Body image 2.0: Associations between social grooming on Facebook and body image concerns

A cross-sectional survey (N = 186) was conducted to examine the relationships between young women's and men's social media use and body image attitudes-the drive for thinness and the drive for muscularity. Prior research has found relationships between exposure to traditional mass media and body image concerns. Drawing on social comparison theory, this study attempted to determine if similar relationships could be found for social media use. Results of this study indicated that simple exposure (time spent on social media) was not related to body image concerns. Online social grooming behaviors, such as viewing and commenting on peer's profiles, however, were significantly correlated with the drive for thinness for both female and male participants. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that appearance comparison mediated the relationship between social grooming behaviors and the drive for thinness.