I chose the topic of anorexia and bulimia support websites...but not in the conventional way. When most people think of an eating disorder support group they think of groups of people who support and encourage during recovery...but the websites and communities I'm going to look at don't focus on recovery, they focus on maintaining the anorexia or bulimia 'lifestyle' with tips, encouragement, etc. They're called ProAna and ProMia communities and I'm not sure how I came across them years ago but since I found them I've been pretty haunted by what I've seen and read.
The article I read, "A Comparison of Pro-Anorxia and Treatment Websites" was a pretty good overall explanation of the problem. Young girls and boys are looking to the internet to find information about eating disorders and instead of finding help, they're finding the complete oppostite, information to continue being anorexic or bulimic. What's interesting about these websites and communities is that a lot of times the terms of use specify that if you are truly not clinically anorexic or bulimic than to please not use to websites to 'become' anorexic.
This is a really interesting topic and I really look forward to learning more.
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