Abstract :
Due to increased social media usage among young people, there is a higher probability of certain digital interactions leading to risky behaviors among younger individuals. This study aims at investigating the negative psychological impact social media can have on the youth’s body standards and to better understand the correlation between social media and body standards. An online self-administered survey was used as a data collection instrument among 150 participants in Dubai through a systematic random sampling technique. SPSS program was used for the detailed analysis of gathered data. Based on findings, the study concluded that there is a strong correlation between social media and body standards, with the psychological impact of social media upon body standards of the youth being highly negative. Evidence also proved that this negative psychological influence may manifest itself in the form of harmful behaviors.
Keywords :
Body Standards, Dubai, Social Media, YouthReferences :
Adolescent health. (2020). WHO.
2. Association, A. P. (2003). Five principles for research ethics. https://www.apa.org/monitor/jan03/principles
3. Burnette, C. B., Kwitowski, M. A., & Mazzeo, S. E. (2017). “I don’t need people to tell me I’m pretty on social media:” A qualitative study of social media and body image in early adolescent girls. Body Image, 23, 114–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2017.09.001
4. Cargill, B. R., Clark, M. M., Pera, V., Niaura, R. S., & Abrams, D. B. (1999). Binge eating, body image, depression, and self-efficacy in an obese clinical population. Obesity Research, 7(4), 379–386. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1550-8528.1999.tb00421.x
5. Chae, J. (2017). Virtual makeover: Selfie-taking and social media use increase selfie-editing frequency through social comparison. Computers in Human Behavior, 66, 370–376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.10.007
6. DSC Home. (n.d.). Retrieved May 18, 2021, from https://www.dsc.gov.ae/en-us/
7. Fitzsimmons-Craft, E. E., Balantekin, K. N., Eichen, D. M., Graham, A. K., Monterubio, G. E., Sadeh-Sharvit, S., Goel, N. J., Flatt, R. E., Saffran, K., Karam, A. M., Firebaugh, M. L., Trockel, M., Taylor, C. B., & Wilfley, D. E. (2019). Screening and offering online programs for eating disorders: Reach, pathology, and differences across eating disorder status groups at 28 U.S. universities. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 52(10), 1125–1136.
https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23134
8. Gani, A. W., & Jalal, N. M. (2020). The Influence of Psychoeducation about Body Shaming on Youth Attitudes. In International Conference on Science and Advanced Technology (ICSAT) (Vol. 0, Issue 0).
https://ojs.unm.ac.id/icsat/article/view/17713
9. Griffiths, S., Murray, S. B., Krug, I., & McLean, S. A. (2018). The Contribution of Social Media to Body Dissatisfaction, Eating Disorder Symptoms, and Anabolic Steroid Use Among Sexual Minority Men. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 21(3), 149–156. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2017.0375
10. Grogan. (2016). Body Image: Understanding Body Dissatisfaction in Men, Women and Children – Sarah Grogan – Google Books.
11. Inheriting Mental Disorders. (2015). HealthyChildren.
12. Jain, S., Saxena, S., & Mathur, A. (2020a). BODY SHAMING, EMOTIONAL EXPRESSIVITY, AND LIFE ORIENTATION AMONG YOUNG ADULTS. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.JETIR2009366
13. Jain, S., Saxena, S., & Mathur, A. (2020b). BODY SHAMING, EMOTIONAL EXPRESSIVITY, AND LIFE ORIENTATION AMONG YOUNG ADULTS. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.JETIR2009366
14. Kim, J. W., & Chock, T. M. (2015). Body image 2.0: Associations between social grooming on Facebook and body image concerns. Computers in Human Behavior, 48, 331–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.01.009
15. Lennon, S. J., Lillethun, A., & Buckland, S. S. (1999). Attitudes toward social comparison as a function of self-esteem: Idealized appearance and body image. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 27(4), 379–405. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077727X99274001
16. Li, Q. (2006). Cyberbullying in schools: A research of gender differences. School Psychology International, 27(2), 157–170. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034306064547
17. MONICA ANDERSON AND JINGJING JIANG. (2018). Teens, Social Media & Technology 2018 | Pew Research Center.
18. Musaiger, A. O., bin Zaal, A. A., & D’Souza, R. (2012). Percepción del peso corporal en los adolescentes de Dubai, Emiratos Árabes Unidos. Nutricion Hospitalaria, 27(6), 1966–1972. https://doi.org/10.3305/nh.2012.27.6.5830
19. Nesi, J., Choukas-Bradley, S., & Prinstein, M. J. (2018). Transformation of Adolescent Peer Relations in the Social Media Context: Part 1—A Theoretical Framework and Application to Dyadic Peer Relationships. In Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review (Vol. 21, Issue 3, pp. 267–294). Springer New York LLC. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-018-0261-x
20. Perloff, R. M. (2014). Social Media Effects on Young Women’s Body Image Concerns: Theoretical Perspectives and an Agenda for Research. Sex Roles, 71(11–12), 363–377. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-014-0384-6
21. Ravary, A., Baldwin, M. W., & Bartz, J. A. (2019). Shaping the Body Politic: Mass Media Fat-Shaming Affects Implicit Anti-Fat Attitudes. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 45(11), 1580–1589.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167219838550
22. Santarossa, S., & Woodruff, S. J. (2017). #Socialmedia: Exploring the relationship of social networking sites on body image, self-esteem, and eating disorders. Social Media and Society, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305117704407
23. Sherman, L. E., Greenfield, P. M., Hernandez, L. M., & Dapretto, M. (2018). Peer Influence Via Instagram: Effects on Brain and Behavior in Adolescence and Young Adulthood. Child Development, 89(1), 37–47. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12838
24. Smoller, J. W., Kendler, K., Craddock, N., Lee, P. H., Neale, B. M., Nurnberger, J. N., Ripke, S., Santangelo, S., Sullivan, P. S., Neale, B. N., Purcell, S., Anney, R., Buitelaar, J., Fanous, A., Faraone, S. F., Hoogendijk, W., Lesch, K. P., Levinson, D. L., Perlis, R. P., … O’Donovan, M. (2013). Identification of risk loci with shared effects on five major psychiatric disorders: A genome-wide analysis. The Lancet, 381(9875), 1371–1379. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(12)62129-1
25. Stephanie Burnett Heyes, C. F. H. (2010). The adolescent brain: vulnerability and opportunity. UNICEF.
26. Tiggemann, M., & Slater, A. (2013). NetGirls: The Internet, Facebook, and body image concern in adolescent girls. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 46(6), 630–633. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.22141
27. Tsai, G., Curbow, B., & Heinberg, L. (2003). Sociocultural and developmental influences on body dissatisfaction and disordered eating attitudes and behaviors of asian women. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 191(5), 309–318. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NMD.0000066153.64331.10
28. UAE Population Statistics 2021 (Infographics) | GMI. (n.d.). Retrieved May 18, 2021, from
https://www.globalmediainsight.com/blog/uae-population-statistics/
29. Yellowlees, R., Dingemans, A. E., Veldhuis, J., & Bij de Vaate, A. J. D. (2019). Face Yourself(ie): Investigating selfie-behavior in females with severe eating disorder symptoms. Computers in Human Behavior, 101, 77–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.07.018