Engl. transl.: CONNECTION BETWEEN THE USAGE OF SOCIAL NETWORKS AND BODY IMAGE

Introduction. Body image represents person’s perceptions, feelings and thoughts about his or her body appearance. Young people spend considerable time on social networks and they are exposed to different content, including modern standards of beauty and pressure to look in accordance with these standards. Therefore social networks can influence the creation of a negative image of one’s own body. Objective. To determine the relationship between the usage of social networks and body image of young people. Method. Research data was obtained through an online survey designed for the purpose of this research. In this research 1139 people aged from 15 to 24 years participated. Results. Average BMI is 22,27 ± 3,58. The highest percentage of participants is normally nourished (74,6%), followed by participants who are over weight (14,6%), malnourished (6,7%), and obese (4,1%). Young women are more often malnourished comparing to young men, while young men are more often overweighted and obese comparing to young women. Average time spent on social networks is 183,3 ± 144,97 minutes per day. There is no difference in time spent using social networks between male and female participants and between differently nourished participants. Physical appearance is more significant to young women, but young men invest more effort in improving or maintaining it. There is no difference between differently nourished participants regarding the importance of physical appearance and investment in physical appearance. With the increase of BMI, dissatisfaction with physical appearance increases as well. The younger the participants are, the use of social networks is more intense, the importance of physical appereance is higher, the investment in it is more intense and dissatisfaction with their physical apperance is stronger. Conclusion. The usage of social networks is significantly associated with negative body image in young people, which is why their controlled and adequate use is very important.

"Average time spent on social networks is 183,3 ± 144,97 minutes per day. There is no difference in time spent using social networks between male and female participants and between differently nourished participants. The younger the participants are, the use of social networks is more intense, the importance of physical appereance is higher, the investment in it is more intense and dissatisfaction with their physical apperance is stronger. The usage of social networks is significantly associated with negative body image in young people, which is why their controlled and adequate use is very important." (Grujić, Katić, & Stojadinović, 2019, p. 29)