Facebook use and negative body image among U.S. college women

Young women increasingly spend time with social media, but the relationship of this exposure to body image is still in the initial stages of exploration. This study used social comparison theory to examine the relationship between time spent on Facebook and body image. A survey of 881 U.S. college women was conducted in April-May 2013. Findings showed that 10.1% had posted about weight, body image, exercise or dieting, and 27.4% had commented on friends’ posts or photos. More time on Facebook related to more frequent body and weight comparisons, more attention to the physical appearance of others, and more negative feelings about their bodies for all women. For women who wanted to lose weight, more time on Facebook also related to more disordered eating symptoms

Hallucinogen-like actions of 2,5-dimethoxy-4-( n )-propylthiophenethylamine (2C-T-7) in mice and rats

Few studies have examined the effects of 2,5-dimethoxy-4-( n )-propylthiophenethylamine (2C-T-7) in vivo.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46369/1/213_2005_Article_9.pd

Media performance, agenda building, and democratization in East Africa

This chapter explores the topic of media performance, agenda building, and democratization in East Africa as part of communication and societies in transitio

The female body on social media

The essays in this chapter authored by communication scholars and professionals provide a range of perspectives on social media. The issues covered explore societal topics including the impact of social media on young women’s perceptions of their bodies and how social media both helps and hurts victims of sexual assault

Cross-national content analysis of the coverage of the 2008 Russia-Georgia conflict

This study compares media framing of the Russia-Georgia conflict across leading news outlets in Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Russia. A content analysis of 288 stories from eight news media outlets in these countries examined two major frames – reactionary depiction and partisan alignment. Results show that Russian and Ukrainian news outlets covered the conflict through the partisan alignment frame but with different categories from it. Romanian news outlets covered events with a reactionary depiction frame, while the Bulgarian news outlets covered the conflict with both frames

U.S. college women’s discursive construction of body image on social media

Women often observe one another’s bodies through real-life interactions or media exposure. As observations are internalised, women begin to analyse the bodies of others, and their own, as physical objects rather than a part of themselves, a process called self-objectification (Frederickson & Roberts, 1997). Self-objectification correlates with depression, body shame, and disordered eating (Harrison & Fredrickson, 2003). Also common among young women is fat talk: negative comments about your body’s size and shape. This mutual disparagement is widespread on campuses, as 93% of women have done it with friends (Salk & Engeln-Maddox, 2011). Much interpersonal and group interaction now occurs through social media. However, researchers have yet to examine how women discuss their bodies in this new environment. The present study fills this void by examining how U.S. college women discuss their bodies on Facebook. Women at a large Midwestern university in USA were surveyed in April-May 2013. about Participants were asked open-ended qualitative questions about frequency and content of posts about their weight, body image, dieting or weight loss as part of a larger study. In all, 881 women completed the survey, 77% (n = 678) were undergraduate. Average age was 23.8 (SD = 7.3). Most (86.8%, n = 766) had not posted on their Timeline about weight, body image, dieting or weight loss in the past month. The rest had done it, averaging 4.1 updates a month and 10% of their posts. Ninety-five comments were provided describing participants’ last post and 93 comments described a typical post. These 188 comments were analysed for common themes. Popular topics of last and typical posts were similar: exercise (35.4-35.9%), weight loss (24-26.1%), and food/diet (18.8-25.8%). Many posts about exercise discussed starting new workout programs (“trying a new spinning class with one of my friends”) or achievements (“how far I ran”). Weight loss was discussed in terms of plans (“Thinking about losing weight”) or results (“My pants getting loser”). Food/diet often discussed healthy alternatives (“Trying a new healthy meal recipe”) or starting a diet. Information about typical posts, last posts and reasons for posting was combined and examined for evidence of fat talk. Overall, 24 women (21.6%) participated in fat talk through posts such as “How mad I was at myself for letting myself gain so much weight …”; “how I wish I was taller”; “making fun of own weight”, etc. Overall, fat talk on Facebook seemed less common than in offline communication. Although losing weight and changing their bodies is a major preoccupation of women, posts present a better-rounded and more positive picture of body talk compared to previous research. This slightly different focus may be because Facebook is a unique platform often used to present one’s best self forward. Or fat talk may be a private behaviour only shared in close groups. Further, one’s list on Facebook contains friends, colleagues, family, potential or past dating partners, which requires a different mode of self-representation than in interpersonal offline communication, where such comments typically occur

Facebook use, disordered eating and body image among college women in the United States

American women are constantly bombarded with images of how their bodies should look. As women internalize these messages, they yearn to adjust their bodies. Body dissatisfaction occurs as body image becomes more critical and negative (Kilbourne, 1994), which often leads to disordered eating and increases the risk of being overweight or developing an eating disorder (Neumark-Sztainer et al., 2011). The focus on the body is compounded by college women’s extensive use of Facebook. Young women share more photos on Facebook than older women or men (Stefanone, Lackaff, & Rosen, 2011). Women are 3.5 times more likely to make a Facebook post about their weight than men (Kolpa & Moreno, 2011). Thus, Facebook may propagate body image dissatisfaction. Theoretical framework: This study uses Social Comparison Theory (SCT) and Objectification Theory. According to SCT, people evaluate themselves by comparing to others in print, film, or real life. With constant status updates and photos, Facebook allows analyzing friends and comparing to them. According to Objectification Theory, women are often sexually objectified. When perception of one’s body falls short of the societal standard, body shame develops (Tylka & Hill, 2004), which can incentivize women to change through disordered eating habits (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997). Research objectives: This study examines: 1) how college women feel about their bodies; 2) how often they use Facebook to discuss weight, body image or exercise; 3) the relationship between time spent on Facebook and body image. Methodology: It is based on a survey of 650 to 700 undergraduate college women (ages 18-25) at two large public universities in the United States. A snapshot pilot survey among 31 college freshman women is reported below as a justification for the large analysis, which will be presented at the 2013 IAMCR Convention. Findings: The pilot survey shows that only 17% of respondents felt satisfied with their body. Yet, 80% had a healthy weight. Further, 16% had an ideal weight that is unhealthy by medical standards. Almost all women (94%) had considered dieting to control their weight since arrival to college and 72% were skipping meals on purpose. But 89% considered their eating habits normal. The largest group (42%) reported spending 1-2 hours daily on Facebook. Most did not post about their weight, body image, or exercise habits. When using Facebook, 77% spend most time analyzing pages of friends, and 77% have felt negatively about themselves after looking at a friend’s page. Furthermore, 61% are using Facebook to develop ideologies of how to act and dress. Interpretations of the larger survey will be based on multivariate statistical analyses and will primarily report predictors we established in the snapshot data. Conclusion: Facebook seems to play some role in the way college women perceive their bodies. The relationships between Facebook use and body image are expected to strengthen as the sample size of the study increases

Facebook and college women’s bodies : disordered eating, body image and social media

This paper focuses on disordered eating, body image and social media amongst college wome