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The Effects of Body Image and SNS Body Image on SNS Photo-Editing Tendency

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Abstract

This study examined the effects of perceived body image and social networking site (SNS) body image of college students on their photo-editing tendency on social media and whether this effect is mediated by interpersonal relations orientation and a preference for online social interactions. A total of 358 college students (Mage = 21.9, SD = 2.19) were recruited in South Korea to do the online survey on demographic characteristics, social media usage with respect to photo-editing behavior, perceived body image in real life and on social media, interpersonal relations orientation, and a preference for online social interactions. Of the participants, 22.3% identified as males and 77.7% as female. The results from structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis indicated that perceived body image of college students and SNS body image predicted photo-editing tendency. It was also found that interpersonal orientation mediated how body image of college students affects their photo-editing tendency. College students with a higher level of consciousness of SNS body image are inclined to present a higher level of a preference for online social interactions, resulting in increased photo-editing tendency and more frequent posting on social media. Implications and directions for future study are discussed.

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Data Availability

The author confirms that all data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article. Raw data that support the findings of this study are not openly available to preserve participants’ privacy.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Research Fund.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Counseling Psychology, Graduate School of Education, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, 107 Imun Ro, Seoul 130-791, Republic of Korea

    Jeongsu Cheon & Ji-Yeon Lee

  2. Division of Psychological and Educational Services, Department of Counseling Psychology, Graduate School of Education, Fordham University, New York, USA

    Lenia D. Chae

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  1. Jeongsu Cheon
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design, specifically the first author for material preparation, data collection, formal analysis, and writing of original draft; the second author for material preparation, writing of original draft, writing (review and editing of the manuscript); and the third author for writing of original draft, writing (review and editing of the manuscript), supervision, project administration, and funding acquisition. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ji-Yeon Lee.

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Cheon, J., Chae, L.D. & Lee, JY. The Effects of Body Image and SNS Body Image on SNS Photo-Editing Tendency. J. technol. behav. sci. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41347-024-00405-x

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