The Impact of Social Media on Aesthetic Treatment Decisions: An Interdisciplinary Study

The rapid growth of social media has significantly influenced individual perceptions of beauty and decision-making related to aesthetic treatments. This study examines the impact of social media exposure on aesthetic treatment decisions through an interdisciplinary perspective integrating communication studies, psychology, and health sciences. Using a mixed-methods case study approach, data were collected from 50 active social media users residing in Jakarta through questionnaires, interviews, and digital observation. Quantitative analysis was conducted using path analysis to examine the relationships among social media exposure, social comparison, self-esteem, health awareness, and aesthetic treatment decisions. The results indicate that social media exposure has a significant positive effect on aesthetic treatment decisions. Additionally, social media exposure strongly increases social comparison, which in turn negatively affects self-esteem. Lower self-esteem was found to significantly increase individuals’ likelihood of pursuing aesthetic treatments. The proposed model demonstrates strong explanatory power, with R² values ranging from 0.570 to 0.871, highlighting the critical role of psychological mechanisms in the decision-making process. The findings suggest that aesthetic treatment decisions are not merely consumer-driven choices but are shaped by complex interactions between digital exposure, social comparison processes, and psychological well-being. This study contributes to literature by providing an interdisciplinary framework for understanding aesthetic treatment decision-making and offers practical implications for promoting ethical communication, media literacy, and mental health awareness in the digital era.