Journal
NEW MEDIA & SOCIETY
Volume -, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD
DOI: 10.1177/14614448221074049
Keywords
Norm internalization; peer appearance conversations; social media credibility; social media ideals; social media reliance; task relevance
Categories
Funding
- FWO [12U6419N]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
This study examines the relationship between peer conversations on appearance and the perceived task relevance and credibility of social media ideals among Belgian adolescents. The findings suggest that peer conversations contribute to a positive evaluation of social media ideals and indirectly contribute to the internalization of thin/athletic ideals.
Expanding on theory of norm internalization and literature on credibility heuristics, this study examined whether (a) peers can increase the perceived task relevance and credibility of social media ideals (i.e. appearance-related norms promoted on social media) and (b) increased perceptions of task relevance (i.e. usefulness of social media ideals for body image improvement) and credibility facilitate reliance on social media for appearance information and thin/athletic-ideal internalization. To examine these relationships, we used two-wave panel data (N-w1 & w2 = 657) gathered among Belgian adolescents (14-18 years). Structural equation analyses indicated that peer appearance conversations were associated with increased perceived task relevance and credibility of social media ideals. In turn, task relevance and credibility were positively related to thin/athletic-ideal internalization and informational reliance on social, respectively. These findings suggest that peer conversations contribute to a positive evaluation of social media ideals and in doing so indirectly contribute to thin/athletic-ideal internalization.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available