Facebooking for health: An examination into the solicitation and effects of health-related social support on social networking sites

Objectifying fitness: A content and thematic analysis of #fitspiration images on social media.

“…Acute exposure to appearance-framed exercise messages (over health) can foster feelings of body shame and heighten appearance goals for exercise (Aubrey, 2010) and for those highly motivated on such goals (e.g., weight control, body tone, and attractiveness), the risks of negative body image, depression, and eating disorder symptoms are increased (Strelan & Hargreaves, 2005;Strelan, Mehaffey, & Tiggemann, 2003). Despite social media facilitating positive interaction amongst users and support-seeking in relation to health behaviors (Oh, Lauckner, Boehmer, Fewins-Bliss, & Li, 2013;McKinley & Wright, 2014), most of its content is unregulated and exaggerated ) and yet widely accessible. Hence, the authors raise concerns regarding potentially harmful outcomes (see Vartanian, Wharton, & Green, 2012), particularly for those who might already engage in disordered eating practices or experience negative body image.…”

Psychiatrists’ Perceptions of Facebook and Other Social Media

“…Since 2008, nearly one thousand papers related to Facebook and more than 600 related to Twitter have been published. Research on social networking sites (SNSs) such as Facebook and Google Plus has examined their utility for dissemination of public health information [1][2][3], the issues of professionalism [4] and ethical conduct [5,6] they raise, their impact on the doctorpatient relationship [7], and their effect on the expression of depression [8][9][10] and regulation of mood [11]. Similar interest has developed for status update sites (SUSs) such as Twitter and Livejournal [12][13][14].…”

Usage of Facebook-and Anonymous Forum -- Based Peer Support Groups Online and Their Influence on Perceived Social Support Types in Weight Loss

“…Third, to shed light on the suitable platform for peer social support [17,29], this study concludes that communities providing a safe, closed environment for communication, which are already integrated into the users' everyday lives [see also 12,28] and are not just built around a common interest but also offer the possibility for high self-presentation [see also 19], present the most effective platform for sharing and receiving functional support. In other words, platforms such as Facebook seem to offer suitable technical solutions that provide an effective environment for social support.…”

“…Furthermore, the social support literature has mostly focused on anonymous online communities [30]. As Oh et al [29] noted, more research is required to determine the specific functions of Facebook or other social media that would likely lead to benefits for patients. Social networking sites are one of the platforms that have recently been emphasized in persuasion systems research [27].…”