The influence of YouTube binge eating vlog viewing on perception and behavior among South Korean women, aged 20s to 30s, with binge eating tendencies: a qualitative analysis

Abstract

This study explored the effect of viewing Youtube binge eating vlogs on female viewers with binge-eating tendencies. A ‘binge eating vlog’ is a video containing binge eating episodes in which a person eats more food than other people within a certain period of time and experiences a loss of control. To this end, we recruited 10 women in their 20s and 30s with tendencies to binge eating and watch binge eating Youtube vlogs on a regular basis to conduct individual interviews on them and analyzed these interviews using consensus qualitative analysis (CQR). As a result, the binge eating vlog contributes to both the perception and behavior related to binge eating, manifesting both positive and negative influences simultaneously. The positive contributions included responses indicating a sense of relief that “I am not the only one who binge eats” and the ability to “objectively examine binge eating.” Positive behavioral changes were indicated by responses such as “becoming aware that binge eating will lead to regret, thus reducing binge eating.” Negative contributions included responses such as “feeling depressed just by seeing binge eating” and “glamorizing binge eating,” while negative behavioral changes were indicated by responses such as “imitating binge eating behavior after seeing binge eating scenes. Implications for the treatment of women in their 20s and 30s with tendencies to binge eating were suggested.

Keyword:

• Youtube, Binge eating vlog
• Eating disorder
• social media
• young adult female

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Research.