Lillian Donovan

UWRT
Final Research Paper

Influence. The capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force

on or produce effects on the actions, behaviors, opinions, etc., of others. Growing up we
experience influence with almost every decision we make; whether it comes from our
parents, our friends, our teachers, or more presently the media. Television, Facebook, and
Magazines are all forms of media that influence and affect our lives in more ways than
we know. We rely on these sources for updates on news, fashion tips, and use it for easy
access to connect with people all around the world. While these can offer us with many
benefits, the negative aspects are just as abundant. Although many may not recognize a
direct link, the correlation between social media and teenagers with eating disorders is
ever present.
Over 80% of Americans watch TV daily (Media 2015). In addition to that, we are
constantly checking our smartphones, playing video games, or surfing the web in any free
time we can find. The amount of technology in the world available to us is rising daily.
Along with the increase of technology, comes the increase in access for our younger
generations. You now see toddlers playing on ipads, preschoolers glued to the gaming
system, and elementary school children with the latest iPhones. While having children so

tech-savvy at a young age can improve learning in many ways, it has shown that it can
also lead to side effects most people dont expect.
Teenage years and young adulthood is a point in most peoples lives where they
are still trying to figure out who they are as a person and what they want to make of
themselves. It is an age of curiosity, new things, and most importantly influence. The
mass media is a business just like any other. Their intent is to sell as much product as
possible and reach as many audiences they can. So why not target the younger generation
who is desperately seeking a pathway to perfection? Over time the media has created
this ideal body image making it so that anyone who doesnt completely align feels as
though they have something to fix or improve upon. The majority of advertisements on
television revolve around the beauty industry. Whether it is the newest way to lose weight
fast, which makeup will give you the best results, or which plastic surgeon can perform
the most unnoticeable nose job, there is constantly a reminder present.
When young women and men feel the pressure to match up to the unrealistic
standards put forth by the media, they often result to drastic measures. According to the
National Eating Disorder Association it is estimated that about 81 percent of 10 year olds
are afraid of becoming fat (Nordqvist 2015). Anorexia Nervosa can be defined as an
eating disorder that is characterized by intense fear of gaining weight, a distorted selfimage, a persistent unwillingness to eat, and extremely low body weight. The disorder
typically begins for most people during their teen years or early adulthood and is known
as the third most common chronic illness among teenagers (Nordqvist 2015). Bulimia is
another common eating disorder. It occurs when a person has an episode of binge eating,
followed by feelings of guilt and shame, which can then result in self-induced vomiting

or fasting in an effort to prevent weight-gain (Bulimia 2015). This then brings about the
important question of, why they feel as though they weigh too much? Or eat too much in
the first place?
A recent study conducted by three professors at the University of Haifa, shows a
correlation between the amount of time spent on Facebook and the likelihood that a
young girl will develop an eating disorder. Professors Yael Latzer, Ruth Katz, and Zohar
Spivak started out with a sample of 248 girls ranging from the ages of 12-19. They asked
the girls to provide information based on their Internet habits and the amount of time they
spend watching television shows pertaining to body image. In addition they filled out
questionnaires about their knowledge of ideal body weight and eating disorders. After
reviewing the results of the sum 248 girls, they came to the conclusion that the girls who
spent more time surfing through Facebook were more likely to suffer from an eating
disorder or show characteristics of a borderline condition (University 2011).
While it is hard to pinpoint a single cause, research such as this makes the link
between body dissatisfaction and media increasingly clear. Social media websites such as
instagram, twitter, and Tumblr tend to affect more of the younger adults. The teenagers of
todays society have grown up in the age where technology has been increasingly present,
making them more accustomed to the constant Internet availability and social media
checking. Some research indicates that the majority of pressure to become skinnier or fit
a certain mold can come from fellow peers. Making the social media cites a sort of
gateway for people to judge and compare themselves to others. One example in particular
deals with the fad of having a bikini bridge. Exactly, Im sure your first response is
what the heck is that? It started out on social media as a sort of Internet prank, in an effort

to show how crazy it is, and ended up turning in to a public trend (Social 2015). This just
shows how quickly our society is to copy and go off of what they think is put forth by the
media, or what they think the majority of other people are doing. The most startling part
about the majority of pictures we see in advertisements is that they have been corrected,
airbrushed, or altered in some way. Tumblr even has pictures of fit women with links
you can click on that lead to dieting websites and exercise tips (University 2015). I
believe as though the focus is wrong. We should not be advertising so much on how to
fix ourselves but instead broadcasting ways in which we can feel comfortable with our
bodies and appreciate who we are. In contrast there are some websites who recognize the
problem and are being proactive. Pinterest for example has direct links to keywords that
are typed in. When thinspiration which is simply the aspiration to be thin - is entered
into the search bar it immediately takes you to eating disorder ads and positive quotes
(University 2015). In the grand scheme of things it doesnt change much, but if even one
persons viewpoints are altered then its a step in the right direction.
It would be unfair to stereotype the entire population by making the assumption
that the media equally affects everyone. It is important to recognize that we all come
from different backgrounds and have had different experiences in life. What we can come
to agree on is the fact that the media has ultimately glorified the slender body type as well
as presenting us with endless amounts of high calorie food commercials (Body). This is
where we find problem with which side to pick. As the thin ideal weight continues to
decrease, and the actual average weight in America continues to rise we find an
increasing gap between the two. Consequently, we find anxiety with our own bodies and
desperately try to match it. Our first instinct to try and reduce this anxiety is to lose the

