Through his research, Ganson has learned there is a large prevalence of men wanting to achieve what they view as the ideal body type — naturally or with the use of steroids and other performance-enhancers.“I think they know that these sorts of platforms influence their body image and the desire to change their body in specific ways,” he said.
“They present this insanely muscular, non-fat, unrealistic image … It’s made me have unrealistic expectations a little bit … that I don’t have enough muscle, I’m not big enough or not strong enough. It kind of feeds into that and slowly makes me think like that,” he said.Barez, who regularly exercises and follows what he says is a good diet, said he’s coming closer to the point of accepting his body for what it is and not constantly focusing on where it should be.
“If you start to look at some images of The Rock or Cristiano Ronaldo, Instagram will say you must spend a lot of time on this app. If you see these images, you must like them, so let’s show you more of this so that you can spend more time here,” she said.The algorithm can send people down a rabbit hole, according to Drenten. She added that more people interacting with popular male athletes or muscular men’s photos help the app push that content more broadly too.
Whistleblower Frances Haugen, a former product manager at Facebook, whose parent company Meta owns Instagram, said internal studies from the company showed the app intensified eating disorders amongst young girls. They also launched a feature called the sensitive control feature which allows users greater control of the images they see by allowing them the ability to restrict and limit triggering posts and stories. A Meta spokesperson said they’re focused on creating a “supportive, healthy environment” and want to find the “right solutions to some of the most complicated issues we face” like eating disorders and body image.