Disordered Eating in the Virtual World

This chapter explains how, for scholars and researchers, Internet platforms and the forums, videos, blogs and podcasts hosted by them have created an archive of information concerning the lived experiences of disordered eating from the perspective of the online generation. Social media platforms also provide a particularly fertile ground from which to gather “digital footprints” to analyze and predict, not just activities, but user location, age, gender, level of education, health status, political preferences, and so on. This chapter focuses on four key aspects of disordered eating discourse in the virtual world. First, it touches on the topic of digital surveillance and data gathering on the Internet. Second, and in relation to the more covert spaces on social media, it delves into the dynamics of discourses surrounding eating disorders and mental health within the context of what have been loosely named pro-eating disorder (pro- ED) forums. The third point concerns the impact of the “selfie society” on the shaping of discourses about disordered eating online and the use of adapted psychiatric and psychological terminology to describe personal experiences. Finally, it explains how the illness narratives elucidated in recent online videos have taken a decidedly entrepreneurial turn, with the authors of these videos gaining followings on their subscription channels and diversifying, for example, from beauty product promotion to their “my anorexia story.”