Psychotherapy in the Times of Instagram

Social Media in the Narrative Construction

Abstract

Ninety per cent of young people use social media, and this use can be as addictive as tobacco. On the other hand, there is an association between the problematic use of social networks and the presence of anxiety-depressive and food symptoms, although the nature of this relationship is still unclear. Following a clinical vignette of a patient with bulimia, this work analyzes from the perspective of narratives the influence that social media have on the construction of the self. An analogy is argued between the narrative selection that occurs when building a profile in a social network, even through images, and the construction of the self as we know it today. Possible implications for psychotherapy practice are also explored.