Influence of social media

• Explain in your own words the meaning of this video.
• Do you have a social media account? What platforms do you use (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat...)?
• Do you recognize yourself in one of the examples?
• Do you recognize other people (friends, family...) in one of the examples?

Read the text below and answer the questions

When it comes to the wider circle of influencers and accounts you follow, not all types of content are equal.

Research suggests that “fitspiration” images in particular – which typically feature beautiful people doing exercise, or at least pretending to – might make you harsher on yourself.

Amy Slater, an associate professor at the University of West England, Bristol, published a study in 2017 in which 160 female undergraduates viewed either #fitspo, self compassion quotes, or a mix of both, all sourced from real accounts on Instagram. Those who viewed only #fitspo scored lower on self-compassion, but those who viewed the compassionate quotes (e.g. “You’re perfect just the way you are”) were nicer to themselves – and felt better about their bodies.

For those who viewed both the #fitspo and the self-compassion quotes, the benefits of the latter appeared to outweigh the negatives of the former.

Another study published earlier this year involved showing 195 young women either body-positive content from popular accounts like @bodyposipanda, photos showing thin women in bikinis or fitness gear, or neutral images of nature. The researchers found that exposing women to #bodypositive Instagram content appeared to boost their satisfaction with their own bodies.

“Those two things together are starting to build a little bit of a story that there may be some content that actually is useful for body image,” says Slater.

But there may be a downside to body-positive images, too: they’re still focusing on bodies. The same study found that women who’d seen the body-positive photos still ended up objectifying themselves – measured when, after looking at the images, the participants were asked to write 10 statements about themselves. The more the statements focussed on their appearance rather than their skills or personality, the higher that participant scored on self-objectification (Source: www.bbc.com)

• Are pictures on social media platforms (such as Facebook or Instagram) always a bad influence? Why (not)?
• Do you follow some influencers/blogs/hashtags online?
• Explain in your own words the difference between accounts showing thin women only and accounts showing thin women but also inspirational quotes. Do you sense a difference?
• Add five words you learned by reading this text to your vocabulary list.