This social media platform is a place built for people to express their ideas and interact with each other which can lead to big groups forming, especially around one common interest. However, an example that can have some very disturbing content is ‘Eating Disorder Twitter’. Written by Eve Whitecombe
This is a hashtag used by thousands of users that usually consist of themes around body image and food issues. By simply typing this into your search you can see posts that can be very damaging, especially to people with eating disorders or body issues.
For example in a comment under a post about larger people wearing crop tops, a user replied,” I would rather die then be caught outside of my house wearing a skirt or a crop top when I’m fat. I don’t even leave my house when I’m bloated.” This was followed by an image of someone significantly underweight.
It even can read more sinister with people giving tips on losing weight, often involving dangerous methods and advice. There are also different groups within attached to each disorder like Anorexia and Bulimia. This is worrying especially for young people on the platform as it can influence them and how they feel about themselves.
Generally users involved in this community write posts or include in their page facts about them including their weight, BMI, and disorder. This allows people to connect based on how extreme their issues are and encourage each other to reach their “UGW” – ultimate goal weight. This often correlates to a number that is incredibly unsafe and considered significantly underweight.
This can even pop up in the algorithm meaning even if you aren’t actively seeking this content you can simply stumble upon it. Even for people that haven’t ever thought about these problems can have access to disturbing images and posts that have the possibility of triggering, at its worst, eating disorders.
These communities also face their own issues like trolling. People create posts and comment on others usually insulting and shaming them despite a clear mention of being disordered. As you can imagine, this can have detrimental consequences for people that are ultimately looking to build connections in a time of struggle and bad mental health.
As eating disorders are common within these communities it raises a question of the fault of influencing many people on these issues is of the user or of the platform itself? X doesn’t specifically regulate it’s communities which leaves room for ones like this to evolve and become popular. Perhaps if there was intervention and this type of content wasn’t allowed, it could ultimately have a positive impact to the community.
It is however important to recognise that for some people struggling with these topics, this is a place they have the ability to talk to people experiencing the same thing. Many face stigma due to their issues/disorders which can make them isolated and struggle socially and so being apart of something can be meaningful in times of crisis.
It’s clear that eating disorders are something millions of people face, and therefore there should be a way for these people to connect, however it should be in a safe and regulated way.
