The effects of social media content on the use of beautifying photo applications among Chinese young adults

Abstract

Drawing upon the objectification theory, this study explores the associations between idealized exposure on social media and self-objectification through favorable attitudes toward the ideal body and the associations between self-objectification, self-surveillance, and the use of beautifying photo applications among a Chinese sample. We administered an online cross-sectional survey with 409 Chinese respondents and used structural equation modeling to test the hypotheses. There are several notable insights. First, we found that idealized exposure on social media was significantly associated with favorable attitudes toward ideal body images. Second, changes in attitudes toward the ideal body are positively associated with individuals’ self-objectification, which positively affects the usage of beautifying photo applications as well as self-surveillance. In other words, beautifying photo applications is a significant contribution to the objectification literature in understanding new ways that individuals are subjected to conforming to societal standards of attractiveness. Several research gaps are identified, and recommendations for future research are discussed.