Author(s)

Wancheng He ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ School of Journalism and Communication, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China

Corresponding Author

ABSTRACT

Chinese Generation Z individuals who grew up with the internet may experience varying degrees of influence on their psychology and behavior due to addictive usage of social media. This influence can be attributed to factors such as precise targeting and the information bubble. They publicly share their own photos on social media platforms and, in turn, interact with and are influenced by content shared by others. Factors such as gender and income may also play significant roles in this influence. This study conducted a survey of 159 Chinese Generation Z participants (N = 159) and found that males tend to be more concerned about malicious comments on social media platforms. Additionally, participants may experience a sense of inferiority when viewing photos of influencers or other attractive individuals on social media. Among them, those with higher incomes are more likely to experience appearance anxiety and a sense of loss. Anxiety about appearance can lead to behaviors driven by this concern.

KEYWORDS

CITE THIS PAPER

Wancheng He, The Effect of Social Media Addiction on Appearance Anxiety among Generation Z in China: Psychological and Behavioral Aspects. Media and Communication Research (2024) Vol. 5: 135-141. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/mediacr.2024.050220.

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