The Effects of Social Media Usage on Disordered Eating Behaviors: An Experimental Study

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Title
The Effects of Social Media Usage on Disordered Eating Behaviors: An Experimental Study
Author
Taryn Anne Wilson
Faculty Sponsor
Ethan McMahan
Gavin Keulks
Date
6/1/2022
Abstract
Social media has become a large part of the entertainment industry. A majority of adolescents report using social media on a daily basis. With such widespread use, it is important to examine the effects of such usage on mental health. Research has shown that there may be a link between social media usage and mental health complications, such as disordered eating behaviors and anxiety. However, past research has its limitations. Most studies analyze the effects of using older platforms, such as Facebook. Instagram is a newer platform and the largest photo sharing application to date. Little research has examined potential links between using Instagram and the user’s body esteem and disordered eating behaviors. In the current study, participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions. The first condition, the control, had participants randomly assigned to watch a short three-minute video of someone browsing the internet. The experimental condition had participants watch a three-minute video of someone scrolling through an Instagram feed with public accounts. There were 12 participants, 9 females and 3 males. The majority of participants were white. Immediately following the viewing, participants answered a body esteem questionnaire. An independent t-test was conducted at the conclusion of the study. The participants who viewed the video of an Instagram feed reported higher levels of body esteem issues (M = 3.99, SD = .26) than those who viewed the THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE ON DISORDERED EATING BEHAVIORS 4 video of Internet browsing (M = 3.68, SD = .29). The mean differences between the two conditions failed to be significant, t(10) = 1.94, p < .081, r^2 = .27. Considering the large r value, a large effect size exists, but this study did not detect it due to the small sample size.
Type
Text
Honors Thesis
Department
Honors Program
Language
eng
Rights
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Identifier
honors_theses/258