Rizal Technological University

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Department of Psychology

BODY IMAGE AS A MEDIATOR: EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON

SELF-ESTEEM

Proposed by:
PITOS, JOANA A.
Introduction
According to the (Mental Health Foundation, n.d.), we can refer Body image as a term that can
be used to describe how people think and feel about their bodies. And because these thoughts and
feelings can be complex, approaches to defining and understanding body image are varied and
can include the following aspects: how they view their bodies and how accurate this perception
is; how satisfied they are with their bodies and appearance; how they experience their bodies in
their environment; how much they value what other people think about their bodies and
appearance; and how much other people’s opinions about their appearance affect their feelings
about ourselves.
(Khalaf et al., 2021) further emphasized that the physical body plays a very important role in
whether an individual is accepted by other individuals. Not being accepted in social contexts can
cause doubts about one’s appearance and oneself, which can have a devastating effect on both
body perception and self-esteem. According to the Common Sense report, social media is a
significant factor in body image development because it provides young people with the
opportunity to be judged and make comparisons instantaneously. Research suggests that
approximately 5 percent of teens on social media worry about people tagging them in
unflattering photos; 27 percent suffered body image issues, and 22 percent said they felt bad
about themselves if no one “liked” the images they posted. Both boys and girls expressed these
feelings, but girls did so more frequently. (Social Media Victims Law Center, 2023)
Statement of the Problem
Self-esteem has been conceptualized as an ecological complex model with the dimensions of
global self-esteem, physical self-worth, physical condition, sport competence, physical strength,
and attractive body. The valuing of the self is referred to as either high or low, which in reality
refers to positive or negative self-esteem. Especially during adolescence, appearance becomes of
particular importance for self-esteem, as individuals are ranked more than in any other phase of
life. Thus, body perception and self-esteem are both psychological factors that take shape in
social contexts during adolescence. (Khalaf et al., 2021)
Teenagers’ body image has been discovered to be significantly impacted by social media.
Teenagers are constantly exposed to a flood of pictures, posts, and comments on social media
sites like Instagram, which fosters an idealized and frequently unattainable standard of beauty.
The pressure to live up to these social norms could have a negative impact on our self-esteem.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this Quantitative research is to explore the different perspectives of how body
image influences one’s own Self-esteem according to the societal standards in Social media.
Upon observing how high the unrealistic standards in social media has, it is undeniably one of
the societal conflicts that we should not overlook. Thus, this will utilize a Descriptive approach
that will explain an in-depth discussion as to how social media influences Self-esteem through its
impact on one’s own body image. The participants that will come from Pasig city will go through
a predetermined set of questions.
Research Questions
Q1. How often do you posts your pictures on Social media weekly?
Q2. How often do you compare your body image to others?

Hypotheses
Null hypotheses: There is no significant effect of Social media to one’s own body image that
reflects its Self-esteem.
Alternative Hypotheses: There is a significant effect of Social media to one’s own body image
that reflects its Self-esteem.

Definition of Key Terms

Term 1. Body image is a term that can be used to describe how we think and feel about our
bodies. And because these thoughts and feelings can be complex, approaches to defining and
understanding body image are varied and can include the following aspects: how we view our
bodies and how accurate this perception is; how satisfied we are with our bodies and appearance;
how we experience our bodies in our environment; how much we value what other people think
about our bodies and appearance; and how much other people’s opinions about our appearance
affect our feelings about ourselves.
Mental Health Foundation. (n.d.). Body image report: Introduction.
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/research/body-image-how-we-think-and-feel-about-
our-bodies/body-image-report-introduction
Term 2. Self-esteem can briefly be described as a personality trait that is related to emotional and
mental well-being. It has also been conceptualized as an ecological complex model with the
dimensions of global self-esteem, physical self-worth, physical condition, sport competence,
physical strength, and attractive body. The valuing of the self is referred to as either high or low,
which in reality refers to positive or negative self-esteem.
Khalaf, A., Hashmi, I. A., & Omari, O. A. (2021). The Relationship between Body Appreciation
and Self-Esteem and Associated Factors among Omani University Students: An Online Cross-
Sectional Survey. Journal of Obesity, 2021, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/5523184
Research Method
The researcher used Quantitative research method to emphasized objective measurements and
numerical analysis of data collected through polls, questionnaires or surveys which focuses on
gathering numerical data and generalizing it across groups of people, (Babbie, 2010). The
researcher utilized a Descriptive research design in order to investigate the collected data
gathered from the participants using a Convenient Sampling method, which indicates that
participants in this strategy are solely picked because they are easily available to the researcher.
Descriptive research is a methodological approach that seeks to depict the characteristics of a
phenomenon or subject under investigation. In scientific inquiry, it serves as a foundational tool
for researchers aiming to observe, record, and analyze the intricate details of a particular topic.
This method provides a rich and detailed account that aids in understanding, categorizing, and
interpreting the subject matter. (Singh, 2024) The data will only be gathered through the means
of Survey questionnaire.

Operational Definition
Self-esteem: The variable will be assessed through the use of Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale
which consists of 10-items and is conceptualized as a single-factor scale and is considered to be
unidimensional (Roth et al., 2008). The level of measurement of the variable is Ordinal and thus,
will be measured through a 4-point scale which is categorized in 4 categories that have a
meaningful order such as follows; 1 – as strongly disagree to 4 – as strongly agree.
Anxiety: The variable will be assessed by conducting Generalized Anxiety Disorder or GAD-7
which was developed by Drs. Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B.W. Originally, the development of the
GAD-7 started with 13 items based on the criteria for GAD in the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual for Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) and other items in anxiety measures.
Items were then correlated with the total score. The seven items with the highest correlation with
the total 13-item scale were selected (Spitzer et al., 2006). The seven items assess (1) feeling
nervous, anxious, or on edge; (2) being able to stop or control worrying; (3) worrying too much
about different things; (4) trouble relaxing; (5) being restless; (6) becoming easily annoyed or
irritable; and (7) feeling afraid as if something awful might happen. To further discuss, The
GAD-7 score is calculated by assigning scores of 0, 1, 2, and 3, to the response categories of
“not at all,” “several days,” “more than half the days,” and “nearly every day,” respectively, and
then adding together the scores for the seven questions. GAD-7 total score for the seven items
ranges from 0 to 21 which a scale varying from: Score 0-4: Minimal Anxiety. Score 5-9: Mild
Anxiety. Score 10-14: Moderate Anxiety. Score greater than 15: Severe Anxiety.
Measurement
The researcher provided a set of survey questionnaire consisting of 17 items in two separate
variable: Self-esteem and Anxiety level that allows the participants to accurately assess their
emotional and mental being correlated with our study.