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Showing posts from March, 2020

Social media, body image and cognition

Being a millennial living in the 21th century comes down to two things: Internet and technology. No less than 86% of internet use is dedicated to social media, while 30% of these users are between the age of 16 and 30. But, how reliable is what we see on social media? And most importantly, how does it impact those growing up and their view on life? One of the most alarming sites we can find online are those called “Pro-Ana (Anorexia) and Pro-Mia (Bulimia)” favouring and doing apology for the eating disorders. Just between 2006 and 2010 there was a 470% increase in the number of these websites. How does this affect teenagers going online and potentially receiving these types of messages? It has been proved in scientific literature that there is a correlation between being exposed to these kinds of messages and developing or presenting a negative evaluation of one’s body and body dissatisfaction. Even so, messages like #Thinspo or #thispo promoting the ideal of thinness kee