What are People’s Experiences of Orthorexia Nervosa, as Described in Online Blogs?

This thesis also includes a systematic review entitled: What is the Relationship between Vegetarianism and Eating Pathology? A Systematic Literature Review Abstract: Recent trends in dieting have placed more emphasis on an individual’s responsibility for healthy and moral eating, and seen a rise in food group elimination diets. Vegetarianism (the elimination of meat and animal products) is becoming more mainstream in the UK, yet there is debate whether vegetarianism can serve as a way of hiding disordered eating, providing an acceptable reason for food restriction and restraint. To date, there is mixed evidence as to whether there is a relationship between vegetarianism and disordered eating, and if so, what the nature of this relationship might be. This systematic literature review aimed to look at existing research examining the relationship between vegetarianism and eating pathology. A search was carried out in four key electronic databases, and four relevant journals. 662 records were identified, and 24 (comprising 26 relevant studies) were retained after data screening. Findings suggest an increased prevalence of vegetarianism amongst eating disorder patients compared with controls, and higher rates of self-reported disordered eating amongst vegetarians compared with non-vegetarians in non-clinical samples. Nevertheless, research to date is limited by over-reliance on convenience sampling in mainly female non-clinical populations, and poor operationalisation of vegetarianism. Future research would benefit from clearer definitions of vegetarianism and its subgroups, more qualitative research exploring individual’s experiences and perspectives, and more diverse samples. Research classifying subgroups based on their motivation for restriction would also be helpful, as it is likely that the reasons for dietary restrictions, as well as the foods that are restricted, are important in predicting eating pathology. Keywords: Vegetarianism, Eating Pathology, Eating Disorder, Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Orthorexia NervosaOrthorexia Nervosa (ON) is the term for a proposed new eating disorder, used to describe a pathological obsession with healthy or ‘clean’ eating. For individuals with ON, the obsession with eating ‘healthy’ foods, and the elimination of foods considered ‘unhealthy’ or ‘impure’, results in impairment to social, physical, occupational and/or other areas of functioning. Whilst there is still debate as to whether ON describes a distinct eating disorder, and there is no consensus around diagnostic criteria as yet, ON is an emerging topic for research, with more cases coming to light both clinically, and in the media. Although some quantitative research has been carried out in ON, particularly focusing on the measurement and prevalence rates of this proposed disorder, no qualitative studies have been published to date to explore individuals’ personal experiences of ON. Thus, for this project, 40 pre-existing blog entries describing first-person experiences of ON from fifteen women bloggers were analysed using thematic analysis. Five key themes were identified: 1) confusion around diagnosis, 2) initial motivations for a healthier lifestyle, 3) fuelling the problem- social influences, 4) when healthy becomes unhealthy…, and 5) avoidance, isolation and compensation. The clinical implications of these findings were explored, particularly focusing on the social context of ON, diagnostic crossover between ON and other eating disorders, and the role of fear, perfectionism and perceived control. Whilst the debate around the diagnosis of ON continues, these bloggers’ accounts suggest that ON is experienced as a legitimate and debilitating disorder, worthy of clinical and research investigation in its own right

The Role of Spatial Interaction in Social Networks

This article addresses the role of spatial interaction in social networks. We analyse empirical data describing a network of leisure contacts and show that the probability to accept a person as a contact scales in distance with similar to d (-aEuro parts per thousand 1.4). Moreover, the analysis reveals that the number of contacts an individual possesses is independent from its spatial location and the spatial distribution of opportunities. This means that individuals living in areas with a low accessibility to other persons (rural areas) exhibit at average the same number of contacts compared to individuals living in areas with high accessibility (urban areas). Low accessibility is thus compensated with a higher background probability to accept other candidates as social contacts. In addition, we propose a model for large-scale social networks involving a spatial and social interaction between individuals. Simulation studies are conducted using a synthetic population based on census data as input. The results show that the model is capable of reproducing the spatial structure, but, however, fails to reproduce other topological characteristics. Both, the analysis of empirical data and the simulation results provide a further evidence that spatial interaction is a crucial aspect of social networks. Yet, it appears that spatial proximity does only explain the spatial structure of a network but has no significant impact on its topology

Uncovering ED: A Qualitative Analysis of Personal Blogs Managed by Individuals with Eating Disorders

Previous studies have investigated the potential harmful effects of pro-eating disorder (ED) websites. Websites, such as personal blogs, may contain eating disorder content that may hold important information as well and must be considered. Fifteen blogs hosted by the site “Tumblr” were qualitatively analyzed. Each blog owner was anonymous and all were female. Ten main themes were extracted using grounded theory: interaction, negative self-worth, mind and body disturbances, pictures, eating disorders, suicide, diet, exercise, stats, and recovery. Additional themes also appeared in the study. Results indicate that although each individual blog is unique to its owner, common concepts existed among the majority. The implications for the information in the ED blogs and directions for future research are discussed

Making energy visible: sociopsychological aspects associated with the use of smart meters

