“Likes” as KPI: An examination of teenage girls’ perspective on peer feedback on Instagram and its influence on coping response

Birds of a feather flocking together on Instagram: How racially similar followers and followings on Instagram are linked to young women's body image

In light of recent studies demonstrating the detrimental effects of social media use on young women's body image, we examined the racial composition of young women's Instagram followers, as well as the racial composition of the individuals in young women's followed Instagram accounts, in relation to their appearance ideals and body image. Based on social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979), we tested two main propositions. First, women who have racially similar followers and followed accounts will be more likely to internalize body ideal preferences that are relevant to their in-group (i.e., thinness for Asian-American and White women; curviness for Black and Latina women). Second, following and being followed by people of one's racial identity in-group will have ameliorative effects on young women's body image (i.e., more body appreciation; less body dissatisfaction). Our sample included 533 U.S. women who identified as Asian-American (n = 97), Black (n = 101), Latina (n = 98), or White (n = 237). The results provided more support for the notion that racially similar followers and accounts followed are related to better body image outcomes rather than to the internalization of body ideals. Specifically, following a higher percentage of racially similar accounts was positively associated with body appreciation among Asian-American and White participants and negatively associated with body dissatisfaction among Asian-American participants. Likewise, being followed by a higher percentage of racially similar others was positively associated with body appreciation among Asian-American, Black, and White participants, and negatively associated with body dissatisfaction among Latina participants. The findings are discussed in light of social identity theory.

Measuring Cognitive and Social Interactive Attributes of Digital Natives: Development and Validation of a Scale

Scholars refer to individuals who have been immersed in digital environments and who make easy use of digital languages to interact with the world as "digital natives," and Teo proposed four attributes of digital natives to illustrate their behavioral tendencies. We aimed to expand Teo's framework and to develop and validate the Scale of Digital Native Attributes (SDNA) for measuring cognitive and social interactive attributes of digital natives. Based on pre-test results, we retained 10 attributes and 37 SDNA items, with 3-4 items in each sub-dimension. We then recruited 887 Taiwanese undergraduates as respondents and conducted confirmatory factor analysis to establish construct validity. Moreover, the SDNA correlated with several other related measurements to demonstrate satisfactory criterion-related validity. Internal consistency was evaluated by McDonald's Omega (ω) and Cronbach's α coefficient, showing satisfactory reliability. This preliminary tool is now ready for cross validation and temporal reliability testing in further research.

Instagram Use and Mental Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Social Comparison

Instagram has grown in popularity among young adults and adolescents and is currently the second-favorite social network in the world. Research on its relationship to mental well-being is still relatively small and has yielded contradictory results. This study explores the relationship between time spent on Instagram and depressive symptoms, self-esteem, and disordered eating attitudes in a nonclinical sample of female Instagram users aged 18-35 years. In addition, it explores the mediating role of social comparison. A total of 1172 subjects completed a one-time-only online survey. Three different mediation analyses were performed to test the hypotheses that social comparison on Instagram mediates the association time spent on Instagram with depressive symptoms (model 1), self-esteem (model 2), and disordered eating attitudes (model 3). All three models showed that the relationship between intensity of Instagram use and the respective mental health indicator is completely mediated by the tendency for social comparison on Instagram.

How Do You Like Me Now? The Influence of "Likes" and Followers on Social Media in Plastic Surgery

BACKGROUND

The number of "likes" and followers on social media is a surrogate marker for peer acceptance and popularity, but the influence of likes and followers on prospective plastic surgery patients has not been studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the number of followers or likes on social media has an impact on perceived surgeon competence or likelihood of recruiting new patients.

METHODS

A fictitious Instagram page was created with different permutations displaying different numbers of followers on the page. Similarly, fictitious Instagram posts were created displaying before-and-after results of ideal and suboptimal breast augmentation and gynecomastia surgery results, with the number of likes being the only variable. Using a crowdsourcing platform, survey responders rated surgeon competence and likelihood of patient recruitment based on the Instagram post.

RESULTS

A total of 4284 responses were collected. The number of followers or likes did not impact perceived surgeon competence or patient recruitment scores. Optimal surgical results consistently scored higher than suboptimal results, regardless of the number of likes. Almost half the responders were unable to identify the American Board of Plastic Surgery as the appropriate board certification for performing aesthetic breast or body surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

A high number of followers or likes, by itself, is unlikely to translate into higher likelihood of recruiting new patients. Overall, aesthetic results seem to be the most important driving force in receiving high competence scores and recruiting new patients, rather than social media presence or board certification.

Examining the Pro-Eating Disorders Community on Twitter Via the Hashtag #proana: Statistical Modeling Approach

BACKGROUND

There is increasing concern around communities that promote eating disorders (Pro-ED) on social media sites through messages and images that encourage dangerous weight control behaviors. These communities share group identity formed through interactions between members and can involve the exchange of "tips," restrictive dieting plans, extreme exercise plans, and motivating imagery of thin bodies. Unlike Instagram, Facebook, or Tumblr, the absence of adequate policy to moderate Pro-ED content on Twitter presents a unique space for the Pro-ED community to freely communicate. While recent research has identified terms, themes, and common lexicon used within the Pro-ED online community, very few have been longitudinal. It is important to focus upon the engagement of Pro-ED online communities over time to further understand how members interact and stay connected, which is currently lacking.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to explore beyond the common messages of Pro-ED on Twitter to understand how Pro-ED communities get traction over time by using the hashtag considered to symbolize the Pro-ED movement, #proana. Our focus was to collect longitudinal data to gain a further understanding of the engagement of Pro-ED communities on Twitter.

