The topic I have chosen to dive into in this class is
How intermittent fasting is portrayed through the media and how this may negatively affect how people actually take on the diet. This interested me first and foremost because I feel like I can’t look online for anything health-related, to any forms of media, without hearing about Intermittent fasting. I had heard about it from a couple of friends, who always try to stay updated on the latest fad diets, but more importantly, I saw so much coverage about this subject on media outlets such as The Today Show and Doctor Oz.
There are even TED talks that revolve around the subject. This is a recent search of “Intermittent Fasting” on Youtube.
There is an overwhelming amount of information on the subject. The New York Times even jumped on the bandwagon, giving their two cents on the subject.
However, with a little more digging, I’ve found that with this coverage on restricting the times in which you eat, from some of the experiences I have researched, it is easy for some people to get carried away and even begin restricting more and more, creating bad habits.
I want to explore how media interprets and manipulates information that revolves around intermittent fasting as well as how people are reacting and using this information and what those effects are. I hope to gain a greater perspective on the “health” side of the media. As my lectures have taught me to be skeptical, I already feel as though this will be an excellent topic for me to use and apply the skills I have learned in my modules. I believe that when it comes to the topic of diets, the media is easily one place where there is bound to be misinformation. Take this info-graphic for example.
While the layout is simple and colorful and gives direct instructions on when to eat, it lacks basic but important details such as what you should be eating when the time comes. I also think it’s worth mentioning the general look of this info-graphic. It gives a general overview of the schedules for each fasting habit looking and sounding simple, with no real insight.
Are you allowed to drink water while fasting?
What about coffee?
My problem with these photographs is that it’s easy to see this picture and think, “Oh, I could restrict my eating for 36 hours, just look at all these before and after photos.” One search on Pinterest with “Intermittent Fasting” in the search bar and you are bombarded with so many peoples success stories. A picture is worth a thousand words, and of course, we begin to play the comparison game. Thinking, “Well, if I want results like that, all I need to do is follow this schedule.”
I feel as though in the way that it is interpreted now, everyone wants a “fast and simple” way to lose weight (don’t we all?) and the media plays into our want for things to be as simple as possible. However, with simplicity comes missing information. I feel that the biggest issue revolving around this topic is that many people are misinformed about it. Only knowing bits and pieces, even after they have begun the diet.
I wanted to do this research topic on essentially the difference between what the diet is, and how it’s being interpreted by the media and the dangerous effects that can come from it. I’ve always thought fad diets were interesting and I think it would make a good topic to explore through this project. I look forward to devouring this topic.
