If you are trying to find good weight loss advice, you might not want to look to social media for it. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Glasgow on nine of the most popular fitness and weight loss influencers in the UK discovered that only one of them provided good, reliable, and trustworthy information.
Even for those who are a bit more skeptical, this may not be a surprise. What it does indicate, though, is that there is a great deal of misinformation on social media.
The influencers in this study all had a verified account on at least two different platforms, regularly discussed weight loss and fitness, and had more than 80,000 followers on at least one of those platforms. This is a large number of people who may be getting information that is not entirely reliable.
Many of these blogs, Sabbagh explained, did not live up to nutritional standards that were already established in the UK. They tended to walk a fine line when it came to giving information based on opinion versus fact.
This is a problem when it comes to how reliable they are, and it is a problem when it comes to how this information could be affecting those who follow it.
Influencers on social media, specifically those focused on fitness, have already been in the news before. Earlier in 2019, American fitness influencer Brittany Dawn was in hot water over her expensive personalized fitness programs that did not live up to expectations.
While it is unfortunate that these programs were ineffective, it is a larger issue than that. Even when they are giving good information about how to be more positive and accepting of themselves, it is possible that it could be having a negative influence on those who follow them. Many people find themselves comparing their own lives to those of someone who is successful.
Stories like that of Samantha Lego, a young woman who found inspiration online but eventually struggled with poor habits, underscore how quickly this comparison can become overwhelming.
There have been studies conducted on this relationship. In a 2016 study conducted by Body Image and published in 2016, women were given profiles to view on Instagram. One set of profiles focused on appearances, while the other focused on travel.
Women who were given profiles focused on appearances had a lower body satisfaction than women given profiles focused on travel. This held true regardless of whether celebrities were used in the profiles or regular people.
According to researcher Marika Tiggemann, “Although this effect is relatively small in magnitude, it can add up over time and have a greater impact on body image.”
The problem lies in the presentation. Influencers post pictures that are taken in ideal lighting conditions. They also post pictures where they are wearing clothes that they think look good on their body.
They also post pictures where they are posing in such a way that they are accentuating specific features that they like about their body.
They also post pictures that are taken right after they have worked out, when their body is more defined. Sometimes they even hire photographers to take pictures of themselves.
It is difficult to know whether this is real life or if this is how they want to present themselves. Although there are some influencers that are now showing more relaxed body images, there is also a question of whether this is good advice. Perhaps it is better to look towards experts rather than relying on social media for information.
