Seventeenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

This study uses the Tripartite Model of Influence to determine the relationship between Instagram usage and self-esteem, as family, friends, and media contribute to the growth and development of a young woman’s body image perception and relationship with food. Specifically, the goal of this paper is to examine the relationships among Instagram usage (i.e., relationships on Instagram - family, friends, celebrities, influencers, and brands, social media behaviors, and amount of time spend), self-esteem, cognitive eating disorder, disordered eating behavior, and body dissatisfaction among young women. While many studies have examined the relationship between body dissatisfaction/eating disorder and social media use, especially focusing on the amount of media consumed, the current study attempts to identify specific activities and behaviors associated with feelings of low self-esteem or poor body image. It is important to determine exactly what behaviors and social media engagements contribute to disordered relationships with food, assessing a user’s pre-existing weight/body concerns in relation to the amount and type of media they consume. The online survey among 387 young women shows that cognitive eating disorders and physical appearance comparison are affected by Instagram usage, including access frequency, relationships, and behaviors. Further implications are discussed.