Digital Subjectivities and the Algorithmic Shaping of Body Ideals in High School Students
Parole chiave:
Social Media, Embodiment, Body Image, Adolescents, Sociocultural PressuresAbstract
Adolescents’ engagement with social media profoundly shapes their perceptions of body image, contributing to the internalization of sociocultural appearance ideals. This study aimed to investigate the association between problematic social media use and the internalization of beauty standards among Italian high school students, focusing on gender differences. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 137 adolescents (aged 16–18) using two validated instruments: the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) and the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4-Revised (SATAQ-4R). Results revealed that 14.5% of participants exhibited addiction-like behaviors related to social media use, with higher prevalence among females. Female students reported stronger internalization of thinness ideals and greater perceived media pressure, while males showed higher internalization of muscular ideals and greater sensitivity to family-related appearance pressure. Correlation analyses indicated significant associations between problematic social media use and both internalization of appearance ideals and media pressures among females, whereas, among males, a significant correlation emerged only with family pressure. These findings highlight gender-specific pathways through which social media and algorithmic content curation shape adolescents’ body ideals, underscoring the importance of educational interventions promoting critical digital literacy and emotional resilience in youth.
Riferimenti bibliografici
Andreassen, C. S., Billieux, J., Griffiths, M. D., Kuss, D. J., Demetrovics, Z., Mazzoni, E., & Pallesen, S. (2016). The relationship between addictive use of social media and video games and symptoms of psychiatric disorders: A large-scale cross-sectional study. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 30(2), 252–262. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000160
Bányai, F., Zsila, Á., Király, O., Maraz, A., Elekes, Z., Griffiths, M. D., Andreassen, C. S., & Demetrovics, Z. (2017). Problematic Social Media Use: Results from a Large-Scale Nationally Representative Adolescent Sample. PLOS ONE, 12(1), e0169839. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0169839
Barron, A. M., Krumrei-Mancuso, E. J., & Harriger, J. A. (2021). The effects of fitspiration and self-compassion Instagram posts on body image and self-compassion in men and women. Body Image, 37, 14–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2021.01.003
Boyd, D. M., & Ellison, N. B. (2007). Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), 210–230. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00393.x
Burnette, C. B., Kwitowski, M. A., & Mazzeo, S. E. (2017). “I don’t need people to tell me I’m pretty on social media:” A qualitative study of social media and body image in early adolescent girls. Body Image, 23, 114–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2017.09.001
Chen, R., & Sharma, S. K. (2015). Learning and self-disclosure behavior on social networking sites: the case of Facebook users. European Journal of Information Systems, 24(1), 93–106. https://doi.org/10.1057/ejis.2013.31
Chen, S. (2023). The Influence of Social Media Platforms on Self-Identity In the New Media Environment: The Case of TikTok and Instagram. SHS Web of Conferences, 165, 01020. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202316501020
Choukas-Bradley, S., Roberts, S. R., Maheux, A. J., & Nesi, J. (2022). The Perfect Storm: A Developmental–Sociocultural Framework for the Role of Social Media in Adolescent Girls’ Body Image Concerns and Mental Health. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 25(4), 681–701. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-022-00404-5
Ciacchini, R., Orrù, G., Cucurnia, E., Sabbatini, S., Scafuto, F., Lazzarelli, A., Miccoli, M., Gemignani, A., & Conversano, C. (2023). Social Media in Adolescents: A Retrospective Correlational Study on Addiction. Children, 10(2), 278. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10020278
Decety, J., & Holvoet, C. (2021). The emergence of empathy: A developmental neuroscience perspective. Developmental Review, 62, 100999. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2021.100999
Demaria, F., Pontillo, M., Di Vincenzo, C., Bellantoni, D., Pretelli, I., & Vicari, S. (2024). Body, image, and digital technology in adolescence and contemporary youth culture. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1445098
Digennaro, S., & Iannaccone, A. (2023). Check Your Likes but Move Your Body! How the Use of Social Media Is Influencing Pre-Teens Body and the Role of Active Lifestyles. Sustainability, 15(4), 3046. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043046
Digennaro, S., & Iannaccone, A. (2025). Imagining Another Self: The Use of Social Media Among Preadolescents and Its Body-Related Consequences. An Exploratory Study. Sage Open, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251321364
Digennaro, S., & Tescione, A. (2024). Scrolls and self-perception, navigating the link between social networks and body dissatisfaction in preadolescents and adolescents: a systematic review. Frontiers in Education, 9(April). https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1390583
Digennaro, S., & Visocchi, A. (2024). Nurturing Body Literacy: Transforming Education in the Virtual Reality Era to Shape Children’s Identities and Redefine Educator Roles. Education Sciences, 14(3), 267. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14030267
Floridi, L. (2014). The fourth revolution: How the infosphere is reshaping human reality.
