Main Article Content
Abstract
In the vortex of virtual mirrors, young adults find themselves at the epicentre of body ideals and dietary trends. This study examines the relationship between social media, body image and eating behaviours of urban young adults in Mumbai. It explores usage patterns, analyses the impact of body-centric content on perceptions and behaviours, and assesses the youth’s awareness of social media’s potential influence on eating disorders and mental health. The primary empirical data were collected through an online survey, utilizing a semi-structured questionnaire from 360 respondents in Mumbai who were selected based on specific criteria, i.e. aged 15 – 29 years and regularly use social media. This study found that social media has become the foreground of body image ideals, weight loss endeavours, and dieting trends which are not necessarily fact-based. The practice of photo editing, dietary changes, and the act of comparing oneself to others on social media are prevalent among respondents. These findings provide insights into the complex role of social media in young adults’ lives, underscoring the need for targeted interventions and fostering responsible online behaviours through media literacy.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Ms. Ashwathi Anilkumar
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References
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- Curtis, R. G., Prichard, I., Gosse, G., Stankevicius, A., & Maher, C. A. (2023, March 2). Hashtag fitspiration: credibility screening and content analysis of Instagram fitness accounts. BMC Public Health, 1-7. Retrieved from https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-023-15232-7?trk=public_post_comment-text#Sec9
- Derenne, J., & Beresin, E. (2017, October 18). Body Image, Media, and Eating Disorders-a 10-Year Update. Academic Psychiatry, 42(1), 129-134. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40596-017-0832-z
- Forbes Advisor. (2023, August 4). Top Social Media Statistics And Trends Of 2023. India. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/advisor/in/business/social-media-statistics/#social_media_and_mental_health_statistics
- Griffiths, S., Murray, S. B., Krug, I., & McLean, S. A. (2018, January 24). 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. Retrieved from https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089%2Fcyber.2017.0375
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- Jiotsa, B., Naccache, B., Duval, M., Rocher, B., & Grall-Bronnec, M. (2021, March 11). Social Media Use and Body Image Disorders: Association between Frequency of Comparing One’s Own Physical Appearance to That of People Being Followed on Social Media and Body Dissatisfaction and Drive for Thinness. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(6). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8001450/
- Kircaburun, K., Yurdagül, C., Kuss, D., Emirtekin, E., & Griffiths, M. D. (2020, May 21). Problematic Mukbang Watching and Its Relationship to Disordered Eating and Internet Addiction: A Pilot Study Among Emerging Adult Mukbang Watchers. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 19(6), 2161-2169. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11469-020-00309-w#Sec5
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- Mehendale-Bhosale, R. (2023, August 09). Social Media's Influence on Young Adults' Body Image and Eating Behaviour.
- Morris, A. M., & Katzman, D. K. (2003). The impact of the media on eating disorders in children and adolescents. Paediatrics & Child Health (PCH), 287-289. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2792687/
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- Pater, J., Reining, L., Miller, A. D., Toscos, T., & Mynat, E. D. (2019). "Notjustgirls": Exploring Male-related Eating Disordered Content across Social Media Platforms. CHI '19: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1–13). Glasgow: Association for Computing Machinery. Retrieved from https://researchrepository.parkviewhealth.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1046&context=mirro-articles
- Rodgers, R. F. (2016, October 7). The Relationship Between Body Image Concerns, Eating Disorders and Internet Use, Part II: An Integrated Theoretical Model. Adolescent Research Review, 1(2), 121–137. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40894-015-0017-5#Abs1
- Siddegowda, S., Sharma, M. K., Satyanarayan, V. H., & Thakur, P. C. (2022). Making the body public: Implications of the new standards of body-image. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 799-802. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35786063/
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- The Times of India. (2023, August 2). Canadian woman hospitalized after drinking too much water for ‘75 Hard’ challenge; had severe sodium deficiency. Mumbai, Maharashtra, India: Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Retrieved from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/canadian-woman-hospitalized-after-drinking-too-much-water-for-75-hard-challenge-had-severe-sodium-deficiency/articleshow/102344833.cms?from=mdr
- The Times of India. (2023, April 21). YouTube introduces strict rules for videos promoting eating disorders. Mumbai, Maharashtra, India: Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Retrieved from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/gadgets-news/youtube-introduces-strict-rules-for-videos-promoting-eating-disorders/articleshow/99667227.cms
- Vaidyanathan, S., Kuppili, P. P., & Menon, V. (2019). Eating Disorders: An Overview of Indian Research. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, 311-217. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6657488/pdf/IJPsyM-41-311.pdf
- World Health Organization. (July). Global Principles for Identifying Credible Sources of Health Information on Social Media. Digital Health and Innovation. Online: World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved from https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/digital-health-documents/final_global-principles-for-identifying-credible-sources-of-health-information-on-social-media.pdf?sfvrsn=18f47c78_14&download=true
References
Bedayn, J. (2023, March 23). New state laws aim to tackle surge in eating disorders. Denver: Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Retrieved from www.pbs.org/newshour/health/new-state-laws-aim-to-tackle-surge-in-eating-disorders
