The Self-Esteem Paradox in Communication Privacy Management Among Body Shaming Victims on Social Media
Keywords:
body shaming, communication privacy management, self esteem, social mediaAbstract
Body shaming on social media is an increasingly prevalent phenomenon alongside high social media penetration in Indonesia, yet understanding of how victims manage their communication privacy following traumatic experiences remains limited. This study explores interpersonal communication privacy management strategies of body shaming victims using the Communication Privacy Management (CPM) Theory framework. Through a qualitative descriptive approach involving five university students who experienced body shaming across various social media platforms, this research reveals a self-esteem paradox phenomenon in digital privacy management contexts. The findings demonstrate three main discoveries. First, self-esteem levels significantly determine privacy management strategies developed by victims. High self-esteem does not automatically produce adaptive strategies, but is mediated by privacy turbulence severity, social support, and self-awareness. Informants with high self-esteem may exhibit maladaptive strategies such as extreme isolation, while those with low self-esteem can develop more adaptive strategies through self-acceptance. Second, coping mechanisms developed by victims are essentially manifestations of CPM strategies, showing that in digital trauma contexts, both are two sides of the same coin. Third, cultural contexts with strong Islamic values and customary traditions shape how victims develop privacy rules and boundary regulation.
References
Afrianty, D. (2015). Women and Sharia law in Northern Indonesia: Local women’s NGOs and the reform of Islamic law in Aceh. In Women and Sharia Law in Northern Indonesia: Local Women’s NGOs and the Reform of Islamic Law in Aceh. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315744568
Algorani, E. B., & Gupta, V. (2023). Coping mechanisms. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1145/3757698
Alluhidan, A., Park, J. K., Akter, M., Rodgers, R., Razi, A., & Wisniewski, P. J. (2025). Unfiltered: How Teens Engage in Body Image and Shaming Discussions via Instagram Direct Messages (DMs). Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 9(7), 1–29. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1145/3757698
Annah, I., & Heriteluna, M. (2023). The Effects of Social Media and Body Shaming on Self Esteem Amongst Adolescent [Poltekkes Kemenkes Palangka Raya]. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315744568
APJII. (2024). APJII Jumlah Pengguna Internet Indonesia Tembus 221 Juta Orang. https://apjii.or.id/berita/d/apjii-jumlah-pengguna-internet-indonesia-tembus-221-juta-orang
Brown, J. D. (2010). High self-esteem buffers negative feedback: Once more with feeling. Cognition and Emotion, 24(8), 1389–1404. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/02699930903504405
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage publications.
Deviantony, F., Fitria, Y., Rondhianto, R., & Pramesuari, N. K. T. (2024). An in depth review of body shaming phenomenon among adolescent: Trigger factors, psychological impact and prevention efforts. South African Journal of Psychiatry, 30(1). https://www.ajol.info/index.php/sajpsyc/article/view/288135
Dewi, E., & Arsyi, A. (2022). The phenomenon of body shaming and speech ethics shifts among societies and social media users. Islah: Journal of Islamic Literature and History, 3(2), 169–184. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.18326/islah.v3i2.169-184
Fitria, K., & Febrianti, Y. (2020). the interpretation and attitude of body shaming behavior on social media (a Digital Ethnography Study on Instagram). Diakom, 3(1), 12–25. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.17933/diakom.v3i1.78
Gilbert, P. (2014). Body shame: A biopsychosocial conceptualisation and overview, with treatment implications. In Body shame (pp. 3–54). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315820255-2/body-shame-paul-gilbert
Halim, E., Mardiah, E., Sunarta, H. L., & Putri, R. A. (2024). From Mirrors to Mindsets: The Chain Reaction of Social Media, Body Shame, and Body Image Perceptions. 2024 7th International Seminar on Research of Information Technology and Intelligent Systems (ISRITI), 647–652. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10963624
Huberman, M., & Miles, M. B. (2002). The qualitative researcher’s companion. Sage.
Khoir, F., Kardiatun, T., Ultari, C., Parliani, P., & Hastuti, L. (2021). Body Shaming Dengan Harga Diri Dan Mekanisme Koping Remaja. Jurnal Keperawatan Dan Kesehatan, 12(1), 13–23. https://doi.org/10.54630/jk2.v12i1.143
Komdigi.go.id. (2025). KOMITMEN PEMERINTAH MELINDUNGI ANAK DI RUANG DIGITAL. https://www.komdigi.go.id/berita/artikel/detail/komitmen-pemerintah-melindungi-anak-di-ruang-digital
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Citation Check
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Ainal Fitri, Astia Maulida, Fathayatul Husna, Muhammad Haekal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish articles in Communicatus: Jurnal Ilmu komunikasi agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright of the article and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a CC-BY-SA or The Creative Commons AttributionShareAlike License.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
