Social networking sites have positive effects on people with eating disorders

Nov 30 2013

Social networking sites, such as Instagram have traditionally been believed to have a negative effect on people with eating disorders, but new research from Griffith’s School of Public Health has found that may not be the case.

The research has found sites can provide new and unique opportunities for people with eating disorders to connect and discuss their condition, keeping communication pathways open when traditional relationships are not working.

Researchers Tristan Duncan, Dr Bernadette Sebar and Dr Jessica Lee sought to address the gap by identifying the role, social media platforms serve for individuals with eating disorders.

The team will be presenting their findings this week, at one of Australia’s largest medical research conferences, the Gold Coast Health and Medical Research Conference.

“The study involved the observation of user profiles located on Instagram. We analysed a variety of content, including image posts, captions, hashtags, comments and interactions as a means of uncovering the function of content-based social networking services for individuals with eating disorders,” says Mr Duncan.

“We found that as an online space, Instagram allows the user to transcend the barriers that repress the individual and empowers them with the ability to manage their own identity within a broader society that seeks to strip it away.

“The users are active and willing protagonists in the formation of this identity, rather than passive victims of what is often termed a ‘destructive’ or ‘delinquent’ community.

“Through these channels, one’s eating disorder identity can be effectively expressed, validated and projected in a virtual community built upon, and embracing of, eating disorders.

“Our findings emphasise the potential for these online spaces to provide the support, acceptance, and understanding that is denied in the offline world. A failure to acknowledge the potential therapeutic benefits of social networking services may result in the neglect of a highly valuable opportunity to reach and assist those with eating disorders.”