Gioia, F., Griffiths, M. D., & Boursier, V. (2020). Adolescents’ Body Shame and Social Networking Sites: The Mediating Effect of Body Image Control in Photos. Sex Roles, 83(11–12), 773–785. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-020-01142-0
Gioia, F., McLean, S. A., Rega, V., & Boursier, V. (2024). What about young adults’ photo manipulation activity? The predictive role of body shame and the mediating effect of body esteem. Current Psychology, 43(11), 10418–10433. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04946-x
Iannaccone, A., Piccerillo, L., Tescione, A., & Digennaro, S. (2023). The Role of Social Media Engagement in Shaping Preadolescents’ Body Image and Emotional Intelligence: a Cross-Sectional Study. June. https://doi.org/10.32043/gsd.v8i3.1116
Jarman, H. K., Marques, M. D., McLean, S. A., Slater, A., & Paxton, S. J. (2021). Social media, body satisfaction and well-being among adolescents: A mediation model of appearance-ideal internalization and comparison. Body Image, 36, 139–148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2020.11.005
Lee, D. S., Jiang, T., Crocker, J., & Way, B. M. (2022). Social Media Use and Its Link to Physical Health Indicators. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 25(2), 87–93. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2021.0188
Lee, H. Y., Jamieson, J. P., Reis, H. T., Beevers, C. G., Josephs, R. A., Mullarkey, M. C., O’Brien, J. M., & Yeager, D. S. (2020). Getting Fewer “Likes” Than Others on Social Media Elicits Emotional Distress Among Victimized Adolescents. Child Development, 91(6), 2141–2159. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13422
Lüders, A., Dinkelberg, A., & Quayle, M. (2022). Becoming “us” in digital spaces: How online users creatively and strategically exploit social media affordances to build up social identity. Acta Psychologica, 228, 103643. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103643
Marengo, D., Longobardi, C., Fabris, M. A., & Settanni, M. (2018). Highly-visual social media and internalizing symptoms in adolescence: The mediating role of body image concerns. Computers in Human Behavior, 82, 63–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.01.003
Marino, C., Lenzi, M., Canale, N., Pierannunzio, D., Dalmasso, P., Borraccino, A., Cappello, N., Lemma, P., Vieno, A., & 2018 HBSC-Italia Group. (2020). Problematic social media use: associations with health complaints among adolescents. Annali Dell’Istituto Superiore Di Sanita, 56(4), 514–521. 10.4415/ANN_20_04_16
Merino, M., Tornero-Aguilera, J. F., Rubio-Zarapuz, A., Villanueva-Tobaldo, C. V., Martín-Rodríguez, A., & Clemente-Suárez, V. J. (2024). Body Perceptions and Psychological Well-Being: A Review of the Impact of Social Media and Physical Measurements on Self-Esteem and Mental Health with a Focus on Body Image Satisfaction and Its Relationship with Cultural and Gender Factors. Healthcare, 12(14), 1396. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12141396
Mesce, M., Cerniglia, L., & Cimino, S. (2022). Body Image Concerns: The Impact of Digital Technologies and Psychopathological Risks in a Normative Sample of Adolescents. Behavioral Sciences, 12(8), 255. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12080255
Monacis, L., de Palo, V., Griffiths, M. D., & Sinatra, M. (2017). Social networking addiction, attachment style, and validation of the Italian version of the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 6(2), 178–186. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.6.2017.023
Papageorgiou, A., Fisher, C., & Cross, D. (2022). “Why don’t I look like her?” How adolescent girls view social media and its connection to body image. BMC Women’s Health, 22(1), 261. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-022-01845-4
Papaioannou, T., Tsohou, A., & Karyda, M. (2021). Forming digital identities in social networks: the role of privacy concerns and self-esteem. Information & Computer Security, 29(2), 240–262. https://doi.org/10.1108/ICS-01-2020-0003
