The story about the impact of all those 'pretty friends' in social media on self-esteem offers one good explanation for self-presentation fatigue. Researchers in the UK, Iowa and Ohio used Facebook to look at the impact on body image of selfies in social media vs. photos of celebrities and other beautiful people in magazines. They found that comparing oneself to Facebook friends "can make a young … [Read more...] about Pretty faces in social media vs. mass media
Search Results for: "eating disorder"
Risk implications of kids going mobile: Research
Even back in 2010, the EU Kids Online researchers in 25 countries noted that "the ways through and the locations from which children go online are diversifying, and this trend is continuing." It has indeed continued. Increasingly obvious to parents, the mobile platform enables "ubiquitous internetting," as Dutch researchers put it way back in 2006). At the same time, mobile represents the most … [Read more...] about Risk implications of kids going mobile: Research
Young change agents leveraging social media
This article was originally published July 19, 2012, then my service’s server crashed, losing months of data. So reposting 10/20/12. I hope parents and educators have seen these two clear signs of how kids are using social media to "be the change." There's 14-year-old Julia Bluhm in Maine who noticed that friends in ballet class were always criticizing their bodies and spearheaded a protest in … [Read more...] about Young change agents leveraging social media
Individual & social ’embodiment’ online: Key eating-disorders study
"Eating disorders affect between 1 and 4 percent of young adult women" and are on the increase, diagnoses having "risen more than 50% since the 1970s," according to the authors of "Pro-anorexia Communities and Online Interaction: Bringing the Pro-ana Body Online." But, before this important study, rare coverage in the news media did little besides increase speculation that these communities are … [Read more...] about Individual & social ’embodiment’ online: Key eating-disorders study
FB & Google+ videochat + kids: Should we worry?
Based on old fears around online chat and Webcams, should all the news about videochat in Facebook and the new very social Google+ concern parents (when the latter goes public)? Not really. Not the sort of engaged parents who tend to be concerned, and definitely not those who approach these things from the kid out instead of from the technology or the headlines in (see this). In other words, it … [Read more...] about FB & Google+ videochat + kids: Should we worry?