METHODS

Descriptive statistics were used to identify the preferred tweeting style of Twitter users (either as mentioning another user in a tweet or without) as well as their most frequently used hashtag, in addition to #proana. A series of Mann Whitney U tests were then conducted to compare preferred posting style across number of followed, followers, tweets, and favorites. This was followed by linear models using a forward step-wise approach that were applied for Pro-ED Twitter users to examine the factors associated with their number of followers.

RESULTS

This study reviewed 11,620 Pro-ED Twitter accounts that posted using the hashtag #proana between September 2015 and July 2018. These profiles then underwent a 2-step screening of inclusion and exclusion criteria to reach the final sample of 967 profiles. Over 90% (10,484/11,620) of the profiles were found to have less than 6 tweets within the 34-month period. Most of the users were identified as preferring a mentioning style of tweeting (718/967, 74.3%) over not mentioning (248/967, 25.7%). Further, #proana and #thinspo were used interchangeably to propagate shared themes, and there was a reciprocal effect between followers and the followed.

CONCLUSIONS

Our analysis showed that the number of accounts followed and number of Pro-ED tweets posted were significant predictors for the number of followers a user has, compared to likes. Our results could potentially be useful to social media platforms to understand which features could help or otherwise curtail the spread of ED messages and activity. Our findings also show that Pro-ED communities are transient in nature, engaging in superficial discussion threads but resilient, emulating cybersectarian behavior.

The Role of Body Image Concerns in Online Sexual Victimization among Female Adolescents: The Mediating Effect of Risky Online Behaviors

Female adolescents are particularly at risk of body image concerns. These individuals tend to make greater use of Social Networks and this could lead adolescents into behaviors that increase the risk of online sexual victimization (OSV). This cross-sectional study seeks to investigate the relation between body image concerns and OSV in a sample of female adolescents (n = 229) and the mediating role of three types of risky online behaviors in this link. Body image concerns predict OSV both directly and indirectly. Two of the three risky online behaviors proved to be mediators of the indirect link, namely: indiscriminate expansion of online network of contacts; and willingness to have relationships with strangers met online. Surprisingly, the third behavior, Sexting and Exhibitionism, was not shown to be a mediating factor between body image concerns and OSV. From our results emerges that adolescent girls with a negative body perception have a higher risk of OSV, and the relation between the two variables can be mediated by some risky online behaviors. It is likely that female adolescents use SNs more and adopt risky online behaviors in order to receive gratification and reassurance about their negative body image.

Effects of taking selfies on women's self-objectification, mood, self-esteem, and social aggression toward female peers

This study investigated the effects of taking photos (of the self or objects) on women. Objectification theory states that women are subjected to societal pressure to focus on their physical appearance. The emergence of social media as a communication channel has further reinforced the emphasis on women's appearance, beauty ideals, and body image. On social media, selfies serve as a self-presentation of one's appearance to an online audience. In this 2 × 2 experiment, women (N = 120, M_age = 19.87) took pictures of themselves (i.e., selfies) or objects. They were told beforehand that these pictures would be kept private or that they would be posted online on social media. After taking pictures, we assessed women's self-objectification, mood, and self-esteem. Women then engaged in a photo tagging task in which they selected hashtags for selfies of other women. Selfie takers expressed higher self-objectification, more negative mood, and diminished self-esteem compared to those taking pictures of objects. Selfie takers also demonstrated comparatively less social aggression, using fewer derogatory tags on other women's pictures. Although taking selfies may negatively affect producers, there may be benefits for online social interaction with peers.

How Can Adolescents Benefit from the Use of Social Networks? The iGeneration on Instagram

In the last few years, Instagram has been a topic of much contention, as it has been shown to be associated with both risks and benefits for young users. This study explores the influence of the use of Instagram on adolescents' constructions of self and interpersonal experience. Forty Italian adolescents aged between 11 and 16 years were interviewed and completed repertory grids. The results showed that the adolescents' self-construction and distance from others were mostly influenced by receiving, or not receiving, positive feedback, rather than by using Instagram itself. Specifically, there was an increase in self-acceptance and social desirability after receiving a "like" and an increase in social isolation after receiving no "likes". The regression model also showed a decrease in self-acceptance on Instagram in the case of female adolescents, and in participants who edited photos. These findings are useful for understanding the constant need for approval adolescents require today and could be used as a guiding tool for future studies and intervention policies. The present study offers an innovative methodology that refers to the relevant dimensions of adolescents' self-construction rather than investigating the more general relationship between personality traits and social networks' use.

A study of Singapore adolescent girls' selfie practices, peer appearance comparisons, and body esteem on Instagram

Social media allow users to play multiple roles as receivers, exhibitors, and evaluators of idealized images through photo browsing, posting, and editing. In this study, we examined the associations between adolescent girls' various types of Instagram selfie practices and their body esteem. The mediating role of appearance comparisons and the moderating role of direction of comparisons were also tested. A survey was distributed to 303 adolescent girls from three secondary schools in Singapore. Results indicated that the negative associations between participants' photo browsing and editing behaviors and body esteem were fully mediated by peer appearance comparisons. Contrarily, selfie posting had a direct and positive association with body esteem that was not mediated by peer appearance comparisons. The findings suggested that objectifying standards of beauty may permeate adolescent girls' value systems through frequent appearance comparisons on social media. When peer influence was presented in the form of appearance comparisons, it had a strong negative association with body esteem, regardless of the direction of the comparisons involved. The positive relationship between selfie posting and body esteem suggested that peer interactions may benefit adolescent girls' body image development in specific ways that warrants further inquiry.