Examining the impact of social media on mood and body dissatisfaction using ecological momentary assessment

Abstract

Objective: To assess the effects of social media consumption on body dissatisfaction and negative affect using ecological momentary assessment, a method of assessment over time in the participants’ naturalistic environment. Participants: Woman college students (N = 30) from a large public university participated in the study in Fall 2015. Methods: Participants were contacted via their smartphones five times per day for five days and asked to complete a battery of measures which assessed social media use, body dissatisfaction, and negative affect. Results: Results demonstrated that the number of social media sites visited was a significant predictor of body dissatisfaction while time spent using social media was not. The number of sites visited and time spent on social media were both significant predictors of general negative affect, sadness, and guilt. Conclusions: Results demonstrate the negative impact that social media use can have on body dissatisfaction and negative affect.

Keywords:

• Body image/eating disorders
• eating disorders
• ecological momentary assessment
• internet
• media
• mental health
• mood
• social media

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the participants of this study.

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements of the United States of America and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of Missouri State University..