RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND BODY IMAGE EVALUATION IN MALAYSIAN YOUTH

Authors

  • Sonia Khodabakhsh Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), Malaysia
  • Chan Siaw Leng University Putra Malaysia (UPM), Sarawak, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31674/MJMR.2020.V04I04.013

Abstract

Social media is one of the most influential factors that highly relates to individuals’ perspectives towards many things in their lives. Besides, in recent decades, one of the important concepts among the young population is how they evaluate their body image.

Therefore, this study aimed at exploring the relationship between social media usage and body image evaluation among Malaysian youth. Three hundred sixteen participants completed the online questionnaires including demographic questionnaire, Social Media Intensity, and Body Image Evaluation questionnaire. Data were analysed by Pearson Correlation method and results showed that there is a negative relationship between social media usage and body image evaluation. It means that if youth use social media excessively, they may have a low evaluation of their body image and visa versa. This relationship is a correlation and should not be considered a causal relationship. This study has implications for young people and counsellors in the field by providing awareness about the association between these two concepts.

Keywords:

Body Image Evaluation, Malaysia, Social Media, Youth

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Cash, T. F. (2004). Body image: Past, present, and future. Body Image, 1(1), pp:1-5.

Cherry, K. (2019). Social comparison theory in psychology. Very well mind. Retrieved from: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-social-comparison-process-2795872

Cramblitt, B. & Pritchard, M. (2013). Media’s influence on the drive for muscularity in undergraduates. Eating Behaviors, 14(4), pp:441–446.

De Vries, D.A., Vossen, H.G.M. & van der Boom, P.K. (2018). Social media and body dissatisfaction: Investigating the attenuating role of positive parent-adolescent relationships. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 48(3), pp:527-536.

Grabe, S., Ward, L. M. & Hyde, J. S. (2008). The role of the media in body image concerns among women: A meta-analysis of experimental and correlational studies. Psychological Bulletin, 134(3), pp:460–476.

Guonadottir, U. & Garoarsdottir, R. B. (2014). The influence of materialism and ideal body internalization on body-dissatisfaction and body-shaping behaviours of young men and women: Support for the consumer culture impact model. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 55(2), pp:151–159.

Heiman, T. & Olenik-Shemesh, D. (2018). Predictors of vyber-victimization of higher-education students with and without learning disabilities. Journal of Youth Studies. 22(2) pp:205-222

Hogue, J. & Mills, J. S. (2019). The effects of active social media engagement with peers on body image in young women. Body Image, 28 (28), pp:1-5.

Kennedy, B. P. (2000). Masculinity, eating and exercise: The relationship of men to their bodies. Dissertation Abstracts International, 61(1), pp:535.

Khodabakhsh, S. & Siak, S. L. (2018). Relationship between online and face-to-face connectedness and general health among undergraduate students in Malaysia. Malaysian Online Journal of Counseling, 5(1), pp:1-10.

Khodabakhsh, S.; Rezaei, S.; Rosli, N. A. & Chaudhry, Z. (2020). A preliminary Study on Association between demographic variables (gender, type of student and program) and level of internet use, Paper presented at the 3rd Applied Psychology Research Conference, Kampar, Malaysia, 9 April 2020. In press: ISBN: 978-967-2244-05-9.

Kietzmann, J. H., Hermkens, K., McCarthy, I. P. & Silvestre, B. S. (2011). Social media? Get serious! Understanding the functional building blocks of social media. Business Horizons, 54(3), pp:241-251.

Kim, J. W. & Chock, T. M. (2015). Body image 2.0: Association between social grooming on Facebook and body image concern. Computers in Human Behaviour, 48(1), pp:331-339

Manning, J. (2014). Social media, definition and classes. In K. Harvey (Ed.), Encyclopaedia of social media and politics (pp: 1158-1162).

Mellor, D., McCabe, M., Rocciardelli, L., Yeow, J., Daliza, N. & Hapidzal, N. F. (2009). Sociocultural influences on body dissatisfaction and body change behaviours among Malaysian adolescents. Body Image, 6(2), pp:121-128.

Mendelson, B. K., Mendelson, M. J. & White, D. R. (2001). Body-esteem scale for adolescents and adults. Journal of personality assessment, 76(1), pp:90-106.

Meshioye, A. (2016). Influences social media has on body image, anxiety and self-esteem in young adults. Retrieved from: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Influences-social-media-has-on-body-image%2C-anxiety-Meshioye/d9791d0b6b79c68ec9655c3609aae3f23e895766

Muhlheim, L. (2019). Body image and eating disorders. Verywellmind. Retrieve from: https://www.verywellmind.com/body-image-and-eating-disorders-4149424

Oakes, K. (2019). The complicated truth about social media and body image. BBC. Retrieve from: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190311-how-social-media-affects-body-image

Pew Research Centre (2018). Teens, social media & technology. Retrieve from: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/05/31/teens-social-media-technology-2018/

Puglia, D.R. (2017). Social media use and its impact on body image: the effects of body comparison tendency, motivation for social media use, and social media platform on body esteem in young women. https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/concern/dissertations/xk81jm13m

Silva, M.L.A., Taquette, S.R. & Coutinho, E.S.F. (2014). Senses of body image in adolescents in elementary school. Rev. Saude Publica, 48(3).

Thoumrungroje, A. (2014). The influence of social media intensity and ewom on conspicuous consumption. Social and Behavioral Sciences, 148, pp:7-15.

Vartanian, L. R., Giant, C. L. & Passino, R. M. (2001). Comparing mass media, interpersonal feedback and gender as predictors of satisfaction with body thinness and muscularity. Social Behavior and Personality, 29(1), pp:711–723.

You, S. & Shin, K. (2019). Body esteem among korean adolescent boys and girls. Sustainability, 11(7), pp: 2051.

Published

01-10-2020

How to Cite

Sonia Khodabakhsh, & Chan Siaw Leng. (2020). RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND BODY IMAGE EVALUATION IN MALAYSIAN YOUTH. Malaysian Journal of Medical Research (MJMR), 4(4), 62-67. https://doi.org/10.31674/MJMR.2020.V04I04.013

Metrics