Great expectations : a study on the impact of gender expectations on male objectification amongst men on social networking sites.

• Main Author: Yong, Jack Ho.
• Other Authors: May Oo Lwin
• Format: Theses and Dissertations
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Communication
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/54740
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

It is well established that objectification in the media is generally detrimental to the psychological and physical well-being of audiences. While much has been researched on female objectification and its relation to gender inequalities, few studies have attempted to examine the links between male objectification and broader pressures amongst men to look and act "like a man". Most of the studies that exist are also limited by the Western frames from which masculinity is presumed, which begs the question of whether existing theories can apply to men who may not necessarily identify with Western conceptions of manliness. The growing popularity of online social networking sites presents new dimensions to masculinity and male objectification research too, given that audiences or "friends" on these media platforms can both objectify and be subject to objectification. This paper explores the extent to which peer comparisons on social networks can induce body dissatisfaction amongst men. Through a survey involving 202 male respondents in Singapore - a cosmopolitan Southeast Asian city-state where online social network use has been noted to be highest in the world - peer comparisons on social networking sites was found to influence experiences of objectification, and the tendency for comparisons was higher amongst like-others. Links were also found between various objectification constructs, gender stress, and concepts of masculinity, out of which theoretical and applied contributions are discussed. The paper concludes with a reflection on the approaches to the study of male objectification, and proposes future research to address issues that feature more prominently in Asia.