.405358 which is more
than alpha value therefore we fail to accept the null hypothesis. This indicates that the
educational qualification of an individual is not adversely impacting the body image
perception.

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 d) HOURS SPENT IN SOCIAL MEDIA:
H04 - Hours spent in social media of an individual affects the body image perception
H4 - Hours spent in social media of an individual does not affect the body image
perception

The alpha value over here is 12% & p value came out to be 0.405358 which is more
than alpha value therefore we fail to accept the null hypothesis. This indicates that the
number of hours spent in social media by an individual is not adversely impacting the
body image perception.

2) CORRELATION TEST:
To properly analyse our survey, we took out correlation by taking Body image
Perception as a Dependent Variable & other factors- Age Category, Gender,
Education Qualification & Time spent on social media as Independent variables.

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 a) AGE CATEGORY:

We could see a direct relationship between Body Image Perception and Age with
positive correlation value as 0.17299932. Thus, as and when the age of an individual
increases, body image perception is highly impacted.

b) GENDER:

We could see a direct relationship between Body Image Perception and Gender with
positive correlation value as 0.155264311. In case of gender, body image perception
is highly impacted more of females as compared to males.

c) EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION:

We could see a direct relationship between Body Image Perception and Education
Qualification with positive correlation value as 0.048898028. Thus, as and when the
educational qualification of an individual increases, body image perception is highly
impacted.

d) HOURS SPENT IN SOCIAL MEDIA:

We could see a minor negative relationship between Body Image Perception and
hours spent in social media with correlation value as -0.165353276.

DISCUSSION
It was seen during the research that the perception of body image among individuals were
affected by social media and it showed that mainly teenagers were likely to get more affected
then adults. Females were more affected than men about their body image as they were more
vulnerable to this issue. It was also seen that individuals who spent more time on social
media were affected more than the ones who spent less time online. The study also showed us
that people who were either a high school graduate or an undergraduate were affected more
about their body image than individuals who had a higher educational qualification.
According to new research … (Just a Moment. . ., n.d.)

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 LIMITATIONS
The study may trigger or worsen the genetic or psychological behaviours of people. A survey
had shown that young men and women who spend more time on Facebook may feel more
concerned about their body because they compare their image to that of their peers. Also, it
has been seen that social media has become the new avenue for people to compare
themselves, creating a need for health communication and changes in their behaviour that
address this issue. The consequences of social media on body image can be devastating on
the mental health of the users, which makes it necessary for us to pay more heed to the people
being affected by it. We won’t be able to present representative data as for our research paper
we have received approximately 100 responses and such kind of research requires responses
at a larger scale and majority of our responses are from college students other than the
general population.
According to new research … (social media and Body Image Concerns: Current Research
and Future Directions, n.d.)

CONCLUSION
The popularity of media, particularly social media, among young people makes it a
potentially powerful influence. The findings presented above lay the groundwork for future
study and have sparked major debates about how social media use affects body
dissatisfaction. Many research, however, are correlational, and the causal mechanisms
underlying putative correlations remain unexplained. Many of the findings may only apply to
one person and are not applicable to the entire population. Much effort will be required in the
future to separate putative causative elements such as peer pressure and photo editing
abilities. Scientists have identified certain areas to work on, such as the need to clarify the
construct being tested (i.e., whether the result is eating disorder pathology, body
dissatisfaction, and so on) and design the whole experiment by resolving previous study
shortcomings. Overall, despite the conflicting findings and limitations of previous studies,
previous research appears to show a link between social media and body dissatisfaction,
while the exact nature and intensity of the link is uncertain.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Questionnaire (https://forms.gle/UM7Z2adLSvACB6AJ7 )

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