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While social media have been found useful in providing social support and health information, they have also been home to content advocating risky health behavior. This study focused on how content defending and even celebrating anorexia as a lifestyle are circulated among social media users, and investigates the characteristics that promote wide propagation of such messages. We captured anorexia-related content on Tumblr, a popular blog for talking about eating disorders, during a one-month period. Among the 35,432 posts collected, we examined the most highly propagated posts and coded them for message characteristics. Our findings revealed that posts in which the source of a narrative ('testimony') was identified (was either from an anorexic poster or about another's anorexia) and which were positive toward the pro-anorexia perspective were more likely to be propagated on Tumblr. In addition, posts containing content that references an anorexic person and contains an affective tone were more likely to be propagated. We also found that underweight bodies and bodies with a high degree of exposure were associated with propagation of posts. The present study suggested practical implications by focusing on the characteristics of highly propagated but potentially harmful content in social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid growth of weblog (blog) services has induced Internet users to share their feelings and information via blogs. Few researchers are currently investigating why people blog. In this study, we explored the antecedents and consequences of blogging behaviors. We collected 613 valid responses to an online survey from blog users. Factor analysis was conducted to confirm 3 antecedents of using blogs as social motivations, goal orientation, and entertainment orientation. We identified 3 key blogging behaviors of basic journaling, more advanced publishing, and interactive feedback. Social and information return were identified as the 2 major effects of blogging behaviors. The results of structural equation modeling showed that social motivations and entertainment orientation had significant impacts on all 3 blogging behaviors and goal orientation positively influenced advanced publishing and interactive feedback. Implications and limitations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]