ABSTRACT

Social media is an emerging source of body-focused messages affecting young women. This research investigated the diverging cognitive and emotional effects of Pro-Anorexia (Pro-Ana) and Fitspiration content using linguistic analysis. Undergraduate college women (N = 129) viewed one of six experimentally-created blogs: text or images of Fitspiration, Pro-Ana, or control (Home Décor) and completed an open-ended prompt with their reaction. Linguistic analysis on post-exposure writing suggested Fitspiration blogs produced positive emotions and social comparison processes; Pro-Ana blogs produced negative and anxious emotions. Participants’ history of past disordered eating behavior qualified affective (positive emotion and anxiety), but not cognitive (social comparison) outcomes. Given the cognitive and emotional impact of viewing such media, findings speak to the need for specific content of social media sites to be addressed and discussed in the treatment and prevention of eating disorders.

摘要

社交媒体是影响年轻女性的以身体为中心的信息的新兴来源。本研究使用语言分析调查了 Pro-Anorexia (Pro-Ana) 和 Fitspiration 内容对认知和情感的不同影响。本科女大学生（N= 129) 查看了六个实验性创建的博客之一：Fitspiration、Pro-Ana 或 control (Home Décor) 的文本或图像，并根据他们的反应完成了一个开放式提示。对暴露后写作的语言分析表明，Fitspiration 博客产生了积极的情绪和社会比较过程；Pro-Ana 博客产生了消极和焦虑的情绪。参与者过去无序饮食行为的历史符合情感（积极情绪和焦虑）结果，但不符合认知（社会比较）结果。鉴于查看此类媒体对认知和情感的影响，研究结果表明，需要在饮食失调的治疗和预防中解决和讨论社交媒体网站的特定内容。