Presentation Title

The Association Between Instagram Use and Eating Disorder Pathology

Panel Name

Social Media's Influence on Society

Location

Lecture Center 3B

Start Date

3-5-2019 3:15 PM

End Date

3-5-2019 4:15 PM

Presentation Type

Oral Presentation

Academic Major

Psychology

Abstract

Recent research indicates a positive correlation between the amount of exposure to mass media and disordered eating (Levine & Murnen, 2009). Social media brings together two impacting factors for eating disorder risk: peers and media. Higher frequency use of social media has been shown to be associated with a higher risk for disordered eating (Mabe, Forney & Keel, 2014). In this study, we examined the association between Instagram use and eating disorder pathology. We hypothesized that individuals with greater Instagram use would report higher levels of eating disorder pathology. As part of a larger study seeking to better understand eating pathology, undergraduate participants (N=624, 70% female) completed surveys about eating pathology and media use. Participant’s ages ranged from 17 to 35 with an average of 18.7 years. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Eating Disorder Examination – Questionnaire, and a single item assessing percent of day spent on Instagram. For analyses, participants were divided into two groups based on the proportion of time they spent using Instagram. Primary users reported spending at least 60% of their time on Instagram and other users reported spending less than 50% of their social media time on Instagram. An independent samples t-test compared total mean scores on the EDE-Q between primary and other users. Results indicated no significant differences between these two groups (t(622)= .534, p = .59). There was no difference in eating disorder pathology between high Instagram and low Instagram users. This shows that social media may not be a direct link to eating pathology, or that our measure did not appropriately capture Instagram usage or type of engagement (i.e. "fitsagrams" or weight-loss Instagram accounts). Social media is growing rapidly in our society and thus remains an important research target. Future research should specifically consider examining differences in the impacts of social media use and attitudes on eating disorder pathology and other negative consequences. Future studies can potentially discover whether it is the media component or social component of social media that has the most prominent negative effect on individuals who are more exposed to it.

Select Where This Work Originated From

Independent Study

First Faculty Advisor

Drew A. Anderson

First Advisor Email

drewa@albany.edu

First Advisor Department

Psychology

Second Faculty Advisor

Christina Scharmer

Second Faculty Advisor Email

cscharmer@albany.edu

Second Advisor Department

Psychology

Third Faculty Advisor

Courtney Breiner

Third Advisor Email

cbreiner@albany.edu

Third Advisor Department

Psychology

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May 3rd, 3:15 PM May 3rd, 4:15 PM

The Association Between Instagram Use and Eating Disorder Pathology

Lecture Center 3B

Recent research indicates a positive correlation between the amount of exposure to mass media and disordered eating (Levine & Murnen, 2009). Social media brings together two impacting factors for eating disorder risk: peers and media. Higher frequency use of social media has been shown to be associated with a higher risk for disordered eating (Mabe, Forney & Keel, 2014). In this study, we examined the association between Instagram use and eating disorder pathology. We hypothesized that individuals with greater Instagram use would report higher levels of eating disorder pathology. As part of a larger study seeking to better understand eating pathology, undergraduate participants (N=624, 70% female) completed surveys about eating pathology and media use. Participant’s ages ranged from 17 to 35 with an average of 18.7 years. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Eating Disorder Examination – Questionnaire, and a single item assessing percent of day spent on Instagram. For analyses, participants were divided into two groups based on the proportion of time they spent using Instagram. Primary users reported spending at least 60% of their time on Instagram and other users reported spending less than 50% of their social media time on Instagram. An independent samples t-test compared total mean scores on the EDE-Q between primary and other users. Results indicated no significant differences between these two groups (t(622)= .534, p = .59). There was no difference in eating disorder pathology between high Instagram and low Instagram users. This shows that social media may not be a direct link to eating pathology, or that our measure did not appropriately capture Instagram usage or type of engagement (i.e. "fitsagrams" or weight-loss Instagram accounts). Social media is growing rapidly in our society and thus remains an important research target. Future research should specifically consider examining differences in the impacts of social media use and attitudes on eating disorder pathology and other negative consequences. Future studies can potentially discover whether it is the media component or social component of social media that has the most prominent negative effect on individuals who are more exposed to it.