EXAMINING THE CYCLE OF DEVIANCE IN SOCIAL MEDIA BODY SHAMING AMONG YOUTHS IN NIGERIA
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Abstract
The increasing use of social media among youth has contributed to the rise of cyber body shaming, a form of online harassment that involves the ridicule, humiliation, or mockery of individuals based on their physical appearance. Platforms such as TikTok, Instagram,X, and Facebook have increasingly become spaces where appearance-based interactions, comparisons, and online aggression occur among young users. Although existing studies have examined cyberbullying largely from psychological and media perspectives, limited scholarly attention has been given to the victim-offender overlap in cyber body shaming and how experiences of online victimisation may contribute to the reproduction of similar harmful behaviours among youths. This study, therefore, investigates the cyber-victim-offender overlap and the cycle of deviance in social media body shaming among youths. The study is anchored onthe Online Disinhibition Effect, the Victim-Offender Overlap perspective, and the Social Learning Theory. The study adopted a qualitative desk-based research design, relying on secondary sources of data, including journal articles, books, online reports, documented social media incidents, and existing scholarly literature on cyberbullying, online victimisation, digital deviance, and bodyshaming among youths published between 2010 and 2025. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings revealed that anonymity, peer validation, repeated exposure to online hostility, and the interactive nature of social media platforms contribute significantly to the persistence of cyber body shaming among youths. The study found that victims of online body shaming maylater engage in similar behaviours, thereby reinforcing cycles of online victimisation and digital deviance within social media environments. The study recommends improved digital literacy, stronger online safety awareness, and more proactive institutional responses to reduce harmful online behaviours among youth.