2024, Vol. 11, Issue 4, Part D

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether social media influences athletes in building a positive social image. The prevalence of social media use in modern society has led to increased imagery viewing, impacting female body image satisfaction levels and subsequent eating disordered behavior. Social media imagery was examined to determine its impact on body image constructs and to discover approaches that lower the likelihood of eating-disordered behavior. The research gathered personal perspectives and experiences regarding body image through phenomenological one-on-one interviews with 41 active male and female participants between the ages of 18 and 30. Results indicated that active females believe social media imagery affects body image in both positive and negative ways, depending on the types of imagery viewed. "Thinspirational" photos elicited feelings of empathy and sadness, while "fitspirational" images evoked feelings of motivation and empowerment. Heightened levels of body image satisfaction were found after viewing "fitspirational" images, and social comparison tactics were utilized, aligning with the theoretical framework of the study. Findings demonstrate that psychological factors are affected when users interact within a sphere of optimized ideals. Data suggests the need for future examinations of motives related to social comparison and their effect on body image constructs, interventions such as warning labels and advisory messages, and educational models centered on social media advantages and disadvantages.