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  • Essay / Social Media as a Cause of Body Dissatisfaction and Eating Disorders

    Since the Internet's inception in 1900, its growth has been exponential. The Internet has become a universal source of information for millions of people (Murphy & Roser, 2017). Although body dissatisfaction has been shown to mediate the relationship between exposure to traditional media (television and magazines) and disordered eating (Stice, Schupak-Neuberg, & Shaw, 1994), little research has been conducted to measure the relationship between Internet use and eating disorders. symptomatology. Some studies have provided initial evidence of the relationship between Internet use and disordered eating behaviors, mediated by body dissatisfaction (Tiggemann & Slater, 2014). These findings are consistent with sociocultural theory, which posits that Western society promotes the ideal of thinness and that this is portrayed in the media, family members, and peers (Thompson & Heinberg, 1999). Attempting to look like media models and achieve that ultra-thin physique can lead women to body dissatisfaction, dieting, and ultimately eating disorders (Rodgers, Chabrol, & Paxton, 2011). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayAs mentioned earlier, objectification theory suggests that society tells women to view themselves as an object and internalize the objectifying gaze of society (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997). Media presents objectifying content and promotes self-objectification in individuals, and research has shown that traditional media is associated with an increase in self-objectification (Harper & Tiggemann, 2007). Self-objectification is a predictor of eating disorder symptoms (Noll & Fredrickson, 1998), and use of networking sites has been associated with self-objectification (De Vries & Peter, 2013). Individuals attempt to present a desirable image of themselves, they do this by selectively presenting certain aspects of themselves to others, this is suggested by impression management theory (Leary, 1992). This theory hypothesizes that individuals with higher levels of body image avoidance and disordered eating will favor social interactions because they have greater control over their self-presentations (Caplan, 2007 ). Additionally, body image avoidance has been associated with disordered eating behaviors, and experiential body image avoidance has been found to mediate the relationship between body dissatisfaction and disorder symptoms. diet (Timko et. al., 2014). These three theories have been tested. in a study conducted by Melioli, Rodgers, Rodrigues & Chabrol (2015), where they explored the relationship between Internet use and bulimic symptoms within these theoretical frameworks, and found that Internet use and Social media, in particular, tempts individuals to become active users by being constantly connected to their social circle, regularly posting photos and new statuses on different networks. The idea of ​​having one's virtual image examined and evaluated by others can increase feelings of self-objectification. Additionally, the ability to control one's online presentation and selectively present the most positive aspects of oneself may lead to the gradual creation of an "online self", which may be closer to social or media ideals than the individual really is. . Furthermore, this study found that body shame and body image avoidance represent »., 2013).