Peris, M., de la Barrera, U., Schoeps, K., & Montoya-Castilla, I. (2020). Psychological Risk Factors that Predict Social Networking and Internet Addiction in Adolescents. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(12), 4598. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124598
Piccerillo, L., & Digennaro, S. (2024). Navigating Emotions And Screens: Emotional Intelligence As The Key To A Balanced Digital Life For Teens. Journal of Inclusive Methodology and Technology in Learning and Teaching, June. https://doi.org/10.32043/jimtlt.v4i1.135
Piccerillo, L., & Digennaro, S. (2025). Adolescent Social Media Use and Emotional Intelligence: A Systematic Review. Adolescent Research Review, 10(2), 201–218. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40894-024-00245-z
Piccerillo, L., Tescione, A., Iannaccone, A., & Digennaro, S. (2025). Alpha generation’s social media use: sociocultural influences and emotional intelligence. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 30(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2025.2454992
Resurrección, D. M., Salguero, J. M., & Ruiz‐Aranda, D. (2014). Emotional intelligence and psychological maladjustment in adolescence: A systematic review. Journal of Adolescence, 37(4), 461–472. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2014.03.012
Roberts, S. R., Maheux, A. J., Hunt, R. A., Ladd, B. A., & Choukas-Bradley, S. (2022). Incorporating social media and muscular ideal internalization into the tripartite influence model of body image: Towards a modern understanding of adolescent girls’ body dissatisfaction. Body Image, 41, 239–247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.03.002
Robson, C. W., Fismen, A.-S., Skogen, J. C., & Haug, E. M. M. (2025). Secular trends in body weight perception among Norwegian adolescents: a 28-year cross-sectional analysis (1994–2022). Scientific Reports, 15(1), 16858. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-00439-y
Salomon, I., & Brown, C. S. (2019). The Selfie Generation: Examining the Relationship Between Social Media Use and Early Adolescent Body Image. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 39(4), 539–560. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431618770809
Shahbaznezhad, H., Dolan, R., & Rashidirad, M. (2021). The Role of Social Media Content Format and Platform in Users’ Engagement Behavior. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 53(1), 47–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2020.05.001
Stefanile, C., Nerini, A., Matera, C., Schaefer, L. M., & Thompson, J. K. (2019). Validation of an Italian version of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4-Revised (SATAQ-4R) on non-clinical Italian women and men. Body Image, 31, 48–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2019.08.005
Su, W., Han, X., Yu, H., Wu, Y., & Potenza, M. N. (2020). Do men become addicted to internet gaming and women to social media? A meta-analysis examining gender-related differences in specific internet addiction. Computers in Human Behavior, 113, 106480. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106480
Thompson, J. K., Heinberg, L. J., Altabe, M., & Tantleff-Dunn, S. (1999). Exacting beauty: Theory, assessment, and treatment of body image disturbance. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/10312-000
Vuong, A. T., Jarman, H. K., Doley, J. R., & McLean, S. A. (2021). Social Media Use and Body Dissatisfaction in Adolescents: The Moderating Role of Thin- and Muscular-Ideal Internalisation. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(24), 13222. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182413222
##submission.downloads##
Pubblicato
Come citare
Fascicolo
Sezione
Licenza
Copyright (c) 2025 Pierluigi Faella, Angela Visocchi, Alice Iannaccone, Simone Digennaro
Questo lavoro è fornito con la licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Non opere derivate 4.0 Internazionale.
