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This is the authors’ version of an article published in the
International Journal of Eating Disorders. The original
publication is available by subscription at:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eat.22141/abst
ract
DOI: DOI: 10.1002/eat.22141
Please cite this article as:
Tiggemann, M. and Slater, A.E., 2013. NetGirls: The
Internet, Facebook and body image concern in adolescent
girls. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 46(6), 630-
633.
Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Please note that any alterations made during the publishing
process may not appear in this version.
NETGIRLS AND BODY IMAGE CONCERN…1
NetGirls: The Internet, Facebook and body image concern in adolescent girls
Marika Tiggemann
and
Amy Slater
School of Psychology
Flinders University
Running Head: THE INTERNET AND BODY IMAGE CONCERN
Please address correspondence to:
Dr Marika Tiggemann, School of Psychology, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100,
Adelaide, South Australia, 5001.
Email: Marika.Tiggemann@flinders.edu.au
Author note: This research was funded by an Australian Research Council Discovery
Project Grant (No: DP0986623) awarded to M. Tiggemann.
NETGIRLS AND BODY IMAGE CONCERN…2
Abstract
Objective: The primary aim of the study was to examine the relationship between
Internet exposure and body image concern in adolescent girls, with a particular focus
on the social networking site of Facebook. Method: A sample of 1087 girls in the
first two years (Years 8 and 9) of high school (aged 13-15 years) completed
questionnaire measures of Internet consumption and body image concerns. Results:
The overwhelming majority of girls (95.9%) had access to the Internet in their home.
Time spent on the Internet was significantly related to internalization of the thin ideal,
body surveillance, and drive for thinness. Further, 75% of the girls had a Facebook
profile, and spent an average of 1.5 hours there daily. Facebook users scored
significantly more highly on all body image concern measures than non-users.
Discussion: It was concluded that the Internet represents a potent socio-cultural
medium of relevance to the body image of adolescent girls.
Keywords: Internet; media exposure; Facebook; body image; drive for thinness;
adolescents
NETGIRLS AND BODY IMAGE CONCERN…3
NetGirls: The Internet, Facebook and body image concern in adolescent girls
Introduction
Widespread body dissatisfaction, particularly with body shape and weight, has
been well documented among adolescent girls. One widely accepted account,
sociocultural theory,
1,2
contends that the current inordinately thin beauty ideal for
women is transmitted by a number of sociocultural influences, of which the media are
the most pervasive and powerful. In support, an extensive body of correlational
research, including two meta-analyses,
3,4
has demonstrated links between fashion
magazine or television consumption and various indices of body dissatisfaction or
disordered eating.
However, Australian adolescents, like their counterparts elsewhere, are
increasingly turning to other forms of media, most notably the Internet. Both
Australian and US youth are reported to spend an average of more than 1.5 hours
online per day outside of schoolwork.
5,6
Indeed, adolescents have been referred to as
the “defining users” of the Internet.
7
Although young people use the Internet for a
variety of purposes, there are a wide range of Internet sites that promulgate thin ideals
of female beauty, often targeted at adolescent girls.
8,9
In addition, many adolescent
girls access social networking sites, in particular Facebook.
6
These sites allow users to
construct their own personal pages and to connect easily with people in their
networks. While research on Facebook is increasing exponentially
10,11
and a number
of risks (e.g., cyberbullying) have been identified,
12
there has been little consideration
of any body image implications.
To our knowledge, only one study has specifically investigated the
relationship between overall Internet exposure and body image concerns. In a small
sample of adolescent girls recruited from one single-sex private high school,
NETGIRLS AND BODY IMAGE CONCERN…4
Tiggemann and Miller
13
reported that Internet exposure was correlated with body
image concerns, including drive for thinness. Further analysis indicated that there
were no relationships with time spent on YouTube, Google or MSN, but that time
spent on Facebook, and to a lesser extent MySpace, was related. The authors
speculated that it was the interactiveness of social networking sites that distinguished
them from other Internet sites.
Thus the aim of the present study was to replicate and extend investigation of
the relationship between Internet exposure and body image concern in a much larger
and more diverse sample of adolescent girls. The major prediction was that amount of
Internet exposure would be positively correlated with body image concerns, as would
be Facebook use.
Method
Participants
Participants were 1087 girls in Years 8 and 9 (the first two years of high
school), with a mean age of 13.7 years (SD = 0.7). They were recruited from 18
schools across South Australia, selected by the Department of Education and
Children’s Services to cover metropolitan and rural, private and public, and a wide
range of socioeconomic status. Mean socioeconomic status decile (based on postcode)
was 5.6 (range = 1-10, SD = 2.9). A language other than English was regularly spoken
in 14.6% of homes, with the most common languages being Greek (2.7%), followed
by Vietnamese (2.1%).
Measures
Internet exposure. After some general questions, participants reported how
long on average they spent on the Internet each day (not for homework) during the
week and on the weekend separately (none, 30 min or less, about 1 hour, about 2
