Instagrammed body craze and its effects on Pakistani young university female students

Abstract

The purpose of studying Instagram's influence is to evaluate the concept of a perfectly toned body that does not exist, as it has been promoted on Instagram. The image-based social networking site, i.e., Instagram, has become steadily popular among youth, especially young girls. Young girls use Instagram to spruce up images posted on it. A quantitative survey is used, and questionnaires are filled through an online examination. A convenient sampling method is used for data collection. The study included 204 young girls aged 18-25 from different universities in Islamabad. Social Comparison Theory helped to understand the influence of Instagram on changing body image and its disorder.Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is used through Amos. The analysis revealed that the relationship between the use of Instagram and body dissatisfaction is positive and significant. The more the use of Instagram, the higher the body dissatisfaction among young girls. The relationship between Instagram usage and eating disorders had some correlation. It revealed that young girls who use Instagram excessively adopt eating disorders. Moreover, the study analyzed that there are more physical health symptoms identifies when Instagram usage is increased. The relationship between physical health symptoms and the use of Instagram was positive and useful.