Consumption of information about healthy eating and diets on Facebook pages: a qualitative approach in the virtual environment

Abstract

This article starts from a qualitative approach on Facebook pages (FB) to analyze the meanings of consumption of information about healthy eating and diets attributed by Internet users. Observations were carried out with a field diary for eight months and semi-structured interviews were carried out with 10 internet users, guided by a specific script. The pages reflect a weight-loss market that is not explicit for consumers. All respondents access FB daily, and the consumption of information varied between those seeking "all the time", "sometimes" and "when it appears on the timeline". The information is subjected to filtering and validation processes mediated by experiences, pairs or comparisons in different sources on the Web – in order to make sense. Internet users organize their dietary care from new elements "mined" in the network – virtual communities are part of self-care itineraries based on self-control and discipline of bodies. The analyzes can contribute to the understanding and perspectives of the use of social networks by health communicators and debates on the role of social media in the health field and on possibilities for reconciling the logic of the media with the logic of health promotion.