weight. While weight loss isnt always the problem, how it is gone about is. Often times
we only see the black and white side of the problem and leave out the reality of how hard
it is to diet in a healthy way.
Another big issue the public faces while watching these high fat food
commercials is that the actor/actress endorsing the product are typically slim. This causes
an unrealistic idea in the minds of many because eating these products daily would most
definitely produce different results than the actor is leading on. Many doctors have stated
that this ideal body weight, possessed by these actors and actresses, is that of what would
medically be considered anorexic (Nordqvist 2015). In addition to these commercials the
majority of pictures we see in advertisements have been corrected, airbrushed, or altered
in some way. Ultimately allowing the public, who are striving to match what they have
been told is perfect, to harm themselves for beauty purposes that are typically
unattainable.
While social media and technology have offered us many advances and benefits,
it is important to look past face value. Cell phones, laptops, and ipads provide us with the
easy access we so much desire, but it has become necessary that we start determining at
what cost it is all worth. In order for the public to regain a better acceptance of self and
begin to appreciate all aspects pertaining to weight and beauty, the media needs to better
promote well-being, along with accurately defining and representing the average
individual. With technologys influence it could potentially lead to a decrease in eating
disorders among teenagers as well as creating a more content population.

Annotated Bibliography
Eric Stice and Heather E. Shaw (1994). Adverse Effects of the Media Portrayed Thin-Ideal on Women and
Linkages to Bulimic Symptomatology. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology: Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 288308.
It is often hard to point out a direct cause to every problem. While trying to
argue for my topic I felt as though this journal had many specific examples that
would allow more people to relate too. For instance it discusses one specific study
that was done using a group of girls that were presented with pictures of women
ranging from anorexic models to non-models. After conducting the test it was shown
that women almost always felt a sense of insecurity, guilt, and body dissatisfaction.
Being able to reference examples such as these, I think will ultimately strengthen my
argument and provide the public with a more clear correlation.
"Social Media's Potential Influence on Eating Disorders" Elements Behavioral Health. 2015. Elements
Behavioral Health . 15 Mar. 2015 <http://www.elementsbehavioralhealth.com/eating-disorders/socialmedias-potential-influence-eating-disorders/>.
This article would be especially beneficial to my research because it goes
more into depth on what types of media specifically have been known to cause the
most reaction. The author gives examples of social medias such as Tumblr and
Pinterest that glorify the idea of thinspiration. Websites such as these have excess
amounts of pictures with the ideal skinny women with quotes that otherwise make
you feel bad about yourself, along with links to diet websites. She discusses that 80%
of all the teenagers routinely use social media. Thats 80% percent that are
constantly faced with overbearing ideals about what perfect looks like. This is an
important source to back up the angle that the media is more present than ever and
the majority of viewers teenagers and young adults.
"Body Image and Nutrition" Teen Health and the Media. Teen Futures Media Network.
<http://depts.washington.edu/thmedia/>.
I chose this next article mainly because it goes into depth on how boys find
themselves affected by social pressures as well. It states that in a study done on fifth
grade boys they were dissatisfied with their bodies after simply watching a music
video by Brittney spears. I think this article was important to include because it
reminds us that boys are just as likely to fall victim to our everyday judgmental
society. Often times we stereotype eating disorders as a girls only topic but the issue
reaches an even broader audience.
Nordqvist, Christian . "What is Anorexia Nervosa?" MNT. 2015. MNT . 15 Mar. 2015
<http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/267432.php>.
I chose this article basically so I had a better understand of what the disorder actually is. We all hear the
term being loosely thrown around but a lot more factors in to the disorder than more people know. This will
be a benefit to my paper because if I am able to provide a more thorough and accurate definition for my
reader than they too will be better informed and can hopefully better understand the severity and risks
associated with it.
Chapman, Cameron. "The History and Evolution of Social Media" Web Design . october 7, 2009. Web
Design . 15 Mar. 2015 <http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/10/the-history-and-evolution-of-socialmedia/>.
This one was an important article because most of the discussion topics in our class
are about technology and what it does. The purpose of the article was to inform the

reader on what social media actually is and where it came from. Like everything else
things are always changing so of course technology follows. Once again if the reader
can better understand what social media is exactly they are more likely to be
proactive and watch out for harmful websites.
University of Haifa. "Facebook users more prone to developing eating disorders, study finds."
ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 7 February 2011.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110207091754.htm>.
I included this source as a part of my paper because of its relation to my topic. It was
able to give information and data based off real girls. I think it is important to my
paper because it gives the reader a better idea of the effects that can occur.
"Media, Body Image, and Eating Disorders | National Eating Disorders Association." Media, Body Image,
and Eating Disorders | National Eating Disorders Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.
This source proved to be very helpful because it provided me with specific facts pertaining to time spent
watching the television and as well as explaining the media to me. It offered clear examples of people who
are more susceptible to having an eating disorder based off race or gender.
"BulimiaNervosa."Wikipedia.WikimediaFoundation,n.d.Web.13Apr.2015.
Thissourceprovidedmewithanecessarydefinitioninorderformetoinformthereaderaboutthetypesof
eatingdisordersIamdiscussing.