TY  - CHAP
A1  - Köster, Antonia
A1  - Krasnova, Hanna
A1  - Tarafdar, Monideepa
T1  - Visual normalization of the thin ideal
BT  - Instagram use and biased perception of average body weight
T2  - Wirtschaftsinformatik 2022 Proceedings: track 21
N2  - Visual Social Networking Sites (SNSs) enable users to present themselves favorably to gain likes and the attention of others. Especially, Instagram is known for its focus on beauty, fitness, fashion, and dietary topics. Although a large body of research reports negative weight-related outcomes of SNS usage (e.g., body dissatisfaction, body image concerns), studies examining how SNS usage relates to these outcomes are scarce. Based on the visual normalization theory, we argue that SNS content facilitates normalization of so-called thin- and fit-ideals, thereby leading to biased perceptions of the average body weight in society. Therefore, this study tests whether Instagram use is associated with perceiving that the average person weighs less. Responses of 181 survey participants confirm that Instagram use is negatively related to average weight perception of both women and men. These findings contribute to the growing body of research on how SNS use relates to negative weight-related outcomes.
KW  - social networking sites
KW  - Instragram
KW  - weight perception
KW  - visual normalization theory
Y1  - 2022
UR  - https://aisel.aisnet.org/wi2022/social_media/social/1
PB  - AIS Electronic Library (AISeL)
CY  - [Erscheinungsort nicht ermittelbar]
ER  -