It’s rare I find myself nodding along to an article published by (gag) Buzzfeed. This week, though, I found my eyes glued to my computer screen as the notoriously leftist publication took on an issue affecting everyone–big tech.
Instagram has been under fire recently in regard to its approach to adolescents in America, especially when it comes to body image for teenage girls. Just hours before a recent scheduled testimony of an Instagram executive before the United States Senate, two technology watchdog groups dropped a bombshell report about Instagram promoting pro-anorexia content for teenage girls.
Turns out, Instagram, or rather, ‘Thinstagram’ as it’s called by Reset Tech and the Tech Transparency Project, has an algorithm that is likely to fuel eating disorders for teenagers facing body dysmorphia.
The Buzzfeed piece on the subject shares, “Instagram and other social networks have enabled vulnerable users to access self-destructive tips and techniques at a scale beyond what researchers have seen before.”
In a period of American history when censorship has become a hallmark trait of online platforms, it’s a shocking reality that content encouraging destructive or even life-threatening behavior is encouraged through an algorithm that censors voices time and time again.
The more we discover about the impact of social networking platforms like Instagram on teenagers, the more disturbing they become. Moreover, as our society embraces a fully digital future with the rise of the Metaverse, it’s likely these issues will only grow exponentially.
