Gourley-Paper3

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Feb 20, 2024

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Research Project Proposal Paper Final Is Your Media Haunting the Dining Table? Nicole Gourley Pennsylvania State University 301W Psychology Professor Pamela Dubyak December 11, 2023

Abstract The experiment I am conducting is dealing with the effect of media consumption and eating disorders. This subject is important to me as someone who has struggled with orthorexia and anorexia in high school. I went to multiple nutritionists, therapists, and doctors. I really couldn’t overcome it until I chose to myself, and I have never been happier and healthier in my life. I am still in therapy, and occasionally we reflect on my journey with this and talk about how far I have come since recovering. This topic is so important to me and raising awareness is so important in a world of diet culture and heightened societal expectations. My heart goes out to anyone suffering, and I hope that this study can aid in raising awareness and preventing the onset of disordered eating habits in anyone. This study will be done by observing participants’ media consumption closely, monitoring what is consumed and comparing it with their thoughts and feelings before, during, after, and surrounding eating times. This will allow us to further analyze the situation. I predict that individuals that consume media the most will be most likely to have negative emotions and feelings surrounding their eating, thus leading to disordered eating habits that could worsen and become severe. Introduction This study is designed to find a correlation between outside effects and disordered eating. My research question asks: “Are eating disorders a result of media usage and intake?” The main Independent Variable in this study is social media usage, and its effects on body image, eating patterns, and disordered eating being the dependent Variable. We know that exposure to the media, like social media, magazines, television, and movies, ca be detrimental to the confidence, mental health, and self-esteem of primarily young

men and women (Morris, A.M. & Katzman, D.K.). Thus, this has been taken to further studies and prevention methods through NEDA, or National Eating Disorders Association, highlighting the concern and severity of social media consumption. This leads to comparison based off unattainable, inconsistent, and romanticized images, lifestyles, or appearances. It is also known and discussed by STAT News that the media can contain content supporting and encouraging of disordered eating content that can lead individuals to be influenced and inspired to do the same detrimental patterns to attain desired results. This leads me to further exploring the effects of media consumption on disordered eating and the mental/physical effects that lead to such results. Each independent variable will be taken into account, although our focus will be amount of time spent on media. In seeing a difference in results with type of media chosen, favorite social media user/following, and preferred platform, that will be taken into deeper inspection aside from the analysis in this experiment. I predict that the platform may also account for a difference, since each platform on a device has different community guidelines, and other forms of medias that aren’t on the internet are published and looked over before being accessible to the public. On social media, anyone can post anything, leading to the risk of influencing people into harsh, harmful behaviors by projecting a false narrative online. This can be conscious or subconscious to their audience, and it should be observed and discussed, hence why this research is being conducted. Method Dependent Variable: Disordered eating, Independent Variable(s): preferred media platform, time spent on social media, favorite social media users, media(s) used daily.

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The Independent Variable will be recorded through self-report measures and reported in screen time analysis. The subject’s phone can identify time spent on specific apps, whereas the participant will identify other forms of media (magazines, movies, television) and how often they are consumed. This will help sort people into different groups through random assignment and will allow us to identify the previous usage in case it causes differences after the experiment. The experiment will be done by exposing certain subjects to use different media types at different durations (EXAMPLE- 8 hours per day, 2 hours per day, 0 hours per day) for a two- week to two-month span. The groups will be randomly assigned and documented. The “control” group will have no consumption of social media or informative media. The Dependent Variable of disordered eating patterns will be measured using MyFitnessPal, or another platform allowing our participants to log what is being consumed every day. The participants will also keep a “log,” including their thoughts, feelings, questions, and comments before, during, and after each meal. This will allow us to not only track the meals they are consuming and if they change, get smaller, get more inconsistent, etc. while also understanding and analyzing their thoughts surrounding the food they are eating. It’s important to track the emotions of the participants because disordered eating is a mental disorder, causing physical harm to the individual because of their disordered thoughts or feelings. Results and Data Analyses In this mixed-methods research experiment, it would result in a support of my hypothesis that disordered eating is influenced and worsened by consuming immense amounts of media. I would expect to see a direct correlation, as seen in Figure 1 below, showing that thoughts and behaviors surrounding meals are negatively impacted when media is increased. This is due to

