Posting edited photos of the self: Increasing eating disorder risk or harmless behavior?

Abstract

Objective: Social media use has been implicated as a correlate and a cause of increased disordered eating (DE), but little is known about the impact of specific aspects of social media use, such as posting edited photos of the self. Utilizing a two-stage design, the present study sought to determine how posting edited photos relates to DE, as well as anxiety and depression symptoms, in male and female college students. Method: Stage 1 examined concurrent associations between posting edited photos and mental health measures in 2,485 undergraduates (76% female). Stage 2 examined causal associations between posting edited photos and eating disorder (ED) risk factors in 80 undergraduates (93% female) who endorsed posting edited photos in Stage 1 and volunteered for the experimental portion of the study.Results: In Stage 1, those who endorsed posting edited photos (n = 660; 27%) reported greater eating pathology and anxiety than those who did not, but no differences were found for depressive symptoms. In Stage 2, posting edited photos caused increased weight/shape concerns. Posting photos reinforced urges to exercise and restrict food intake and anxiety. Editing photos without posting caused an immediate decrease in weight/shape concerns and a delayed decrease in sadness.Discussion: Results support a consistent and direct link between posting edited photos and ED risk factors, suggesting that this is not a harmless behavior. Future work should explore the cumulative effects of this link to determine how specific uses of social media contribute to clinically meaningful outcomes. K E Y W O R D Sanxiety, body image, depression, disordered eating, social media

The effect of social media interventions on physical activity and dietary behaviours in young people and adults: a systematic review

“…With regards to design, 4 studies were randomised control trials (RCTs) [ 26 – 29 ], 3 mixed methods [ 30 – 32 ], 3 non-controlled before-after trials (NCBA) [ 33 – 35 ], 5 controlled before-and-after trial (CBA) [ 36 – 40 ], and 3 cross-sectional [ 37 , 39 , 41 ]. Most of the papers were published between 2017 and 2020 (13 of 16) [ 26 – 35 , 37 , 40 , 41 ], and included the following social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Twitter, and WeChat. Most data were collected within the USA (9 studies) [ 28 – 30 , 33 – 37 , 39 ], and 11 out of 18 studies targeted young adults aged between 18 and 35 years old [ 26 , 28 , 29 , 33 , 36 – 40 ] and eight included college/university students [ 28 , 33 , 36 – 40 ].…”

“…Most of the papers were published between 2017 and 2020 (13 of 16) [ 26 – 35 , 37 , 40 , 41 ], and included the following social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Twitter, and WeChat. Most data were collected within the USA (9 studies) [ 28 – 30 , 33 – 37 , 39 ], and 11 out of 18 studies targeted young adults aged between 18 and 35 years old [ 26 , 28 , 29 , 33 , 36 – 40 ] and eight included college/university students [ 28 , 33 , 36 – 40 ]. Five of the 18 studies targeted specific populations including primigravid women [ 34 ], adults at risk of colorectal cancer [ 30 ], nurses [ 32 ], and overweight or obese individuals [ 27 , 35 ].…”

“…Increase in mean minutes per week for physical activity during travel at follow up for control group (761.52 min to 1036.52 min) and intervention group (298.18 min to 496.35 min) (not statistically significant). West et al (2016) [ 37 ] USA N = 58 (81% Female); 19% Male) Mean Age (SD) = 21.6 (2.2 ) Ethnicity = 90% white; other ethnicities not reported Target Group = Students who were registered for undergraduate courses in health CBA (Controlled Quasi-experimental Study) Weight (self-reported through Wi-Fi scales provided), Physical activity (physical activity tracker for steps and miles walked), BMI (digital scales), Behavioural Weight Control Practices (28 item checklist) Medium: Facebook Type of Social Media: Interaction and Information- content related to how to maintain a healthy weight content was shared and posted, and group members interacted with one another. Control Group: Used Facebook but did not receive information on healthy weight maintenance.…”

Video chatting and appearance satisfaction during COVID‐19: Appearance comparisons and self‐objectification as moderators

“…For instance, social media plays a role in the development and maintenance of appearance concerns in females (Fardouly & Vartanian, 2016; Holland & Tiggemann, 2016), and time spent on social media is related to body dissatisfaction and disordered eating (i.e., Tiggemann & Slater, 2013, 2014; Wilksch, O'Shea, Ho, Byrne, & Wade, 2020). Furthermore, research notes that virtual photo‐based activities are linked to body dissatisfaction and eating pathology (Holland & Tiggemann, 2016; Slater, Varsani, & Diedrichs, 2017; Wick & Keel, 2020). There are several peculiarities to video chatting that suggest it may even cause greater risk for appearance concerns, including that it may be required rather than voluntary, it allows for real‐time viewing of oneself, and it has features that encourage the simultaneous comparison of one's appearance to others.…”

Problematic usage of the internet and eating disorders: a multifaceted, systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Various SNS have increasingly been used as sources of information and reinforcement regarding beauty and fitness ideals. On these platforms, users may be inclined to compare their physical attributes to unrealistic and unattainable body ideals (Tiggemann and Zaccardo, 2015; Wick and Keel, 2020). Concerns have been raised on how the use of SNS may be affecting the development or perseverance of eating disorders (Mingoia et al, 2017; Slater et al, 2019, 2017; Smith et al, 2013; Tiggemann and Miller, 2010; Tiggemann and Slater, 2017, 2013).…”