AUTHOR=Branley Dawn B. , Covey Judith 

TITLE=Pro-ana versus Pro-recovery: A Content Analytic Comparison of Social Media Users’ Communication about Eating Disorders on Twitter and Tumblr

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2017

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01356

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01356

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objectives:</bold> To compare how people communicate about eating disorders on two popular social media platforms – Twitter and Tumblr.</p><p><bold>Materials and Methods:</bold> Thematic analysis was conducted to characterize the types of communications posted, and a content analysis was undertaken of between-platform differences.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Three types of content (pro-ana, anti-ana, and pro-recovery) were posted on each platform. Overall, across both platforms, extreme pro-ana posts were in the minority compared to anti-ana and pro-recovery. Pro-ana posts (including ‘thinspiration’) were more common on Twitter than Tumblr, whereas anti-ana and pro-recovery posts were more common on Tumblr.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> The findings have implications for future research and health care relating to the treatment and prevention of eating disorders. Developers of future interventions targeting negative pro-ana content should remain aware of the need to avoid any detrimental impact on positive online support.</p>