Every (Insta)Gram counts? Applying cultivation theory to explore the effects of Instagram on young users’ body image.

Abstract

Recent research suggests that social networks have replaced traditional media as the main channel by which beauty ideals are conveyed—often resulting in body dissatisfaction and reduced self-esteem among users. While social comparison theory provides an empirically sound approach to these effects, we argue that additional insight may be offered by cultivation theory and its structured exploration of cognitive, attitudinal, and behavioral outcome variables. Thus, the present study scrutinizes the social network Instagram as a potential cultivation system for young adults’ body image. Recruiting 228 participants aged 18 to 34 years, we systematically explore three orders of cultivation, i.e., changes in weight-related knowledge, attitudes, and selfreported dietary restraint. As we differentiate between Instagram use quantity and quality, we observe that mere usage time cannot predict the assumed outcomes; instead, only participants’ tendency to browse Instagram’s public content emerges as a relevant predictor, connecting to biased views on the physical appearance of strangers, as well as more disordered eating behavior. Considering the fact that Instagram use relates more to other-focused than to self-focused perceptions in our study, we argue that cultivation theory can indeed complement social comparison theory in the current understanding of media-transmitted body images. (195 words) Significance statement: This paper lends both a theoretical foundation as well as empirical support to the argument that highly-visual social media constitute a meaningful cultivation system for body-related attitudes and behaviors among young adults. Our research illustrates how the frequent exposure to the virtual self-presentation of others may affect the way people look at strangers’ bodies or indulge in disordered eating—even if their own body esteem remains intact.