Instagram and Risk of Rumination and Eating Disorders: An Asian Perspective

The use of the Internet for social networking purposes has become a global phenomenon, prompting researchers to investigate the effects of social media use. Studies investigating this phenomenon suggest that social media leads to a series of potentially positive and negative psychological outcomes, including social and appearance comparisons, and rumination. However, these studies may be specific to Western cultures and may not necessarily apply in Asian populations. Hence, the present study aims to investigate whether existing concepts of Asian social behaviors based on Asian cultural norms and Western studies can depict Asian psychological experiences on social media. We investigate the associations between Instagram use and risk of psychopathology among Singaporean Chinese. Data from 363 individuals were examined in relation to four hypotheses: (1) Instagram use is not associated with social comparisons. (2) Social comparisons do not mediate the relationship between Instagram use and rumination. (3) Instagram use is associated with appearance comparisons. (4) Appearance comparisons mediate the relationship between Instagram use and risk of developing eating disorders. Three out of four hypotheses were supported. The present study contributes to the development of useful etiological models that are culturally relevant to Singaporean Chinese. Implications of the findings are discussed so as to direct future intervention efforts.