Blog Entry One: The Dangers of Pro-Ana Social Medial Content

What is anorexia and what causes it? Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder where the induvial tries to keep their weight low by extremely low calorie intakes and intense exercise which leads to a starvation effect on the body. Those who battle anorexia tend to also struggle with body dysmorphia – often seeing their body in a distorted way – and believe they are overweight even when their weight reaches dangerously low numbers. Other signs and symptoms of anorexia may include; Amenorrhoea, taking supplements to reduce appetite or weight, laxative and diuretic abuse, dizziness, hair loss and low body temperature/poor blood circulation. (NHS., 2018) Many factors can contribute to the development of eating disorders like anorexia. An article by Sabine Woerwag-Mehta and Janet Treasure (2008) details the many potential causes that could lead to anorexia. The factors are listed under categories such as genetics, neurodevelopment, personality traits, biological and sociocultural. Although it is important to consider all factors, the main concern at hand are those described as social factors. It is often easy to forget about the desperate strive for social acceptance in which is extremely important to individuals in current times. Those suffering with eating disorders such as anorexia however, are far more susceptible to the dangers of unhealthy encouragement to strive for said acceptance/perfection. The dangers of the online world – Applying cultivation theory Research suggests that social media is the main outlet by which beauty ideals are demonstrated. The idea of someone having the perfect image can result in low self-esteem and body dissatisfaction in those who use social networks such as Instagram, facebook, blogs, twitter and more. In a study by Jan-Philipp Stein, Elena Krause and Peter Ohler (2019), it is explained that the cultivation theory could explain how such medias have the power of influencing the way in which users perceive online content and the affects it has on them in the real world. Cultivation theory – founded by George Gerbner – correlates the impact that viewing media content has on viewers and opens up the idea that viewers start to align the online world with the real world as it warps their perceptions on what is real. As you can see, bodies, personas and beauty are often warped in the online world and if it is already this negative on regular social media outlets, how much of a negative affect can websites, blogs and social medias specifically designed for the sharing of pro-ana content have on an individual who is either suffering with anorexia or can be influenced into diving into the anorexia world? Pro-ana websites are often on the surface seen as a supportive community for those struggling with eating disorders. However, to the horror of experts, pro-ana communities are also being used to exchange advice, tips on how they lose weight quickly and the support of eating disorder behaviours from others who are going through the same issues. It is, in a sense, the mentally ill encouraging the mentally ill to continue with the dangerous behaviours and flaunt the beauty of these dangerously unhealthy bodies. (Brotsky, S., Giles, D., 2007) Current treatments are non-beneficial? Cognitive behavioural therapy is one of the leading treatments of anorexia nervosa. The CBT theory was developed by Dr. Aaron T. Beck and is classed as brief psychotherapy. This form of therapy specifically looks at the interactions between thoughts, feeling and behaviours and aims to find correlations among these factors. Studies however show that there is a disconnection between the research and treatment of eating disorder practice. A study conducted by Ygnvild Danielsen, Guro Rekkedal, Stein Frostad and Ute Kessler (2016) explains how many patients struggling with anorexia nervosa tend to drop out of cognitive behavioural therapy due to not finding it beneficial for them. The study also details how there is a missing link in supporting those who do not find CBT beneficial as it has not been investigated thoroughly. They highlight that the knowledge and investigation of these dropouts could act as a guide to improve or tailor new approaches to fit those who find CBT ineffective. The arguments detailed in the articles discussed above prove my argument that current treatment and underlying theories can be too inward looking. The treatments are all based in treatment facilities and forget the need for the promotion of said theories outside of these facilities. Those who are being influenced through their computer/phone screens are being forgotten, and it is my argument that experts and practitioners have a duty to care and safeguard individuals from the dangers of online communities.