TEL T 192 1st Edition Lecture 8 Outline of Last Lecture I The Curvaceously Thin Female II Harrison 2003 Study III Social Cognitive Theory Fouts Study IV Social Comparison Theory Outline of Current Lecture V The Pro Ana Community Current Lecture The Pro Ana Community o Disseminate info about eating disorders with others o Focused on control of themselves and their diet o Usually women under 18 o Looking for emotional informational support etc o To them anorexia is a lifestyle not a disease They don t think anything is wrong o Characteristics Themes control strong perfection Pro ana often comes with aversion to recovery Ana anorexia Mia bulimia Very easy to meet other people that share the same struggles o People create and look for videos artwork diaries etc to help them with their eating disorder People document their diets feelings etc to show what is going on with them o Why study No actual data existed on it Research Questions Why are they going online What are the benefits What are the drawbacks Method In depth interviews of 33 pro ana and pro mia bloggers Stigma the situation of the individual who is disqualified from social accecptance o Reasons for Blogging The biggest reason doing this was social support Had people encouraging them or telling them it would be okay Self expression Could say what they wanted without being ridiculed Coping with stigma In their blogs they can be who they feel they really are Anonymous posting is a part of pro ana community Catharsis Venting and purging their emotions online o Drawbacks of Blogging Fear of disclosure to friends and family Social support Get support for every situation no matter what o Can t always get better Encouraged eating disorder Blog encouraged their own eating disorder Encouraged others to become anorexic o The communities are a paradox Find unconditional support online but then they are afraid of encouraging others and being disclosed o Limitations of the Study There was no generalization because there were only 33 participants Interviews are bloggers perceptions of their own media use
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