The Relationship Between Social Media Use and Body Image: The Case of Young Female Students of Management
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Date
2019-06-30
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The current study tried to explain the relationship between social media use and body image among young adult females. Social media for the sake of the study focused on two outlets: Facebook and Instagram. A quantitative approach with correlational research design was used in the study. 108 female students from the department of management were picked using convenience and purposive sampling methods. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, cross-tabulation and linear regression. The findings of the study found 61.9 % of the participants spent more than three hours per week on Facebook; while 33.3 % spent more than three hours per week on Instagram. 71.3 % of the participantsā body mass index (BMI) was under normal category. The study using the figure rating scale to assess body image found that majority of the participants (69.5%) were dissatisfied with their current body image. On the contrary, participants reported body satisfaction on the modified body shape questionnaire (M=2.27, SD=0.83). A significant negative relationship was evident between Instagram usage and body image (r= -.236, p= .014). Meanwhile a non-significant negative correlation was found between Facebook usage and body image. Instagram usage was able to explain and predict only 5.6 % of the variance in body dissatisfaction. Further research experimental and survey in nature should be conducted on both genders to further explore the relationship between social media use and body image.
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Social media