Social media incidental appearance exposure and young people's body image: A conceptual review

Research has shown that young people manage their body image by relying on appearance-ideals conveyed by social media and such use of social media maintains and/or reinforces existing body image issues. While useful, this research exclusively focuses on intentional social media exposure/use: the purposeful use of appearance-related social media content to fulfill particular needs. However, oftentimes young people incidentally encounter appearance content without actively searching for it; i.e., incidental appearance social media exposure. To date, research has yet to differentiate between incidental and intentional appearance exposure and investigate how each of these relates to body image. This review addresses this gap by identifying different ways in which social media incidental exposure may relate to young people's body image. We first explain the potential of incidental social media exposure to promote positive body image, focusing on exposure diversity (exposure to diverse appearance content). Then we reflect upon conditions under which social media incidental exposure may facilitate exposure diversity. Lastly, we discuss how cognitive response states mediate the relationship between social media incidental exposure and body image outcomes, and the role of social identities. We conclude with recommendations for how to include social media incidental appearance exposure in future body image research.