“What I Eat In A Day” Videos Are Influencing Us Into Disordered Eating Habits
If you’re like me, quarantine and shelter-in-place orders mean increased screen time on Instagram, Facebook, and even YouTube. These sites offer a plethora of material on popular topics like getting in shape and healthy eating, with much of their content operating on paid sponsorships or discount codes.
Social media can influence everything from our voting to our buying habits, but even more concerning is how it can alter our outlook on our own diet and physicality. Should we choose to follow the recommendations of so-called influencers and their habits, which don’t realistically reflect a majority of their audience, the consequences on our bodies and physical and mental health could have a lasting, detrimental impact that we might be completely unaware of.