| In recent years,the popularity of social networking sites has been increasing,and they have gradually developed into a part of people’s daily life.According to the 50 th Statistical Report on the Development of Internet in China(CNNIC),as of June 2022,the number of mobile Internet users in China reached 1.051 billion,with an Internet penetration rate of 74.4%,and an average of 29.5 hours per person per week.Picture-based social networking platforms(Xiaohongshu)are popular among women,and prolonged exposure to overly beautified information may increase women’s appearance anxiety.Appearance anxiety is common among women,mainly manifested as forced attention to appearance,over examination,and persistent concerns about false appearance,which can bring many negative psychological and behavioral problems to women.The purpose of this study is to take a popular photo social network——Xiaohongshu,to investigate the overall situation of women’s appearance anxiety,and explore the psychological mechanism that social network use and self-concept clarity affect women’s appearance anxiety.In the first study,532 women were selected for a questionnaire survey,and data were collected using the Social Network Sites Intensity Scale,Active and Passive Use Scale,Self-Clarity Scale,and Social Appearance Anxiety Scale.Based on Study 1,study 2 was carried out and 17 women were selected to conduct qualitative interviews.The results showed that:(1)There was a significant negative correlation between social network use(intensity,active use,passive use)and self-concept clarity,and a significant positive correlation between social network use and appearance anxiety;(2)There was a significant negative correlation between self-concept clarity and female appearance anxiety;(3)Self-concept clarity plays a positive role in regulating the use intensity of social networking sites and women’s appearance anxiety;It plays a negative regulatory role between the use of active social networking sites and women’s appearance anxiety;However,there is no significant moderating effect between passive use of social networking sites and female appearance anxiety;(4)The results of qualitative research indicate that compared to adult female young women,their appearance anxiety is more affected by social networking sites.The main influencing factors of female appearance anxiety include five aspects:online aesthetic orientation,information perception level,self concept clarity,behavioral impact,and reality factors.In summary,this study has verified the important role of self-concept clarity in the relationship between social networking site use and female appearance anxiety,providing empirical evidence for the reliability of research in related fields.Further exploring other factors that affect women’s appearance anxiety has certain reference value in reducing women’s appearance anxiety and improving social networking site usage behavior. |
