The effectiveness of an instagram intervention targeted at men to reduce body dissatisfaction

Abstract

AbstractInstagram is a hugely popular social media website; however, research has suggested that continued use of the site may lead to increased body dissatisfaction and lower body esteem. Materials intended to reduce these effects are available, but these often focus more on thinness and are intended for use by females. Male users tend to focus more on muscularity and leanness, and so these materials may not fully address male body image issues. In this paper, we created and tested materials intended to address this gap. These materials used two principles; media literacy, which educates users about the veracity of the images they see, and cognitive restructuring, which trains user to recognise unfavourable social comparisons they may make about themselves. Across two experimental studies (study 1 N = 192; study 2 N = 301), we found these materials were effective. Participants reported greater body image esteem, and lower body dissatisfaction after viewing materials. Moreover, they seemed to operate on increasing scepticism regarding the realism of images on social media. Narcissism as an individual difference moderated these effects, showing that high narcissism precluded the need for intervention because such individuals were unaffected by Instagram exposure. Ideas for future studies, including a forthcoming longitudinal examination of these effects are then discussed.