“Like” Me: Shopping, Self-Display, Body Image, and Social Networking Sites

Ideals of beauty and product information are transmitted via sociocultural channels, including social media. Through the framework of objectification theory, we examined the relation of involvement on Facebook to women’s internalization of appearance ideals, psychological well-being, and their intentions to make online purchases. Participants were 796 female college students who completed online measures regarding internalization, sources of beauty information, social comparisons, body satisfaction, self-esteem, purchases referrals, and purchase intentions. Using structural equation modeling, we found that passive Facebook usage influenced the women’s internalization of societal beauty ideals, which was related inversely to the women’s satisfaction with their bodies and self-esteem. Active Facebook usage had direct effects on attention to friends’ referrals and purchase behaviors. Purchase intentions also were influenced by referrals, the importance they placed on social media outlets as sources of information about fashion and appearance, and a more positive self-image. Findings suggest that women’s intentions to make online purchases are determined through their involvement in social media, their friendship connections, and the extent to which their self-perceptions have been affected by sociocultural processes.