Beyond the screen: Social media and body dissatisfaction

Trigger warning: This article discusses weight and body dissatisfaction, topics which may be sensitive to some individuals.

Virtual validation: Social media's influence on body confidence

Throughout my teenage years, I always suffered with my weight and tended to binge eat during exam periods. I felt uncomfortable in social situations where I would often be surrounded by peers and family in much fitter and healthier conditions than me. This led me to spiral into a period of depression until I realised, I needed to do something to change. 

Over the years of Covid-19 and following this, I started my weight loss journey and after losing over four stones I realised, I'd never be happy with my weight due to the constant comparisons that l make with people that I see on social media. While social media has many benefits in society, such as allowing people to share knowledge worldwide and communicate effectively, it comes with some downfalls, unfortunately.

TikTok as a rising phenomenon

In the last decade, social media use has drastically increased with 5.07 billion users worldwide. Among the social media giants, TikTok has seen an explosive rise in popularity. The app is more than just a platform for viral dances and memes; it's become a significant space for personal expression, mental health advocacy and education. 

For those struggling with mental illness, TikTok offers a unique opportunity to share their stories and connect with others who understand their experiences; this kind of exposure can be empowering, fostering a sense of community and validation. TikTok can also act as an educational tool providing implications for educators to integrate using this application to enhance education within schools. 

However, TikTok isn't without its pitfalls. Like many other social media platforms, it has been criticised due to its association with negatively impacting body concepts through enhancing body stereotypes and promoting cyberbullying. 

Research indicates that TikTok usage is positively associated with body dissatisfaction which entails negative feelings and thoughts that individuals hold about their body and appearance. This dissatisfaction isn't just a minor inconvenience; it's linked to more serious issues such as depression and eating disorders. The platform's emphasis on appearance-focused content can exacerbate these problems. When users are constantly bombarded with idealised images and videos, it's easy to fall into the trap of comparing oneself unfavourably. 

This aligns with Festinger's Social Comparison Theory (1954), which suggests that people evaluate themselves by comparing to others. On TikTok, this often means upward comparisons – seeing others as more attractive or successful, which can lead to decreased body satisfaction and lower self-esteem. Appearance-focused content on social media has been associated more with low body satisfaction compared to communication-focused content, thereby suggesting the type of content on social media can differentially impact one's body image perceptions.

In addition to social media, self-esteem levels have also been associated with body dissatisfaction, with low body satisfaction being associated with lower self-esteem. Downward comparisons occur when people compare themselves to someone they judge as worse than them, and these comparisons have been associated with increased body satisfaction in individuals with low self-esteem.  However, they have little effect on the body satisfaction of individuals with high self-esteem, acting to show that one's level of self-esteem may impact the body satisfaction they hold when making comparisons to other individuals via social media. 

 As we navigate the evolving landscape of social media, it's crucial to strike a balance. While TikTok offers many benefits, it also presents challenges that must be addressed. Understanding the relationship between social media use, body image, and self-esteem can help us develop strategies to mitigate the negative effects.

My dissertation project

Therefore, it is evident that social media can have a detrimental impact on one's body image perceptions and TikTok in particular, which contains high volumes of appearance-focused content needs to be investigated more richly. Consequently, I conducted my Master's dissertation, focusing primarily on TikTok and the association between different types of TikTok videos and body satisfaction adjacent to investigating whether self-esteem levels impact this relationship. 

My participants all had to be women aged 18-24 due to this being the largest demographic users of TikTok. I designed the study online where I used 30 videos that I took from TikTok (10 plus-size dancer videos, 10 slim-size dancer videos, 10 animal control videos) and presented these videos to my participants in three blocks of 10 with a body satisfaction scale at the end of each block. I also used a self-esteem questionnaire that I instructed participants to complete before finishing this study.

I hypothesised that body satisfaction scores would be different across the three TikTok conditions, and this was accepted as it was found that body satisfaction scores were lower following watching the slim-size dancer videos compared to the plus-size dancer videos and animals. My second hypothesis that self-esteem scores will impact body satisfaction scores across the three TikTok conditions was rejected as self-esteem scores did not seem to impact the body satisfaction scores across the three conditions. These findings align with previous research into social media, as well as psychological models, that explain how body dissatisfaction can be formed via social media.

What can we do with these findings?

After diving deep into the impact of TikTok on body image, my study has uncovered some actionable insights that could help transform the platform into a more body-positive space. The rise of TikTok has brought with it a wave of appearance-focused content that can significantly affect how people, especially young users, view their own bodies. But there's good news: we can take steps to make TikTok a healthier environment for everyone. 

One key takeaway from my research is the importance of promoting body-positive content. By encouraging the creation and sharing of videos that celebrate diverse body types and self-love, we can counteract the negative effects of appearance-focused content. Content managers on social media platforms, including TikTok, should prioritise this shift. Body-positive content has been shown to boost body satisfaction more effectively than other types of content, making it a crucial part of diversifying what we see on our feeds. 

Additionally, it's vital to implement better screening and intervention strategies for body dissatisfaction, particularly among adolescents. By increasing awareness and support for those struggling with negative body images, we can help prevent the development of eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorders. This proactive approach could mitigate the risks associated with the consumption of appearance-focused content on TikTok. 

Parental involvement also plays a significant role in addressing these issues. Parents should be more engaged in their adolescents' social media use to ensure that exposure to appearance-focused content doesn't negatively impact their child's body satisfaction. Open conversations and monitoring can help steer young users toward healthier online experiences. 

Overall, my dissertation study acted to address the gap in the literature by focusing solely on TikTok, as this seems to be an under-researched social media application. The findings offer promising recommendations for both content management and policy guidelines on social media platforms. By staying informed and proactive, we can work towards a healthier relationship with social media that supports mental wellbeing and fosters a positive self-image.