When I see a fellow fitness influencer post a picture of their fit, slender body, I assume that’s what their body actually looks like.
There is a stark dissonance between what social media platforms provide and what the users of these platforms believe they receive. We, users, think we are getting truth when a piece of content is presented as such. When I see a fellow fitness influencer post a picture of their fit, slender body, I assume that’s what their body actually looks like. Unfortunately, this assumption is often inaccurate—images of bodies, especially of people with large followings, are frequently modified on these platforms, edited or airbrushed to perfection. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. That same influencer who flaunts their svelte body in photos—edited or not—may also preach methods (diet and exercise) by which they achieved this body that are vastly, or even subtly, untrue. That same influencer may claim that their diet and its aesthetic outcome improved their mental and physical well-being when it did not, and in fact may have been detrimental to both. Even something as simple as the influencer smiling while showcasing their body, suggesting that their body makes them happy, is potentially fraudulent messaging. On a platform where so much information is implied, the opportunities for subtle misinformation are endless.