Title of the Essay, Author, and Date

P ro-Ana and Social Media by Laura Cerrato (February 26, 2013)

Title of the Reflection

Blogs

First Impression

A n essay about blogs

Quote

 The internet is an exciting place, but whenever people have the opportunity to create, there’s a chance they will create destructive things.

Reflection Paper

I never see “pro-ana” and “pro-mia” posts and blogs. Maybe, Laura Cerrato brought up the idea of censoring these words much like the word “sex” is censored. I agree with the author that there is no way to completely censor this type of information and censoring it infringes on the right to freedom of speech and expression, which is unethical in itself. Cerrato also brought up a valid argument that shutting down certain forums for pro-ana and pro-mia bloggers only leads to more and more pro-ana and pro-mia sites. Instead of blocking searches, I think that society and culture should change the way that people perceive body image. There needs to be a change. Something needs to happen. Perhaps social networking sites can screen content with more discretion. Tumblr, for instance, already censors certain terms. If Tumblr were more vigilant in censoring terms like “proana,” would it help the situation? Unfortunately, new terms can be invented, or new social networking sites, that have less stringent rules.  There needs to be a change. Something needs to happen. Perhaps social networking sites can screen content with more discretion. Tumblr, for instance, already censors certain terms. In February 2012, Tumblr claimed that they would be banning pro-ana sites. But a simple search proves that there are many sites still up and running. And while you cannot track the term “sex,” you can track “proana.” The internet is an exciting place, but whenever people have the opportunity to create, there’s a chance they will create destructive things.

5 Things That I've learned from the article

1. Anorexia is the form of breakdown most readily accessible to young girls.
2. Social networking sites like Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook are filled with “thinspiration.” Young girls connect to one another, share their experiences, and exacerbate their illness.
3.  Pro-ana and pro-mia have a history of migrating frequently to avoid censorship.
4. anorexia has a high co-morbidity for issues like depression, young sufferers of depression could potentially find out about the pro-ana community through the #depression hash tag on Twitter (or through searching for a similar mental health hash tag, like #anxiety or #BPD).
5. Pro-ana and pro-mia are not the only disturbing communities out there. The self-injury community is also very active.

5 Integrative Questions 

1. Why and what are the reasons pro-ana and pro-mia has perverse element of competition to who will be hospitalized first?
2. What legal responsibility should such site owners (pro-ana and pro-mia sites) have in their encouragement of life-threatening illnesses?
3. What ethics does the sites have in the proliferation of pro-ana and pro-mia sites? Should the dissemination of such information be illegal?
4. Where social networking sites can screen content with more discretion?
5. Why censoring terms like “proana,” would help the situation?