Lecture 8Outline of Last Lecture I. The Curvaceously Thin FemaleII. Harrison (2003) StudyIII. Social Cognitive Theory (Fouts Study)IV. Social Comparison TheoryOutline of Current Lecture V. The Pro-Ana CommunityCurrent Lecture- The Pro-Ana Communityo Disseminate info about eating disorders with otherso Focused on control of themselves and their dieto Usually women under 18o Looking for emotional, informational support, etc. o To them anorexia is a lifestyle not a disease They don’t think anything is wrongo 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 struggleso 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 themo 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 accecptanceo Reasons for Blogging The biggest reason doing this was social supportTEL-T 192 1st Edition- 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 onlineo 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 anorexico The communities are a paradox Find unconditional support online but then they are afraid of encouraging others and being disclosedo Limitations of the Study There was no generalization because there were only 33 participants Interviews are bloggers’ perceptions of their own media
View Full Document
Unlocking...