The Impact of Instagram on Females' Self Image
The Impact of Instagram on Females' Self Image
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Issue Date
2021-05-13
Authors
Kasaboski, Ashley
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Abstract
With the advancements of technology and smartphones, social media has become a prevalent part of many individuals' lives. Instagram is a popular social media site that allows users to generate and interact with images and other individuals. The primary guiding conceptual framework used in this paper is social comparison theory. Like traditional media, social media delivers messages to women and girls about beauty ideals. There is mixed evidence in the literature as to how these types of images impact females. However, it appears that exposure to idealized images on Instagram is associated with female body dissatisfaction in some women. Additionally, individual differences also seem to affect how Instagram impacts female body image and satisfaction. Social media can have positive and negative effects on individuals and is dependent on individual factors such as the content interacted with and how the individual uses social media platforms. The effects of social media on individuals have multiple counselling implications to practitioners and several counselling interventions are highlighted. Lastly, clinicians should work with clients on ways to promote healthier social media use. Additional research should be conducted regarding the effects of Instagram to further develop the field.
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Keywords
Instagram , females , body image , body dissatisfaction , social comparison , social media , counselling psychology
License
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States , openAccess