Curtis, R. G., Prichard, I., Gosse, G., Stankevicius, A., & Maher, C. A. (2023, March 2). Hashtag fitspiration: credibility screening and content analysis of Instagram fitness accounts. BMC Public Health, 1-7. Retrieved from https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-023-15232-7?trk=public_post_comment-text#Sec9
Derenne, J., & Beresin, E. (2017, October 18). Body Image, Media, and Eating Disorders-a 10-Year Update. Academic Psychiatry, 42(1), 129-134. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40596-017-0832-z
Forbes Advisor. (2023, August 4). Top Social Media Statistics And Trends Of 2023. India. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/advisor/in/business/social-media-statistics/#social_media_and_mental_health_statistics
Griffiths, S., Murray, S. B., Krug, I., & McLean, S. A. (2018, January 24). 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. Retrieved from https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089%2Fcyber.2017.0375
Harrop, E. N. (2023). Eating Disorders, Gender, and Fat: Theorizing the Fat Body in Feminist Theories of Eating Disorders. In A. E. Farrell, The Contemporary Reader of Gender and Fat Studies (1st ed., pp. 167-186). London: Routledge. Retrieved from https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-edit/10.4324/9781003140665/contemporary-reader-gender-fat-studies-amy-erdman-farrell?refId=83e95195-2d30-4491-84ba-fbc6e547184d&context=ubx
Hindustan Times. (2023, August 1). Vegan raw food influencer Zhanna D’Art ‘starves to death', had restricted herself to exotic fruit diet. Mumbai, Maharashtra, India: HT Media. Retrieved from https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/vegan-raw-food-influencer-zhanna-d-art-starves-to-death-had-restricted-herself-to-exotic-fruit-diet-101690869992282.html
Jiotsa, B., Naccache, B., Duval, M., Rocher, B., & Grall-Bronnec, M. (2021, March 11). Social Media Use and Body Image Disorders: Association between Frequency of Comparing One’s Own Physical Appearance to That of People Being Followed on Social Media and Body Dissatisfaction and Drive for Thinness. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(6). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8001450/
Kircaburun, K., Yurdagül, C., Kuss, D., Emirtekin, E., & Griffiths, M. D. (2020, May 21). Problematic Mukbang Watching and Its Relationship to Disordered Eating and Internet Addiction: A Pilot Study Among Emerging Adult Mukbang Watchers. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 19(6), 2161-2169. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11469-020-00309-w#Sec5
Lai, S. (2022, February 24). How do we solve social media’s eating disorder problem? Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-do-we-solve-social-medias-eating-disorder-problem/#:~:text=Communities%20of%20eating%20disorder%20enthusiasts,the%20glorification%20of%20eating%20disorders.
Mehendale-Bhosale, R. (2023, August 09). Social Media's Influence on Young Adults' Body Image and Eating Behaviour.
Morris, A. M., & Katzman, D. K. (2003). The impact of the media on eating disorders in children and adolescents. Paediatrics & Child Health (PCH), 287-289. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2792687/
National Institute of Mental Health. (2015, May 23). Eating Disorders. Retrieved from National Institute of Mental Health: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/eating-disorders
Olivardia, R., Pope, H. G., Borowiecki, J. J., & Cohane, G. H. (2004, July). Biceps and Body Image: The Relationship Between Muscularity and Self-Esteem, Depression, and Eating Disorder Symptoms. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 5(2), 112–120. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Roberto-Olivardia/publication/232568124_Biceps_and_Body_Image_The_Relationship_Between_Muscularity_and_Self-Esteem_Depression_and_Eating_Disorder_Symptoms/links/548552d50cf2437065c9cbce/Biceps-and-Body-Image-The-Relati
Pater, J., Reining, L., Miller, A. D., Toscos, T., & Mynat, E. D. (2019). "Notjustgirls": Exploring Male-related Eating Disordered Content across Social Media Platforms. CHI '19: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1–13). Glasgow: Association for Computing Machinery. Retrieved from https://researchrepository.parkviewhealth.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1046&context=mirro-articles
Rodgers, R. F. (2016, October 7). The Relationship Between Body Image Concerns, Eating Disorders and Internet Use, Part II: An Integrated Theoretical Model. Adolescent Research Review, 1(2), 121–137. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40894-015-0017-5#Abs1
Siddegowda, S., Sharma, M. K., Satyanarayan, V. H., & Thakur, P. C. (2022). Making the body public: Implications of the new standards of body-image. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 799-802. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35786063/
Statista Market Insights. (2023, July 31). Social network user penetration in India from 2018 to 2020, with estimates until 2028. India. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/240960/share-of-indian-population-using-social-networks/
The Times of India. (2023, August 2). Canadian woman hospitalized after drinking too much water for ‘75 Hard’ challenge; had severe sodium deficiency. Mumbai, Maharashtra, India: Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Retrieved from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/canadian-woman-hospitalized-after-drinking-too-much-water-for-75-hard-challenge-had-severe-sodium-deficiency/articleshow/102344833.cms?from=mdr
The Times of India. (2023, April 21). YouTube introduces strict rules for videos promoting eating disorders. Mumbai, Maharashtra, India: Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Retrieved from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/gadgets-news/youtube-introduces-strict-rules-for-videos-promoting-eating-disorders/articleshow/99667227.cms
Vaidyanathan, S., Kuppili, P. P., & Menon, V. (2019). Eating Disorders: An Overview of Indian Research. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, 311-217. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6657488/pdf/IJPsyM-41-311.pdf
World Health Organization. (July). Global Principles for Identifying Credible Sources of Health Information on Social Media. Digital Health and Innovation. Online: World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved from https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/digital-health-documents/final_global-principles-for-identifying-credible-sources-of-health-information-on-social-media.pdf?sfvrsn=18f47c78_14&download=true