Browsing by Author "Ojajärvi, Veera"

Social media is a significant part of children’s and young people’s daily lives. Previous studies have shown that social media affects young people’s body image both short-term and long-term, for example by reducing their body satisfaction. An individual’s perception of themselves creates the basis for building a positive body image. Supporting young people’s positive body image is important, and it can promote their overall well-being. The aim of this thesis is to investigate how the publications in the popular social media platform, Instagram, are used to support young people’s body image. The thesis was conducted by using qualitative content analysis. The research material consisted of publications from four Instagram accounts, which were collected by using a netnographic approach. The total of 26 publications formed the research material. The research material is collected from Finnish-language Instagram accounts, which focus on the themes of supporting young people’s body image. The analysis of the material was carried out using content analysis. The collected material was coded and themed. As a result of the thematic analysis, two sub-themes and one main theme were found, which appear important for supporting body image. The sub-themes were 1) being aware of and challenging harmful culture, 2) being aware of and challenging one’s own actions and thinking and the main theme connecting the subthemes was 3) supporting young people’s positive body image. Based on the result of the research, it can be concluded that supporting young people’s body image requires active awareness and challenging of societal norms and personal thoughts. By raising awareness, adults working with young people can support young people’s positive self-perception. According to the research material, young people feel that they need support from adults in building a positive body image.