Time Spent on Instagram and Body Image, Self-esteem, and Physical Comparison Among Young Adults in Spain: Observational Study

Abstract

Background Instagram is a social media platform based on photos and videos that encourages interaction and comparison between users. Its growing popularity, especially among young people, has generated interest in the impact its use can have on users´ mental health, specifically on their self-esteem and degree of satisfaction with their own body image. Objective We aimed to analyze the relationships between the use of Instagram, both the hours of daily use and the type of content viewed, and self-esteem, tendency to make physical comparisons, and satisfaction with body image. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 585 participants aged between 18 years and 40 years. Individuals who were interested in participating but had a personal history of eating disorders or had previously been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder were excluded. The assessment tools consisted of (1) a questionnaire that collected sociodemographic data and Instagram use variables and was created by the research team specifically for this study; (2) the self-esteem scale by Rosenberg; (3) Physical Appearance Comparison Scale-Revised (PACS-R); and (4) Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ). The recruitment and evaluation processes were carried out in January 2021. Results Of the participants, 234 (234/585, 40%) used Instagram less than 1 hour a day, 303 (303/585, 51.8%) used Instagram between 1 hour and 3 hours a day, and 48 participants (48/585, 8.2%) used it more than 3 hours per day. We found statistically significant differences (P<.05) between the 3 groups in the scores obtained on the self-esteem test by Rosenberg, PACS-R, and BSQ. Participants who spent more time on Instagram had higher levels of body dissatisfaction, greater comparisons of physical appearance, and lower self-esteem. Moreover, we analyzed the relationship between the score obtained on the different scales and the types of content viewed, with no differences between those who mainly viewed professional content and those who primarily consumed fashion and beauty or sport and nutrition content. Conclusions The results of this study indicate that the use of Instagram is associated with poorer body image satisfaction and self-esteem, mediated by the tendency to compare physical appearance in relation to the daily duration of Instagram use.

Psychometric properties of the arabic translation of the Physical Appearance Comparison Scale-Revised (PACS-R) in adults

“…Correspondingly, greater PACS-R scores also correlated with increased psychological distress. These outcomes align with the conclusions of previous research that link increased physical comparison with higher level of depression and anxiety [ 67 , 68 ]. Indeed, low self-esteem has been linked to upward social comparison [ 18 ].…”

Picture Perfect

“…In the present study, we are interested in examining whether perfectionistic self-presentation – the need to appear perfect – may exacerbate problems associated with social media use and body image. To do so, we focus on a particular social media platform – Instagram – a highly visual platform (Alfonso-Fuertes et al, 2023) – as the “perfect” medium, whereby the need to appear perfect may have implications for the body satisfaction of young women.…”

“…As of 2022, Instagram is one of the most regularly used social media platforms, with 57% of users in the UK identifying as female, 56% aged 18–34, and 54% reporting to use Instagram several times a day (Dixon, 2023a, 2023b). Secondly, Instagram is a highly visual and appearance-focussed social media platform (Alfonso-Fuertes et al, 2023), which directly aligns with the concept of perfectionistic self-presentation, and its capturing of the need to appear perfect. Finally, there is a growing body of work that suggests young women are at particular risk from using Instagram (whereby frequency of Instagram use becomes intrusive and problematic e.g., impairs everyday functioning, health, and wellbeing; Andreassen, 2015; Huang & Su, 2018).…”