Between Bodies and Society: A Netnography of Eating Disorders in Guadalajara, Jalisco

Abstract

This research analyzes how Eating Disorders (EDs) are experienced, represented, and reinterpreted within the digital environment of Guadalajara, Jalisco, where social media has shifted from entertainment spaces to arenas for constructing identity, body, and health. Using a qualitative approach and a netnographic methodology, interactions on TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook were observed to understand the meanings and experiences related to anorexia, bulimia, and other EDs. The results show that EDs are expressed through a balance between vulnerability and support. On TikTok, challenges and trends that idealize thinness are predominant, although discourses of self-care also appear; on YouTube, personal testimonies contribute reflection and hope; and on Facebook, private groups function as networks of emotional support. These dynamics reveal that young people in Guadalajara experience EDs within a context that combines global and local influences, where technology acts as a mirror, a megaphone, and a refuge. The study concludes that understanding EDs requires looking beyond the clinical dimension and integrating their social and symbolic aspects. It is proposed to continue exploring the role of algorithms, digital languages, and virtual communities to design prevention and support strategies aligned with current youth realities.