Designing a Sociological Research Study: Social Media & Eating Disorders Among Women
The prevalence of social media in our society today has undoubtedly caused a wide range of effects, specifically on younger generations, who tend to be the heaviest consumers. Through advertisements, television, and popular photo-sharing apps such as Instagram, women and girls in particular are presented constantly with images of perfection. Air-brushed models, heavily edited photos shot at the most flattering angle, and unhealthy “influencers” are always just a click away. Thus, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the number of women diagnosed with eating disorders are increasing, with over 24 million Americans living with Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia, and related disorders today, making them the second-most deadly mental illness (Graber, 2021). Given that both social media, which often portrays women as unrealistically thin and beautiful, and eating disorders have seen rapid increases over the past decade, it is likely that the two are related. Social media exacerbates the prevalence of eating disorders among women because it subjects them to a constant barrage of perfection, manifested through images of unrealistic weight and beauty standards, and this phenomenon will continue as social media becomes a larger and larger part of our lives.
Of the three primary sociological research methods, conducting a survey would be the most appropriate for this scenario. Surveys are an efficient means of research that allow for data collection among large populations, which would be beneficial here. Additional relevant advantages of surveys include their inexpensive costs, convenience, low risk of researcher bias, and participant anonymity. This last benefit would be especially helpful for our study because many women may feel insecure about these topics, and being interviewed, observed, or experimented on would result in a lack of honesty, or the Hawthorne effect, a phenomenon where an individual behaves differently when they are aware of being watched. Thus, with these benefits in mind, we could begin to develop a survey.
According to the National Eating Disorders Collaboration, women between the ages of 12 and 25 are at the greatest risk of developing an eating disorder (2022). Thus, we would look to survey this age group, with perhaps some margin on both sides (for example, ages 10 to 30). The survey would be advertised on social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter, and incentives would be offered for its completion (such as the chance to win an Amazon gift card). Of course, this method would only attract women who use social media. To ensure complete representation, the participation of non-social media users would also be essential. Thus, flyers with scannable QR codes would be posted in high schools, on college campuses, and in coffee shops–all locations frequented by this age group. It should be noted that, while men too are impacted by eating disorders, this study in particular would focus on women, given that they are most often the ones being stereotyped to a “perfect,” thin image on social media. Additionally, according to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), women make up over 75% of individuals diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa (2022). Yet I foresee that gathering truthful information from this population will likely be a challenge. Young women may be embarrassed to admit feelings of inadequacy or engagement in unhealthy behaviors. Hopefully, with participant anonymity, they will be open to sharing their thoughts and experiences honestly.
The survey itself will begin by asking about the woman’s age and demographics (such as education level and employment). Questions will then move on to social media usage: How many hours does she spend on social media? Has this number increased in recent years? What apps does she use? How often does she see images or advertisements related to “diet culture,” or depicting a perfect, unrealistic-looking body? Next, women will be asked about their body image and relationship with food. How would they rate their body image on a scale of 1-10? How often have they dieted or tried to lose weight? Have they ever engaged in unhealthy eating behaviors (skipping meals, counting calories, etc.) in order to look like an image they see on social media? Have they ever been diagnosed with an eating disorder or believed they had an eating disorder? Finally, I would conclude the survey by asking a series of more open-ended questions. Can they describe how seeing images of unachievable perfection makes them feel about themselves? Does social media in general have an impact on their self-confidence? Lastly, for those who identify as having an eating disorder, do they believe that there is a relationship between what they see on social media and their diagnosis? We would then analyze the survey to compare responses between women who use social media and those who don’t, looking for trends in eating disorder prevalence and unhealthy behaviors related to negative body image. Furthermore, we would evaluate how the amount of time spent on social media and the number of images they are exposed to impacts this phenomenon. For example, is a woman who spends four or more hours a day on social media at a greater risk than one who only spends an hour? This information will be used to draw conclusions about our research questions and analyze our hypothesis.
The topic of social media and its probable correlation to negative body image and eating disorders is highly relevant in our society today. As portrayed in the documentary “Miss Representation,” children, adolescents, and young adults are constantly bombarded with images of airbrushed models, depictions of the “perfect body,” and unhealthy advice relating to diet and weight loss, especially with the pandemic-induced rise in social media usage. Young women today are facing a mental health crisis. Indeed, as discussed, eating disorders are the second leading mental-illness-related cause of death, behind only opioid addiction (Graber, 2021).
As I developed this study, I utilized what sociologist C. Wright Mills coined the “sociological imagination” to better understand the topic. As a young woman who has been subjected to the media’s diet advice, influencers, and depictions of unrealistic beauty, I am all too aware of the effects these things have on my own self-image and behaviors. However, I am also not engaged heavily in social media, and haven’t had the experience of being endlessly bombarded with weight-loss culture and images of flawless models. While I consider myself fortunate, I tried to put myself in the shoes of someone who does consume social media regularly when brainstorming for this study. This allowed me to connect my personal experiences with the broader societal context, which is essential to understand when considering the sociological imagination. From my experience growing up in suburban Maine, I know that young women today face a constant barrage of unrealistic physical expectations, conveyed through social media. Yet I also connected this to a more far-reaching trend that prevails around the country and globe, a trend of women constantly being reminded, however subtly, that she must live up to unrealistic expectations of beauty and size, a trend that has led to an alarming rise in eating disorders.
The results of this study, should they prove my hypothesis, could be used for the good of the nation as we enact policy, allocate funding, and raise awareness for the issue. For example, organizations such as the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) could devote time and campaigns to educating young women on the dangers of social media. At a more local level, teachers, medical professionals, and school counselors could receive training on educating adolescents about eating disorders and their connection to social media. Finally, it is my hope that the young women themselves will consider how their time on social media exacerbates feelings of inadequacy and unhealthy eating habits, and perhaps take steps to reduce their social media usage, or at the very least, distance themselves from harmful accounts or individuals.
As social media becomes more and more prevalent in today’s society, it is clear that girls and young women, in particular, are constantly being bombarded with a slew of harmful messages and content, from heavily edited modeling shots captured at the perfect angle, to unhealthy “tips” about losing weight and dieting. This phenomenon is, I believe, directly linked to the recent spike in eating disorder diagnoses. It is significant for the field of sociology because it is an issue that impacts a large and growing population, especially with the rise of our technology-based society. Through the proposed survey, I hope to prove that these two trends are related, and provide evidence to support greater funding, training, and education surrounding the topic of social media and eating disorders.
