Abstract
With the visual turn in online communication, selfies have become common on social media. Although selfies as a way of self-representation provide people with more chances to express themselves, the adverse effects selfies could bring to users’ body image need to be treated seriously. This study tested whether selfie-viewing behaviour on social media was related to facial dissatisfaction and whether appearance comparisons played a mediating role. Moreover, the self-objectification was examined as a moderator between selfie-viewing behaviour and facial dissatisfaction via appearance comparisons. Results showed that more selfie-viewing was associated with higher facial dissatisfaction, and this relationship was mediated by appearance comparisons. The study also found that self-objectification moderated the indirect relation between selfie-viewing and facial dissatisfaction via appearance comparisons. Gender differences were also found to affect the mediation model. Our research provides new insights into the interactions between social media use and perception of body image.
Highlights
Visual content has become prominent on social media, marking the visual turn in online communication [1,2]
Our findings showed that appearance comparisons mediated the relationship between selfie-viewing and facial dissatisfaction, which is consistent with the findings of previous research on the relationship between social media use and body image concerns [7,27]
Based on the tripartite influence model, this study examined the links between selfie-viewing behaviour and the extent of facial dissatisfaction, as well as the potential mechanisms underlying this relationship
Summary
Visual content has become prominent on social media, marking the visual turn in online communication [1,2]. A selfie is a self-portrait-like photo that is usually taken by oneself, using digital devices, such as smartphones, and often posted on one’s social media platform [8]. Viewing idealised images in both traditional media (e.g., magazines and billboards) and social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, and WeChat) can have a negative influence on individuals’ body image [9,10]. Given that beautification applications installed in smartphones are available to edit and enhance selfies before posting them online, selfies on social media may be considered as idealised images and could negatively impact viewers’ body image [11,12]. It is necessary to explore the relationship between selfie-viewing on social media (i.e., browsing other people’s selfies and likes/comments attached to them) and body image, as well as the possible mechanisms underlying this relationship
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