Resumen de Social media and body image in adolescent males: an experimental research on the influence of instagram use on drive for muscularity, body esteem and appearance comparison in adolescent males
As O’Keeffe (2011) denotes, “it is a time of great change in media discourse” (441). This runs especially true when considering the advancement of social media and how it impacted our lives in a variety of ways. As articulated by several scholars, social media has revolutionized the way humans, across the globe, interact and communicate with one another (Abrahamson 2017; Boulianne 2017; Valkenburg 2017). Technological advancements such as the internet, smartphone, and increasingly sophisticated social network sites have made social media the primary source and most dominant form of communication today (Dewing 2010).
This makes it a significant site for scholarly examination and research. In particular, when considering the effects of social media on self-esteem and body image. The rapid exchange of idealized body images and availability of digital modification applications on social media raises concern about its repercussion. This runs considerably true when considering the main demographic of social media users who are adolescents. Adolescents who at a very young age are still vulnerable and impressionable to social media advances.
The initial stages of the research included an investigation of social media's impact on body image on both male and female adolescents. However, as the reading period consummated, a disparity in literature was evidenced. Previous research on body image had predominated targetted the female demographic with little attention directed towards males, in particular male adolescents. As such, the research was adjusted to focus primarily on the adolescent male demographic.
Recent stories have emerged detailing a growing concern among young males. Boys, as young as 13 years old, are experiencing pressure to become muscular and body image concerns brought about with the rise of social media (Morris 2018). Due to the interconnected and pervasive nature of social media, the epidemic appears to be growing in many areas of the world. In the US, a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that nearly 30% of male high school students attempted to gain weight as a way to increase muscle mass (Nagata et al. 2010). The study also found that adolescent males who are multiracial or pertaining to an ethnic community are twice as likely to engage in weight-gain habits. In the UK, one in twelve boys aged 10-15 expressed feelings of dissatisfaction with their bodies (Bellini 2019). UK-based sources such as Children’s Society, Mental Health Foundation, and CALM have reported on amplified feelings of anxiety, depression, and shame among young male media consumers because of body image.
The influence of social media on body image among the male demographic remains an under-researched topic and under-studied in the field of body image and communication (Adams, Turner, and Bucks 2005). In fact, only 3% of studies issued in a prominent body image journal discussed prevention techniques for harms created due to negative male body image (Jankowski 2019). Moreover, Harvard professor Bryn Austin describes the unethical nature of the male body image program which directs blame on the individual as opposed to the socio-cultural environment (Jankowski 2019).
As such, the current research aimed to fill the gap in the literature by conducting an experimental investigation on the impact of social media on body image concerns in adolescents males. In particular, it uses an experimental in-between study method examining the effects of exposure to naturalistic viewing, appearance neutral and appearance focused images on Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS), Body Esteem Scale (BES), and Appearance Comparison Scale. The participants, n=123, were randomly assigned to one of three conditions on Instagram for a period of 10 minutes: their own Instagram account (Naturalistic Viewing; n=44), an artistic control account (Appearance-Neutral; n=30), or a bodybuilding and fitness account (Appearance-Focused; n=49). Following the social media exposure, the participants were blocked by completing measures on Drive for Muscularity (DM), Body Esteem Scale (BES), and Appearance Comparison Tendency (ACT).
The findings of the research fall in line with previous experimental works which proved inconsistency in regards to determining the visual stimuli which negatively impact male body image. Some contemporary research on social media, Instagram, have either found partial support for their hypothesis or did not detect a significant impact on male participants (Russello 2009; Tiggemann and Anderberg 2020; Casale et al. 2021). This has led some researchers to conclude that males are less impacted by media imagery than females. Hence, males experience fewer concerns with physical appearance and consequently body image dissatisfaction (Russello 2009). Such conclusions may not be entirely accurate especially when accounting for experimental studies which did not find a significant relationship between social media exposure and body image.
We propose that males are not immune to pressure from the media. There isn’t something innate about being born male that makes them resistant to media messages and just as females, males internalize and cultivate understanding and value from the media presented to them. As an extension of patriarchal standards, males in society have held women who conform to conventional standards of beauty such as the thin-ideal as more attractive (Noone 2016). In conclusion, the research calls for more experimental and qualitative research into male body image with a focus on adolescent males.
Previous research on the female demographic has demonstrated just how harmful and ubiquitous the implications of negative body image can be if left untreated and uncontracted. Hence, it becomes incumbent on researchers to prevent the spread of negative male body image and develop adequate prevention programs. The present study aimed to contribute to the field of research by applying an experimental investigation examining the relationship between social media and body image concerns. The in-between experimental method allows us to test for ecological validity and exposure to idealized male bodies. The findings from the results, in line with previous research, suggest the need for more experimental research in order to determine the causal connection between using social media and its detrimental effects on body image, in particular on adolescent males.
