The popularity of social media channels among young adults is linked to self-worth, body image, and eating disorders. Although young people use social media for connection, they learn about the culturally accepted beauty standards. Today, it is common to find photoshopped images of skinny female and well-built male models. In most cases, such individuals record significant engagement from their peers in the form of “likes” and “comments.” The projection of these body types prompts social media users to strive towards achieving the ideal beauty standards. Besides, the constant need for social and emotional connection is described under the adult attachment theory. One notices that people who feel lonely in real-life may turn to social media for self-gratification. Thus, social media promotes eating disorders by pushing the agenda of the socially accepted body shapes and types among young people who are insecure and dissatisfied with their bodies.
Social media affects young people’s perception of body images. More importantly, social media sites are the primary source of health information for the majority of young people (Derenne & Beresin , 2017). Although the information presented is not regulated, young adults use social media to seek knowledge about their health choices. This population places their self-worth based on the number of likes and comments that their pictures they posted receive from their peer groups (Griffiths et al., 2018). These engagements usually rely on the societal perceptions of body images. Social media sites such as Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook are photo- and video-based platforms that present the ideal body types for both men and women. While women are pressured to be thin and lose weight, men are idealized as tall, muscular, and mesomorphic (Santarossa & Woodruff , 2017). Thus, young people who lack these physical qualities are likely to develop negative perceptions about their bodies since they do not gain much attention from their peers; some of them are subjected to online bullying and mockery.
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As a result, young adults are likely to engage in behaviors linked to eating disorders. Some of them tend to be overly restrictive in eating and exercise habits (Derenne & Beresin , 2017). Young women, mostly, count the number of calories that they consume in a day. Others seek motivation from the “thinspiration” photos that promote unrealistic body figures (Derenne & Beresin , 2017). Instead of addressing the issue of eating disorders, social media sites are filled with pro-anorexia (pro-ana) communities that promote this agenda. Some of the social media users who interact with pro-ana posts judged their success based on self-control over hunger and being unable to faint after prolonged fasting (Branley & Covey, 2017). Notably, the online pages that promote eating disorders tend to record high popularity and engagement among young people. It is common to find images that show the ideal body measurements and hashtags, such as #bones, #thighgap, and #ribs (Brandley, 2017). Although eating disorders mostly affect young women, there have been instances in which young men have also felt inadequate when posting their full-body pictures. Increasingly, young people are attaching their self-worth to their body shapes and types, and thus, they engage in eating disorders to gain social approval.
Young adults’ obsession with social media’s perception of body image can be explained using the adult attachment theory. According to Bowlby, the emotional bonds that people experience from their primary caregiver during the early stages of their lives determine their social interactions later in life (Liu & Ma, 2019). Such experiences are the foundation for the perception of self and others. Bowlby observed these findings in infants, but recent studies have linked this theory to adult relationships. For example, when a peer group is trustworthy, responsive, and attentive, a person is likely to develop a secure attachment (Liu & Ma, 2019). However, the peer group is unavailable, repulsive, and inconsistent, then an insecure attachment will arise. The adult attachment theory relies on two dimensions, which are attachment anxiety and avoidance. Anxious attachment is evident in individuals who are continually seeking support and comfort from the external locus of their environment. In contrast, avoidant attachment is characterized by persistent inhibition of psychological and social connection (Liu & Ma, 2019). Admittedly, the young people who rely on social media for a boost in self-esteem and self-worth exhibit anxious attachment.
Young adults that fear being abandoned are likely to use social media excessively to seek attention, approval, and comfort from their peers. According to adult attachment theory, young people seek social support from friends, family members, and colleagues (Liu & Ma, 2019). Mostly, online support is characterized by “likes,” “favorites,” and positive comments from peer groups. Recently, Facebook and Instagram unveiled a “Live Video” option in which users can actively interact with their peers and generate a sense of connectedness (Sanatrossa, 2017). These connections have a direct influence on body image and eating disorders. When young people engage with social media users, they learn about the societal standards and beauty ideals and thus, reinforcing body dissatisfaction. A person’s whose popularity on social media is based on the pictures he or she posts informs young people about the culturally accepted beauty standards (Santarossa & Woodruff , 2017). Hence, young adults who want to gain such social approval will engage in unhealthy eating patterns such as fasting and watching their caloric intake. According to adult attachment theory, people with insecure attachment tend to be less satisfied with the support that they receive and, thus, are worried that their peer groups will abandon them if they do not adjust their lifestyles (Liu & Ma, 2019). Such people are sensitive to feedback from their peer groups. Hence the reason for the prevalence of eating disorders in young women. This population comprises a significant number of social media users who communicate about pro-anorexia behaviors (Branley & Covey, 2017). Young women believe that their friends and partners will accept them more if they resemble the skinny models and celebrities that they see on social media.
Moreover, young people fear missing out on the activities that online users are performing. Recently, scholars have included the fear of missing out (FOMO) as one of the variables of adult attachment theory (Liu & Ma, 2019). This variable explains the constant need for engagement and following social media trends in young adults. Notably, the emphasis on having an ideal body image has been one of the trending issues in recent years. Today, social media sites are filled with body transformation images that involve the users documenting their weight loss journey and receiving motivation from other online users (Branley & Covey, 2017). This trend has pushed young adults to want to be a part of the “thinspo.” A significant number of young women promote motivational messages about positive feelings and self-worth that comes with being skinny. Thus, young adults with low self-esteem implement an overly low-carb diet as a means to gain the ideal body figures and be part of this trend. Most of them end up joining pro-eating disorders online communities as a means to address the self-reported loneliness and social isolation (Sidani et al., 2016). However, young people may not find the solution to their problems since these online groups tend to promote a shared identity of eating disorders.
Overall, social media has a direct influence on eating disorders among young adults. On these sites, young people seek the social connection that they lack in real-life. Besides, social media platforms provide convenience for fast feedback from peer groups. Attachment theory asserts that people who have emotional insecurities are likely to seek approval from the external locus of peer groups. Hence, social media serves as a means for health information, body image, and social connectedness. In most cases, famous individuals, communities, and hashtags promote unrealistic body images. As a result, young people who want to gain acceptance from other online users are likely to engage in unhealthy eating patterns.
References
Branley, D. B., & Covey, J. (2017). Pro-ana versus pro-recovery: A content analytic comparison of social media users’ communication about eating disorders on Twitter and Tumblr. Frontiers in Psychology , 8 , 1356. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01356
Derenne, J., & Beresin, E. (2018). Body image, media, and eating disorders—a 10-year update. Academic Psychiatry , 42 (1), 129-134. https://doi.org/1 0.1007/s40596-017-0832-z
Griffiths, S., Murray, S. B., Krug, I., & McLean, S. A. (2018). The contribution of social media to body dissatisfaction, eating disorder symptoms, and anabolic steroid use among sexual minority men. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking , 21 (3), 149-156. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2017.0375
Liu, C., & Ma, J. L. (2019). Adult attachment orientations and social networking site addiction: The mediating effects of online social support and the fear of missing out. Frontiers in Psychology , 10 . https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02629
Santarossa, S., & Woodruff, S. J. (2017). # SocialMedia: Exploring the relationship of social networking sites on body image, self-esteem, and eating disorders. Social Media+ Society , 3 (2), 2056305117704407.
Sidani, J. E., Shensa, A., Hoffman, B., Hanmer, J., & Primack, B. A. (2016). The association between social media use and eating concerns among US young adults. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics , 116 (9), 1465-1472. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2016.03.021
