A Study on Cyborgized Body Presentation in Social Media and the Identity Anxiety of Young Women

In the contemporary digital milieu, the bodily presentation of young women on social media is undergoing a profound process of cyborgization. Through the pervasive use of beautification filters, AI-generated avatars, and cosmetic surgery discourses, the human body is perpetually edited, enhanced, and reconstructed, creating a cyborgized entity that transcends physical limitations and blurs the boundary between the real and the virtual. This paper aims to investigate the construction mechanisms of this phenomenon and its consequential impact on the identity anxiety of young women. Drawing upon key theoretical frameworks from post-humanism, surveillance studies, and social theory, this study analyzes the primary construction pathways of the cyborgized body. It critically examines how this mode of presentation exacerbates identity anxiety by fostering a severe online-offline identity schism, perpetuating relentless social comparison under a pervasive algorithmic gaze, and framing the body as a perpetually unfinished project that demands constant optimization. Finally, this study moves beyond a narrative of victimization to discuss the complex agency and potential for resistance among young women, acknowledging that the cyborgized body is simultaneously a site of intense discipline and a potential nexus for empowerment, creative self-expression, and ambivalent negotiation.

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Publication Details

Journal
Humanities and Social Science Research
Published
2025-08-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.30560/hssr.v8n4p223
Primary Topic
Gender, Feminism, and Media
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

A Study on Cyborgized Body Presentation in Social Media and the Identity Anxiety of Young Women

Lu Zhang
Humanities and Social Science Research
Gender, Feminism, and Media
article

A Study on Cyborgized Body Presentation in Social Media and the Identity Anxiety of Young Women

Lu Zhang
article en

Abstract

In the contemporary digital milieu, the bodily presentation of young women on social media is undergoing a profound process of cyborgization. Through the pervasive use of beautification filters, AI-generated avatars, and cosmetic surgery discourses, the human body is perpetually edited, enhanced, and reconstructed, creating a cyborgized entity that transcends physical limitations and blurs the boundary between the real and the virtual. This paper aims to investigate the construction mechanisms of this phenomenon and its consequential impact on the identity anxiety of young women. Drawing upon key theoretical frameworks from post-humanism, surveillance studies, and social theory, this study analyzes the primary construction pathways of the cyborgized body. It critically examines how this mode of presentation exacerbates identity anxiety by fostering a severe online-offline identity schism, perpetuating relentless social comparison under a pervasive algorithmic gaze, and framing the body as a perpetually unfinished project that demands constant optimization. Finally, this study moves beyond a narrative of victimization to discuss the complex agency and potential for resistance among young women, acknowledging that the cyborgized body is simultaneously a site of intense discipline and a potential nexus for empowerment, creative self-expression, and ambivalent negotiation.

Humanities and Social Science ResearchVol. 8(4)
Jingchu University of Technology (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 72%
Gender, Feminism, and Media
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