Social
media has become one of, if not the most, popular mode of communication in
today’s digital world. Its ability to reach out and interconnect people from
all around the world with the click of a button is what has made social media
such a vital part of our lives. Although these communication platforms are fun
and interactive, they do not come without their complexities. What people do
not always think about when discussing social media are the major psychological
affects it may have on people who use it. It has come to a point where social
media is a large factor of how we think about something as simple as eating,
and something as complex as body image.
The Term "Body Image" Does Not Have a Direct Definition, But Rather Embodies Multiple Psychological Theories
How
exactly do we define the phrase, “body image?”
“Body image has been a term used in
psychology to describe how Body image scholars, past and present, increasingly
agree that body image is a multidimensional phenomenon. It is far more complex
than implied by Schilder’s definition as ‘the picture of our own body which we
form in our own mind’ (1935/1950, p. 11). This complexity is partly due to
terminological confusion—a consistent historical and contemporary problem in
studying body image“ (Cash and Pruzinsky, Body
Image: A Handbook of Theory, Research, and Clinical Practice).
The term is complicated, but overall
basically describes how we see our own bodies, and the implications that tag
along with this view. The modern phenomenon that derives from this idea is that
social media can change how people see and draw conclusions about their own
bodies.
Research Suggests that Social Media Is a Highly Impactful Aspect of Today's World
It
has been known for some time that social media affects how people, especially
teens, live their everyday lives, but why is this the case?
In an interview clip, Dr. Linda Aldoory from the Department of Behavioral and Community Health at University of Maryland explains why teens are influenced by social media:
When
studying the affects of social media on body image, it is important to consider
the negatives along with the positives. To put this to the test, a survey was
created in which 190 people expressed how they use social media and how they
feel about it. The questions were:
- “Have you ever negatively reflected on your body after looking at these images [of “fit” people]?”
- “Have you ever positively reflected on your body after looking at these images? In other words have these images every motivated you to become healthier?”
It
can be seen from the data in the chart that 136/190 answered that social media
has negatively impacted their body image, while 133/190 answered that social
media has positively impacted their body image. This data concludes that social
media can affect body image in both a negative and positive manner almost
equally. The overlap in answers demonstrates the complexity of the affect of
social media on body image.
Social Media Fads Prevalent Today Cause Negative Body Image in Teens
Social
media has been said to cause insecurities in teens. While on social media,
teens are often exposed to images of the ideal “fit” person with a thin body
for women, and a muscular figure for men. These insecurities can lead to
dangerous measures of influence such as a sudden interest in drastically losing
weight. According to Mary McGrath, editorial intern at the American Academy of
Pediatrics News, parents should be aware of the following social media trends:
- "Thinspiration: Images of 'perfect' bodies meant to inspire weight loss"
- "Thigh gap: Space between the upper thighs when people stand with their feet together, a beauty fad"
- "Pro-ana/pro-mia: Content that encourages eating disorders (anorexia nervosa and bulimia)"
These movements have been all over social media on multiple platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Teens on these platforms compete to look the best because "fit" is in.
Social Media Can Be Used Positively by Encouraging People to Eat Better and Exercise
Although
social media has caused issues with negative body image and eating disorders,
it could also be used positively as a tool for promoting a healthy lifestyle
and balanced eating. In the same survey as the one previously, the 190 people
answered the question: “Have you ever tried a recipe posted on social media?”
The results are shown below:
Again,
the answers are almost equivalent with 96/190 answering yes, and 94/190
answering no. The important element that can be seen however is that social
media has the potential of influencing others to eat healthier.
Health
and human development scholars, Mitchell Vaterlaus, Emily Patten, Cesia Roche,
and Jimmy Young, conducted an examination of the influence of social media on
healthy eating.
“The
internet has risen from an obscure nutrition resource in 1995 to the third most
utilized nutrition information resource in 2011 behind television and magazines
(Academy, 2011). With the ability to share information via social media it is a
real possibility that social media has become an important health information
source on the internet (Rutsaert et al., 2013)” (#Gettinghealthy: The perceived influence of social media on young
adult health behaviors).
Images of "Fit" People on Social Media Are Not Necessarily To Blame for the Rise of Low Self-Esteem
Now
the question becomes: is the presentation of the “ideal” body something that
should be frowned upon or encouraged?
Dr.
Linda Aldoory shares her response to this complicated question:
In conclusion it is clear that the conversation of social media and body image is complicated and never-ending. Social media can negatively affect the way people perceive themselves and cause low self-esteem, however it can also be a space where people become educated on how to live a healthy lifestyle.
References:
Cash, Thomas
F., and Thomas Pruzinsky. Body Image: A Handbook of Theory, Research, and
Clinical Practice. New York: Guilford Press, 2001. eBook Collection
(EBSCOhost). Web. 10, May
2015.
McGrath, Mary.
"Social Media Can Pressure Teens to Seek Perfect Body." Social
Media Can
Pressure Teens to Seek Perfect Body. American Academy of
Pediatrics, 2015. Web. 10 May 2015.
<http://aapnews.aappublications.org/content/36/1/23.5.full>.
Vaterlaus,
Mitchell, Emily Patten, Cesia Roche, and Jimmy Young. "#Gettinghealthy:
The Perceived
Influence of Social Media on Young Adult Health Behaviors." Computers
in Human Behavior.
Science Direct, n.d. Web. 10 May 2015.
<http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563214007286#>.
