Real me vs. Instagram me : Does Instagram affect self-image?

Absztrakt (kivonat)

Social media gives an unrealistic and narrow view of what is perceived as beautiful. Visual-based platforms such as Instagram are certainly popular among young women. The tendency to look picture perfect at any given moment has been raised since these platforms allow anyone to view even everyday moments of someone's personal lives. Nowadays, it is considered acceptable to use filters and edit, manipulate pictures that the users share on Instagram. It is a big trend among celebrities and influencers too, which affects women’s perception of self-image. The thesis aimed to find an answer to the research question; How does Instagram affect self-image among young women? An online questionnaire was filled out by 201 women between the age of 18 to 30 years. The questionnaire helped to understand better how young women use Instagram, what were their editing habits and how they feel about photo manipulation. To get a concept of what their opinions were about filtered, photoshopped and natural pictures on Instagram, some pictures had been shown. To support the survey’s results online in-depth interviews were conducted with 3 young women who were related to Instagram as content creators, namely Gulyás Lídia, Palkovics Zóra and Rutai Lili. From the survey and the interviews, it turned out that Instagram has a negative influence on young women’s self-image. The majority of the respondents felt at least once an external pressure to edit their picture. The most common feelings due to an external influence were dissatisfaction against themselves, frustration and lack of confidence. Answering the research question, social comparison is in correlation with the fact that young women on Instagram tend to compare themselves to influencers and celebrities, but more often to friends. If someone has a not stable self-image, it can also damage their self-image. Young women most of the time smoothen their skin or hide small imperfections before posting it to Instagram. It can deform the user’s self-image since they are constantly seeking affirmation from others. It can also cause dependence, checking how many likes someone got can disturb one’s identity.