The Impact of Image Comparison on The Self-Identity Formation of Female University Students on Social Media

Abstract

Nowadays, social media is not only an important way for female college students to express themselves but also the main source and way to receive and obtain information. Different platforms push various ‘perfect images’ to female users through algorithms, and constantly create labels and topics about beauty, such as ‘white, thin and young’, ‘straight shoulders’, and so on. Female college students are in an important stage of self-identity construction, during which they will consciously or unconsciously compare themselves with others, and these comparisons affect their aesthetic concepts views, and understanding of themselves. This thesis employs a qualitative research methodology to examine and elucidate the nexus between image comparison on social media and women’s identity. To this end, it conducts in-depth interviews with 11 female university students representing diverse academic disciplines, institutional affiliations, and geographical locations. The study found that there are differences in personal preferences and purposes when female college students choose comparison objects and that the comparison of images on social media has different positive or negative impacts on psychological aspects, and there are individual differences in the degree of impacts, but the comparison of images does not have a direct impact on individual behavior, and generally stays at the psychological level of the individual: in addition, the social activities in daily life and study and other activities of personal growth nowadays can effectively reduce the impacts of social media.