Presenter: Ziyi Wang

Social Media Use and Body Image Anxiety: Understanding Appearance-Based Judgment Among University Students

Type of Presentation: Oral Presentation

Abstract

I’m interested in the anxiety people get from social media because the time we spend online is much longer than before, and the pressure related to physical appearance has become stronger. Previous research by Huang (2017) mainly focused on the amount of time people spend on social media, while Fardouly and Vartanian (2016) emphasized the influence of appearance-focused content and social comparison on body image concerns. However, there is still a gap in understanding how social media involvement influences users’ body image anxiety and feelings of being judged by others online. This leads to my research question: How does social media affect physical anxiety and appearance-based pressure among university students?

Data will be collected through quantitative methods. In this proposed study, approximately 20 UBC students will be asked about the pressure social media gives them, especially through comments, videos, and appearance-focused content. I expect the findings to show that comments and videos on social media can increase people’s physical anxiety and influence how they see themselves. A limitation of this research is that the sample does not include people from all age groups because it only focuses on a small number of UBC students. This presentation will be delivered as an oral presentation.

Biography

Ziyi Wang is a first-year student in the Vantage Arts program at the University of British Columbia. Her academic interests include social media culture, mental health, and the influence of digital environments on self-identity. Through her research, she is interested in exploring how online interactions shape emotional experiences and appearance anxiety among university students.