The influence of social media on young adults’ perceptions of body image

Abstract

This dissertation focuses on the effects of social media on young adults’ body image. This study underscores how most young adults are affected by comparing and internalising content seen on social media. Furthermore, it highlights how social media literacy and healthy coping mechanisms can be used as a tool to mitigate body image issues in young adults. A qualitative approach was employed to conduct this study. A total of six in-person interviews were carried out in December 2024, with participants aged 18-25. Furthermore, Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to interpret the participants’ verbal accounts and to gain a deeper understanding of their lived experiences. The findings of this study highlight that while all participants are aware of the unrealistic standards present on social media, several nonetheless report being negatively affected by them. Furthermore, this study also highlights how most participants dealt with greater body image issues when they were going through puberty, due to the drastic changes they experienced at the time.