media’s unrealistic depiction of bodies, lifestyles, and eating habits, leaving out elements that other people see. This can lead people to be influenced and act in ways that are unsustainable, unhealthy, and unreliable. Discussion I am expected to find results confirming my hypothesis that media does affect disordered eating, having a positive relationship. Thus, showing that the larger the consumption of social media, the larger effect it has on eating patterns due to effect on self-esteem, comparison, confidence, and mental health. Our Independent Variables of 8 hours/day of media consumption and 2 hours/day of consumption will be using a 2X2 ANOVA, having levels within the consumption separating individuals based on gender, to see the different effects on male versus female regarding social media consumption and disordered eating. For example, males consuming 8 hours of social media may feel 20x more stressed or anxious surrounding their meals/eat more inconsistently than females consuming 8 hours of media. In finding the results that media does influence the behaviors and thoughts of individuals surrounding eating, I would thus conclude that media does influence disordered eating and can worsen, start, or encourage the symptoms in these individuals. Alternative results could show either no correlation between media consumption and disordered eating habits, or they could show the opposite, decreasing disordered eating habits among those that consume media. I would expect results that are more for my hypothesis or alternating to a non-correlational conclusion. For each of these studies, a lot of the experimental analysis is done by self-reports. Experimental participants are individuals that consume media and/or have body image issues.

This is a concern for the studies, as mentioned, because self-report is not always a reliable source for analysis. However, diagnoses of eating disorders are not self-reported, and dissatisfaction with the body and disordered eating patterns can be self-reported. The amount of screen time on an individual is surely attainable and cannot be altered prior to experimentation, so this is easily measured. The control group wouldn’t consume mass amounts of media, or any at all, and the experimental group would consume beauty magazines, watch movies, consume disordered eating social media content, etc. My predicted results are that overall, social media will influence disordered eating, being more severe for women due to societal expectations and social media presentation. Possible limitations are that it’s hard to validate self-report, but subjects are encouraged to be honest and log their feelings on their own, reporting them later for analysis. This may help to allow for honesty and raw data without fear of judgement or bias. Confounding variables for this study could include history of mental illness, lifestyle, sports, or environment. This study could also lack external validity, considering the setting of the experiment, the procedures we used to conduct the findings, and reliability. It is important to me that this study is conducted in the best way possible to ensure that the findings are accurate and applicable to a larger population. This study is important for the lives of anyone that consumes media daily. Eating disorders have always existed, even prior to smartphones, laptops, and televisions. However, the rise of technology allows individuals to broadcast romanticized versions of their lives, highly edited photographs of themselves, and unrealistic lifestyle preferences. My research hypothesis is that media influences eating disorders, causing unattainable expectations for consumers, causing distress and extreme changes in their eating patterns because of this. Preventing, helping, and healing disordered eating patterns can start by simply assessing what could be influencing

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these thoughts. Finding that my hypothesis is correct, I would conclude that media influences disordered eating and would attempt to contact the major medias used in this study to discuss. I would want this to benefit society and show how harmful something that we use every day can be to our mental and physical wellbeing, and would therefore use this experiment to try and implement solutions for these medias to be more mindful, beneficial, and reviewed before being posted. References Isabella Cueto, T. G. (2023, March 22). Social Media is part of a “self-perpetuating cycle of risk” for eating disorders and negative body image, per study . STAT. https://www.statnews.com/2023/03/22/social-media-eating-disorders-negative-body- image/ Media & Eating Disorders . National Eating Disorders Association. (2022, March 2). https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/media-eating-disorders? gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwkNOpBhBEEiwAb3Mvvc_EAkZcgFyatY1xj0Fl- wShI3s4od1j_VHZPWfzOf6CT1x1eekgThoCWDoQAvD_BwE Morris, A. M., & Katzman, D. K. (2003, May). The impact of the media on eating disorders in children and adolescents . Paediatrics & child health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2792687/ Figure Captions

