What Role Does Social Media Play in Our Eating Habits?
WELLNESS | HEALTH | MENTAL HEALTH
Reviewed by Dr. Nisha Singh, Dietitian (Ph.D.), MSc.FN.
Spending time on social media platforms is something that individuals of all generations do these days. It’s rare to find someone with internet access who doesn’t have a social media presence on at least one site.
From social networking to buying products and services to starting a company and obtaining health and nutrition advice, social media can be incorporated into practically every part of people’s lives in some manner. Most users on social media are likely to get at least some nutrition, eating habits, and body image messages from the accounts they follow.
Consider how many nutrition, health, and fitness influencers you follow when you navigate through Instagram, Facebook, Tik-Tok, Twitter, or LinkedIn. So, what exactly are they saying? What effect do they have on your attitude about your lifestyle choices? Do they have an influence on your thoughts and conduct as a health and nutrition coach?
It is commonly established in the field of behavioral psychology that when individuals are exposed to “social norm messages,” they are influenced to imitate such behaviors as closely as possible. People will aim to acquire eating patterns that closely resemble socially accepted or anticipated standards, in other words.
This meant that individuals noticed how people around them ate and the messaging around these eating behaviors before social media became a part of the human experience. These were the social norms, which were impacted by a variety of factors including culture, environment, economy, and access. Then, based on these societal standards, they created dietary patterns.
Real-life social factors continue to affect our dietary patterns today, but there is a novel component that has a huge impact on our social circles: Social Media
This may appear to be good news if people’s social media feeds are full of information on healthy eating habits. It might also suggest that having a social network that often promotes fad diet information, communicates erroneous information, or simply prohibits the intake of nutrient-dense foods like fruits and vegetables has a detrimental influence on eating habits.
When it comes to discussing the influence of advertisements and sponsored promotions on social media activity, they are sensitive subjects. For-profit commercials are, by definition, intended to elicit a response that leads to a purchase. Unlike conventional advertisements such as television commercials, magazine sections, pamphlets, billboards, pop-ups, and internet adverts, which are venues dedicated only to marketing ideas, products, and services, social media advertising can be difficult to distinguish from the mass.
Exposure to information that focuses on processed foods and beverages encourages the acquisition of bad behaviors. To promote unhealthy meals, marketing companies use pictures of family-friendly activities. Because digital marketing venues are generally uncontrolled, this widely disseminated information can have a major influence on eating habits and may be deemed manipulative by public health specialists.
Researchers looked at the link between children’s involvement with food and beverage content and their intake of processed foods and drinks in kids aged 10 to 16. They discovered that youngsters who connect with food brands and content on the internet, particularly through videos, are more likely to eat unhealthy foods and beverages.
Intuitive eating, Health at Every Size (HAES), body acceptance, and body positivity are among relatively recent health and nutrition trends and practices. In certain areas, they are also divisive approaches to health and nutrition, and they may not align with your own beliefs.
Nonetheless, we cannot overlook the evidence that these movements have had a considerable positive impact on the mental and, yes, physical health of individuals of all shapes and sizes. As seen in the preceding two sections, social media has the ability to add gasoline to the fire of food shaming and food restriction, which may lead to emotions of guilt, trauma, and disordered eating.
Conclusion: social media has become an integral part of people’s lives, and it has the potential to influence their attitudes and behaviors towards nutrition, eating habits, and body image. The power of social media can be both positive and negative. On the one hand, social media can provide easy access to reliable nutrition and health information, promote healthy eating habits, and foster a sense of community among people with similar health goals. On the other hand, social media can also be a source of misinformation, promote unhealthy eating habits, and fuel body shaming and disordered eating.
For health, nutrition, fitness, and wellness influencers, it is essential to provide evidence-based information that supports a healthy body image, acknowledges the diversity of experiences, and relates to their real-life followers. As social media continues to evolve, it is crucial to remain aware of its potential impact and use it responsibly to promote positive health behaviors. Ultimately, by utilizing social media in a thoughtful and intentional manner, we can harness its potential to improve health and well-being for individuals and communities alike.
Thank you, I’ve just been looking for info about
this subject for a long time and yours is the best I have discovered till now.
Thank you for your kind words and feedback. I’m glad you found the information in my article helpful.
o great to find someone with some original thoughts on this topic. dubai racing stream