Presentation at the 2021 Popular Culture Association / American Culture Association National Conference , 2nd June 2021 - 5th June 2021, in Boston, MA

Abstract:

Our perceptions of health, fitness and wellness are in a constant state of evolution. What was once perceived as desirable – being thin – is being replaced with aspirations of strength – #strongisthenewskinny. The use of hashtags and images in the world of Instagram is emblematic of this shift. By hashtagging, Instagrammers – so-called ‘Fitsagrammers’ – are able to link their pictures and profiles to specific keywords and, by extension, specific online fitness communities.

The act of hashtagging, however, is a subjective one; it is the person who posts a picture that decides which tags to use, and therefore which communities they belong to. This means that differing perceptions of health and fitness, and different depictions of fit and unfit bodies, could end up grouped under the same hashtag.

Does this variation strengthen online fitness communities or weaken them? Is this difference accepted, or do communities fracture and break off when there is little to no consistency among the images and bodies that are associated with them? Why do some hashtags thrive while others die? To answer these questions, this paper uses content analysis to examine the role of language and images in the creation, growth and maintenance of online fitness communities created on Instagram.