The Relationship between Appearance-focused Instagram Content and Body Dissatisfaction in Young Adults: The mediating Role of Self-esteem

This study investigated the relationship between exposure to appearance-focused Instagram content and body dissatisfaction in young adults aged 18-39 years. Moreover, the second goal was to find out whether the aforementioned relationship is mediated by levels of self-esteem. The online survey measured participants’ body dissatisfaction with the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ-8) and their self-esteem with the Rosenberg Self-esteem scale (RSES). In addition, a self-developed questionnaire measured the amount to which participants are exposed to appearance-focused Instagram content. No significant relationship was found between exposure to appearance-focused Instagram content and body dissatisfaction. Besides, there was no mediating effect of self-esteem. However, self-esteem had a significant effect on levels of body dissatisfaction. Particularly, as levels of self-esteem in an individual increase, body dissatisfaction decreases. In this study, items were created to assess a user’s real-life exposure to appearance-focused Instagram content. However, a validated scale to investigate the effects of different Instagram contents is needed to enhance future research. Nevertheless, self-esteem could be used as a target factor in the prevention of body dissatisfaction.