This study aims to improve the understanding of the sociopsychological and technological aspects that influence the use of smart meters—innovative electricity meters that provide real-time data on consumption and are instrumental in increasing energy efficiency. Few studies have examined the sociopsychological factors that influence their use. We argue that the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and other specific factors from the social psychology literature, such as perceived procedural justice and risk perception, can help understand what determines the use of smart meters. To empirically examine that, first a quantitative survey was conducted with 515 households with smart meters installed. Results indicate that smart meter use is influenced by subjective norms, perceived utility, health-related risk perception, procedural justice, and time of usage. In a second study, internet blogs discussing smart meters were analyzed. This study corroborated some of the results of the first study and suggested additional factors—such as perceived distributive injustice and loss of control and privacy-related risk perception—that may influence the use of smart meters.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

On making disability in rural places more visible: challenges and opportunities [Introduction to a special issue]

This essay prefaces a special issue of the Journal of Rural Studies (JRS) concerned with a sub-field of inquiry that might be termed the rural geography of disability, addressing multiple dimensions of disability, physical and mental, associated with life in rural localities (as conventionally identified). Drawing on three vignettes where rurality and disability co-mingle, the authors explore both bad and good rurals with respect to disability: meaning properties of rural areas that can generate, exacerbate or stigmatise disability, on the one hand, and qualities of rural environments that may prevent, alleviate or mollify disability, on the other. Through a brief review of papers in JRS where disability has made an appearance, together with references across to relevant studies elsewhere, this essay lays the groundwork for a rural geography of disability as well as serving to introduce the papers that follow in the special issue

New Voices: What Works

Reviews grantees' accomplishments in building community news sites, keys to sustainability, and lessons learned about engagement, staffing, business models, social media, technology, partnerships, and limitations of university, youth, and radio projects

Refractive Spatialisation: The Digital Picturesque, the Online-Reality Gap and Gentrification in Seoul

Building on the work of Henri Lefebvre, this research introduces the concept of refractive spatialisation in describing and articulating the deep interconnections between urbanisation, online space, social practices, and the relational (re)making of place-images as a result of technological innovations in information, communications and vehicles. The concept is coined in reference to the process through which symbolic space (online blog spaces) and physical space (the built environment) become co-dependent and co-generative in terms of rapid urban transformations driven by the touristification of previously mundane spaces. In relation to Seoul, South Korea these processes are shown to alter the built environment and drive processes of gentrification in tandem with state-led infrastructure projects: Airport Railroad Express (AREX) and Gyeongui Line Forest Park (GLFP). Focusing on Yeonnam- dong (total population of 15,769), a neighbourhood of Seoul, the research shows how urban regeneration, the consumption tastes of competitive young urbanites, and the representation and rearrangement of place-images online (led by online influencers) interact in the re- making of place. This involves a transformation in the place-image of Yeonnam-dong from an everyday “hidden”, working-class neighbourhood to an Instagrammable space produced and re-valued in relation to other places. The thesis analyses urban regeneration efforts in Yeonnam-dong from 2010-2018, online blog data (2,425 posts)) over the same period, and qualitative interviews with 42 interviewees from six categories: 1) 20-30s millennials; 2) Business owners and artists; 3) Property experts and local agencies; 4) Blog influencers; 5) Local residents; and 6) Seoul Metropolitan Government officials. The research articulates a new process of the uneven production of contemporary urban space influenced by the reconfiguration of spatial characteristics, property values, economic systems, social practices, and online imagery and preferences, based on the symbolic and information economy in post-industrial cities. In the new process of gentrifying Yeonnam-dong, refractive spatialisation functions as a key driver for interconnecting spatial change with new practices (aesthetic tourism and the digital picturesque), flows (selective online data of translocal representations), and logic (capitalist dynamics of aesthetic and hyper-realistic space triggered by the gap between online images and physical spaces – the online-reality gap)

Social Media as a Medium to Promote Local Perception Expression in China’s World Heritage Sites

The assessment of public participation is one of the most fundamental components of holistic and sustainable cultural heritage management. Since the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic became a catalyst for the transformation of participatory tools. Collaboration with stakeholders moved online due to the strict restrictions preventing on-site activities. This phenomenon provided an opportunity to formulate more comprehensive and reasonable urban heritage protection strategies. However, very few publications mentioned how social networking sites’ data could support humanity-centred heritage management and participatory evaluation. Taking five World Cultural Heritage Sites as research samples, the study provides a methodology to evaluate online participatory practices in China through Weibo, a Chinese-originated social media platform. The data obtained were analysed from three perspectives: the users’ information, the content of texts, and the attached images. As shown in the results section, individuals’ information is described by gender, geo-location, celebrities, and Key Opinion Leaders. To a greater extent, participatory behaviour emerges at the relatively primary levels, that being “informing and consulting”. According to the label detection of Google Vision, residents paid more attention to buildings, facades, and temples in the cultural heritage sites. The research concludes that using social media platforms to unveil interplays between digital and physical heritage conservation is feasible and should be widely encouraged