The rise of social networks

Did you know that in 2020 the use of social networks increased by almost 50% worldwide?

They can be valuable tools for getting informed and connecting with others but they can also be harmful to our mental health, especially when it comes to our relationship with our body and food.

Why is it important to talk about this?

There are more and more users online, although most of them are young adults (aged 20 to 24 years), teenagers (aged 13 to 19 years) and tweens (aged 11 to 12 years) (Tiggemann & Slater, 2014 in Cataldo et al., 2021)

The transition between adolescence and adulthood is a very sensitive stage, marked by many changes in areas such as the maturation of brain structures, physical and hormonal changes, but also in how we see ourselves and how we develop our identity.

In this context, the constant exposure to unattainable idealized bodies on social networks and comparison with others has a very significant role in the development of Eating Disorders (ED).

What do the studies tell us?

A recent systematic review shows that the use of social networks can influence how we feel about our bodies and food. This happens because many times we compare ourselves with other people, we adopt as “ideal” to have a slim or very fit body, and we start to see ourselves only from the appearance. All this can generate discomfort, insecurity and problems in the relationship with food (Dane & Bhatia, 2023).

It is important to note that there are some factors that contribute to all this happening:

More time spent on networks is associated with greater body dissatisfaction.
Specifically, the networks Instagram and Snapchat were the most associated with body preoccupation, ED, anxiety and depression due to their focus on physical appearance.
Time spent on physical appearance-related activities: Spending time editing and posting filter-edited images and worrying excessively about “likes” and comments again leads to greater body dissatisfaction and dysfunctional eating behaviors.

Trends in networks

Trends in social networks are topics that quickly gain popularity among users. Within these dynamics appear movements such as #Thinspiration and #Fitspiration, words that combine “thin” or “fit” with “inspiration” (Dane & Bhatia, 2023).

First came #Thinspiration, which promoted images of extremely thin bodies, especially of women. This type of content has been criticized for encouraging behaviors associated with anorexia.

Then came #Fitspiration, a trend that purported to be a healthier alternative, focused on active lifestyles and toned bodies. However, many of these publications also promote unrealistic body standards.

The effect of this type of content can be expressed in several ways:

Increased dissatisfaction with one’s own body and objectification, that is to say, seeing ourselves as an “object” that must look a certain way.
Anxiety and sadness linked to physical appearance.
Rigid control of food, with fear of “breaking the rules”.
Use of dietary supplements without professional control.
Social isolation or conflicts with close people for prioritizing image or extreme exercise.

How can it affect you?

You may not realize it, but these symptoms can be related to what you see on social media. Feeling like your body is not enough, eating guiltily or trying to compensate for what you eat, constantly comparing yourself to others, avoiding uploading photos if you don’t look “perfect” or using filters and over-editing photos can be signs that social media content is affecting how you see yourself in relation to your body, food and exercise.

What can you do to protect yourself?

Considering all the impact generated by the networks, it is important that we can think of some actions that can help maintain a better relationship with social networks, our body and our diet.

Some ideas that might help:

Do a “digital cleanse”: stop following accounts that make you feel bad about yourself, promote unrealistic bodies or extreme posts about food and exercise. It may help.
Change your feed: follow profiles that talk about self-care, body diversity, mental health or healthy habits that don’t focus solely on physical appearance.
Set limits to infinite scrolling: you can use alarms or apps that help you reduce the time you spend on networks without realizing it.
Share what you feel and think: If you feel that this is overwhelming you, remember that you are not alone, it is important that you can have a space to share what this type of content generates in you and how it is affecting you. Asking for psychological help can be a way to work on it and improve your well-being.

We know that taking the step of asking for help is not always easy, and that is why we want you to know that at the ART Clinic we can offer you a safe space, where we will accompany you with closeness and respect so that you can feel better.

References:

Cataldo, I., De Luca, I., Giorgetti, V., Cicconcelli, D., Bersani, F. S., Imperatori, C., Abdi, S., Negri, A., Esposito, G., & Corazza, O. (2021). Fitspiration on social media: Body-image and other psychopathological risks among young adults. A narrative review. Emerging Trends In Drugs Addictions And Health, 1, 100010. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.etdah.2021.100010

Dane, A., & Bhatia, K. (2023). The social media diet: A scoping review to investigate the association between social media, body image and eating disorders amongst young people. PLOS Global Public Health, 3(3), e0001091. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0001091

What role do social networks play in Eating Disorders (ED)?