Body Image Influencers: Changes in Appearance Satisfaction after Browsing Instagram

• In Event: Poster Session 03
  In Poster Session: PS 03 Topic - Technology, Media & Child Development

Abstract

Browsing others’ Instagram content can harm appearance satisfaction by eliciting upward appearance comparisons (Holland & Tiggemann, 2016). Young females are high users of Instagram (Shane-Simpson et al., 2018), and may engage in more comparisons to help inform their identity development (cf. Arnett, 2000). We examined how browsing one’s own Instagram profile, an acquaintance’s profile, and an Instagram influencer’s profile affects late adolescent females’ appearance satisfaction. As effects may vary by comparison tendencies (Holland & Tiggemann, 2016) and browsing target’s attractiveness (Diedrichs & Lee, 2011), we examined participants’ dispositional upward appearance comparison tendencies and their perceptions of their browsing target’s attractiveness as moderators.

Participants included 221 late adolescent females recruited from a southwestern university (ages 18–20; Mage=19.06, SDage=0.77; 47% Asian/Asian-American, 30% White/Caucasian, 12% Hispanic/Latinx, 4% Black/African-American, 7% Mixed/Other). Participants were randomly assigned to browse (for ten minutes) their own Instagram profile, the profile of a female acquaintance of roughly the same age, or the profile of a female Instagram influencer chosen by the researchers. Before and after browsing, participants rated how physically attractive they felt in that moment on a 1–7 scale. After browsing, participants assessed their browsing target’s physical attractiveness on a 1–7 scale, and completed a 10-item measure of their dispositional upward appearance comparison tendencies (α=.94; O’Brien et al., 2009).

Multilevel modeling was used to examine how appearance satisfaction changed from pre-browsing to post-browsing. Time was effects coded (-.5=pre-browsing, .5=post-browsing) to assess changes across the two time points. Changes in appearance satisfaction differed across conditions (p<.001; Figure 1). Browsing one’s own profile increased appearance satisfaction (p<.001), browsing an acquaintance’s profile did not change appearance satisfaction (p=.907), and browsing an influencer’s profile decreased appearance satisfaction (p=.034).

Moderation by upward appearance comparison and perceived target attractiveness significantly differed by condition (p=.004; Table 1). Significant interactions were broken down at higher (+1 SD) and lower (-1 SD) levels of each moderator. For the influencer condition, there were no significant interactions between time and the moderators.

For the self condition, there were significant two-way interactions between time and comparison, and time and perceived target attractiveness. Increases in appearance satisfaction were observed for those lower and higher in comparison tendencies, but this effect was stronger at higher levels. Increases in appearance satisfaction were observed for those lower and higher in perceived target attractiveness, with the effect stronger at higher levels. Results suggest positive effects when browsing one’s own profile.

For the acquaintance condition, there was a significant three-way interaction between time, comparison, and perceived target attractiveness, which was first broken down at higher and lower levels of comparison. The interaction between time and perceived target attractiveness was not significant at lower comparison, but was significant at higher comparison. For girls higher in comparison, those who perceived their acquaintance to be lower in physical attractiveness increased in appearance satisfaction, whereas those who perceived their acquaintance to be higher in physical attractiveness decreased in appearance satisfaction. Results suggest effects from browsing an acquaintance’s profile vary based on the target’s attractiveness and comparison tendencies.  

Authors

• Kaitlyn Burnell, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  Presenting Author

• Madeleine George, RTI International
  Non-Presenting Author

• Allycen Kurup, Purdue University, West Lafayette
  Non-Presenting Author

• Marion K. Underwood, Purdue University, West Lafayette
  Non-Presenting Author