Figure 1 shows the predicted outcome of males and females, each divided into subgroups of negative and positive self-talk surrounding meals. The percentages are much higher negatively for women and much more positive for males. Blue bars are subjects that consume 0 hours of media per day, pink bars are subjects that consume 4 hours of media per day, and green bars are individuals that consume 8 hours of media per day or more. This graph shows my predicted expectations of the experiment, proving my hypothesis that media influences our thoughts and behaviors surrounding food, thus leading to more extreme instances. Figures Negati ve self-t al k surro unding meal s- M Negati ve self-t alk surro undin g meals- F Positive self- talk s ur rou nding meals- M Positive self- talk sur rou nding meals- F 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% Social Media vs Disordered Eating M/F 0 hours per day 4 hours per day 8 hours per day Attitude Surrounding Meals- M/F Percentages of Each Abstracts of References

One article I discovered is from the National Eating Disorder Association, speaking on media consumption and dissatisfaction with people’s bodies. The hypothesis is that as the amount of consumption of media in individuals increases, dissatisfaction with body and excessive focus on needing to change appearance increases. This is important because it acknowledges the severity in media consumption and constantly consuming material that isn’t benefitting individuals. The independent variable in this case would be media consumption, and the dependent variable would be body dissatisfaction. A second article I discovered is from PubMed Central, overall confirming my hypothesis and stating that media consumption- primarily focused on magazines, television, and movies. This was especially focused on young girls and boys, rather than adults. This is importance and concerning because exposure to this content at such a young age can be very detrimental to not only mental health, but physical health being affected by disordered eating patterns and desires to change due to comparison. The independent variables in this article are beauty magazine exposure, television, and movie consumption. The dependent variable is disordered eating patterns, dissatisfaction with body image, and eating disorders in young adults and children. I found my third article particularly interesting. It speaks on how social media can contain a lot of pro-eating disorder content, encouraging the detrimental behaviors of individuals. Algorithm can lead individuals to consume this media more and more, because media knows what you watch more, and will place that content in front of you. This can lead individuals into a downward spiral, chasing an image of a desirable body that is literally unattainable. It was also mentioned that individuals with prior body image and disordered eating patterns are more likely to fall victim to unhealthy social media consumption, thus leading to relapse, body image issues, self-dissatisfaction, disordered eating patterns, and serious eating disorders. The independent

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variables in this were social media consumption and history if self-image/body-image issues/disordered eating patterns. The dependent variable is eating disorders. Consistently throughout the studies, there is a concern for disordered eating, body dissatisfaction, and eating disorders when looking at media use and eating disorders. There is no doubt that the media can influence people’s body image and self-esteem, when viewing individual’s life highlight reels in front of you and comparing it to a life that isn’t only made of highlight reels. Social media and other media romanticize individuals’ lives, which can cause dissatisfaction within the consumers. These articles helped me feel confident in my hypothesis because it is clear to me that there is a great concern for the effect of media on disordered eating, primarily in young people which is concerning. Article one specially made me confident because it was on the National Eating Disorder website, giving insight and raising awareness for the concern of this cause-and-effect situation. It also gave tips to prevent this, which I found super helpful and am appreciative for. Article two gave me insight to the effect that this has on younger individuals, giving me a less broad sample to explore within this experiment. I appreciated the cognizance of this article and how it helped give me faith in my hypothesis and carrying out this research. The third article did make me a bit skeptical, mentioning how there are other factors rather than primarily focusing on just media utilization, however it did mention and heighten the concern that is consistent among these articles.

Gourley-Paper3

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