SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE WORLD OF AESTHETICS: CONTRADICTIONS OF YOUTH IN CONTEMPORARY TIMES

Abstract

The present study addresses the relationship between social networks and the world of aesthetics, analyzing the contradictions of youth in contemporary times. Today's society, described as postmodern or liquid modernity (Bauman, 2001), is marked by the worship of the body, consumerism, individualism, and immediacy, where beauty is configured as a moral duty imposed by the cultural industry. In this scenario, youth becomes the main target of stereotypes, and continuous exposure to unattainable behavior and beauty standards on digital platforms intensifies vulnerability, image distortion, and the relentless pursuit of acceptance. The objective of the research is to understand the relationship between Instagram's influence and dissatisfaction with self-image, exploring how this issue drives the search for aesthetic procedures among contemporary youth. The adopted methodology combined bibliographic research, crucial for the literature review, with exploratory research aiming to become familiar with the topic and propose initial hypotheses. The study employed qualitative research, using semi-structured interviews with young women to obtain spontaneous responses. The collected material was treated and interpreted through content analysis (CA) (Bardin, 2016), a set of tools that infer knowledge about the production and reception of messages. The results demonstrate that Instagram, by privileging image and the display of everyday life, beauty, and success, functions as a powerful agent in spreading hegemonic aesthetic standards, negatively influencing self-image. The pursuit of aesthetic procedures is driven by the desire to fit in (Valin et al., 2025) and by aesthetic dissatisfaction, a strong impulse stemming from the omnipresence of social media. Injectable procedures, such as botulinum toxin and hyaluronic acid, are the most sought after worldwide and in Brazil for this age group, highlighting the search for a face with perfect asymmetry and the fear of aging. The analysis points out that the trivialization of aesthetic procedures occurred through digital media, with the risk of body dysmorphia and the need to constantly transform the body in search of acceptance that proves to be unattainable. The daily and permanent use of social networks confirms the indication of their influence on shaping the social behaviors of young people. Keywords: Youth, Social Networks, Aesthetics, Instagram, Self-image.