Social media, body image and eating disorders
could account for the sharp increase and it is more probable that it is the result of a new external factor, such as social media.
Cultural cues
The causes of eating disorders are complex and often intertwined, what might be true for one patient could be the opposite for another. The most common and generally accepted causes are body dissatisfaction, internalization of an ideal thinness, peer and familial influence, low self-esteem and perceived lack of control. 12 I will explore the links between these accepted causes and social media. I also conducted my own online survey which I distributed among my friends at Dulwich College, an all-boys school, and my friends at JAGS, an all-girls school. I hoped that this would create a more representative sample size although age, demographic and location are all limiting factors tomy results as they are both private schools in south-west London. I used my survey to try to find evidence about social media usage among adolescents, the prevalence of eating disorders and people’s knowledge about them. An interesting study, researched by Bengu Erguner-Tekinalp and Catherine Wilson Gillespie, 13 highlighted that the causes of eating disorders, at least from the view of medical practitioners, change from country to country, and cultural attitudes exert a large influence. In their study they found that in Turkey more emphasis was placed on peer and parental pressure, while in the United States lack of perceived control and interpersonal insecurities were more important. We must remember this throughout any analysis of eating disorders and be mindful that most of the research and data I will base my conclusions on is collected within western countries and may not be applicable beyond them. However, the discovery that culture plays such an important part of the epidemiology of eating disorder gives credence to my argument that social media has a strong influence on eating disorders, as it is a direct expression of culture and contains many of the cultural norms and pressures that exist in physical interactions.
Digital explosion
The focal point for my social media research is Instagram because it is the most popular social media platform for girls, 14 while for boys it is the second most popular after Facebook. It is primarily a photo sharing platform with each user having their own curated page, but also functions as chat service, allowing for private messages and group chats. It is the perfect example of new digital media, as it allows users to consume and create content, not only passively view it. This interactive element is one
12 Erguner-Tekinalp, B., & Gillespie, C. (2010). Mental Health Practitioners' Professional Opinions of Etiology of Eating Disorders: A Cross-Cultural Study. International Journal of Mental Health, 39 (3), 68-87. Retrieved March 7, 2020, fromwww.jstor.org/stable/41345329 . 13 Bullard, Jamie. (2019) Teens use these social media platform the most Available at: https://today.yougov.com/topics/lifestyle/articles-reports/2019/10/25/teens-social-media-use-online- surveypoll-youth (Accessed: 29/03/20).
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