Social comparison on “FitTok”: A mixed-method study exploring the effects of fitspiration TikTok content on young adults’ body image and mental health

TikTok has become one of today’s most popular social media platforms, especially among Gen Z. As a subcategory of TikTok content, FitTok content is the TikTok equivalent of Instagram’s fitspiration content. While previous research suggesting the detrimental effects of social media and fitspiration consumption on body image and mental health is focused mainly on Facebook and Instagram, the current study explored the effects of fitspiration content on TikTok. Hence, the research was structured around the following central research question: “How does regular exposure to FitTok’s idealized body and life standards affect young adults’ body image and mental health?” Central to the operationalization of this research question were Festinger’s (1954) theory of social comparison and Bourdieu’s (1984) theory of practice based on the concepts of habitus and capital – two frameworks on the impact of social influences on individuals’ behaviors. To explore the relationship between FitTok consumption, social comparison, habitus and capital, and body image and mental health, a mixed-method study was conducted, combining an online survey (N = 150) and semi-structured in-depth interviews (N = 8). The sample consisted of young adult FitTok consumers (aged 18-25). By employing a convergent research design, the data of both methods were collected simultaneously, analyzed separately, and ultimately interpreted together. While no mediation effect for negative social comparison on the relationship between FitTok consumption and body image and mental health was found, a statistical analysis of the survey data suggested the importance of negative social comparison as a control variable in the relationship under examination. The interview data also revealed a general recognition of negative social comparison caused by FitTok content. However, for most of the interviewees, these comparisons did not negatively affect their body image and/or mental health. Rather, the interviewees emphasized the presence of positive social comparisons, contributing to improved mood. The demographic factors of gender, age (habitus), and education level (capital) were not found to impact the effect of FitTok consumption on body image and mental health. As these findings indicate, the ideals portrayed in FitTok content spark feelings of both negative and positive social comparison, thereby affecting young adults’ body image and mental health to different extents.