Sosyal medya bağımlılığı eğilimlerinin takıntılı özçekim davranışı ve sosyal görünüş kaygısı değişkenleri açısından incelenmesi

RAMAZAN ENDER DİNÇER

Sosyal medya bağımlılığı eğilimlerinin takıntılı özçekim davranışı ve sosyal görünüş kaygısı değişkenleri açısından incelenmesi

Thesis Type: Postgraduate

Institution Of The Thesis: Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, Eğitim Bilimleri Enstitüsü, BİLİŞİM TEKNOLOJİLERİ VE BAĞIMLILIK ANABİLİM DALI, Turkey

Approval Date: 2023

Thesis Language: Turkish

Student: RAMAZAN ENDER DİNÇER

Supervisor: Halil İbrahim Özok

Open Archive Collection: AVESIS Open Access Collection

Abstract:

Physical appearance and related attitudes are considered important by almost every segment of society, including both genders and different age groups. Lifestyles are shaped within this framework, and individuals make significant material investments in their physical appearances, as evident from the continuously growing cosmetic, aesthetic, and fitness industries. The concern for social appearance, which occupies the agenda of individuals to some extent in every demographic, directs them towards solutions that can reduce the impact of this concern. One of the most practical and cost-effective solutions may be to showcase oneself in the virtual world. Social media has become an environment where individuals experiencing problems related to their social appearance can conceal their true identities, construct virtual profiles, and find a place for themselves through selfies manipulated with numerous effects and visual editing tools. The increasing global use of social media and its reshaping of people's social lives have made it an important mission for social sciences to investigate problematic usage of social media and the factors contributing to it. In line with this mission, this study evaluates the relationships between social appearance concerns, the perceived outcome of this concern, which is obsessive selfie behavior, and social media addiction. It explores the hypothesis that higher social appearance concerns can positively influence individuals' problematic use of social media through selfie behavior, thus leading to increased social media usage. Additionally, considering possible gender differences and previous findings in the literature, the study examines the orientation differences that selfie practice, social appearance concerns, and expectations underlying social media usage create between women and men. Furthermore, the study investigates whether users' levels of social appearance concerns, obsessive selfie behavior and social media addiction show significant changes based on the most frequently used social media application. To measure the behavioral orientations addressed in this study, the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale, Selfitis Behavior Scale, BERGEN Social Media Addiction Scale and a personal information form were administered online to a study group consisting of social media users aged 18-62 (n=502). The collected data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS software and the Process Macro developed by Hayes. The analysis results indicated no statistically significant differences in the scores obtained from the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale, Obsessive Selfie Behavior Scale, and BERGEN Social Media Addiction Scale between women and men (p > .05). However, significant differences were observed in the levels of social media addiction and obsessive selfie behavior based on the most frequently used social media application (p < .05), while social appearance concerns did not show a significant difference (p= .184). Regression analysis revealed that social appearance concerns significantly predicted both social media addiction and obsessive selfie behavior in a positive direction (p < .001). According to the mediation model analysis, it was found that obsessive selfie behavior, along with all its sub-factors (social adjustment, self-confidence, mood alteration, seeking attention, social competition, environmental enhancement), played a significant mediating role between social appearance concerns and social media addiction (p < .001). In conclusion, the findings of this study indicate that individuals with high social appearance concerns and greater motivation to present their body images are at a higher risk of social media addiction due to actively showcasing these needs through intensive selfie practices on social media.