The Australian Influencer Marketing Council (AiMCO) will mark International Youth Day by hosting a webinar on social media responsibility for influencers and exploring the impact of social media on young people’s body image.
The webinar, to be held on 12 August, will explore social media best practices for influencers, talent managers/agents, agencies and brands in light of research showing the strong connection between social media content and negative body image.
Guest speakers Gemma Sharp, an associate professor at Monash University and a senior clinical psychologist, and Penny Shell, chief strategy and product officer for Zenith Media, will examine the connection between social media and eating disorders during the webinar.
“Influencers have a responsibility to be good digital citizens,” AiMCO managing director, Patrick Whitnall, said. “The power of content creators and influencers … cannot be underestimated, particularly among young people, so it’s important that our creators have a thorough understanding of the impact of their content on body image and self- esteem.
“Our focus is on giving our influencer community the tools to build more responsible social media platforms and to be leaders in this space, creating positive, empowering content for young Australians.”
Sharp will provide evidence-based strategies to promote a more positive social media environment and improve the user experience, while Snell will discuss practical media actions and best practice content ratios and behaviours.
Associate professor Sharp is the head of the Body Image and Eating Disorders Research Program at Monash University, and her research career has focused on social media and its impact on teen body image and eating disorders, along with novel treatments.
She also leads the International Consortium for Research in Eating Disorders which brings together key voices in eating disorder research globally to improve eating disorder care.
Shell has held Australian and global leadership roles in agencies and client side, and as an independent consultant in strategy, account leadership, and new business. Her expertise spans categories including retail, financial services, FMCG, luxury, sport, automotive, government, tourism/travel, beauty, QSR, and telecommunications.
Over the past 12 months, she has been leading a media industry social media responsibility initiative for positive actions on teen body image.
The Social Media Responsibility webinar is the latest in AiMCO’s series of webinars for its members. This year’s webinars have deep dived into a range of topics for creators, agencies and brands, including safe mental health content, influencer agreements, and inclusivity and diversity in the industry.
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Top image: Penny Shell and Gemma Sharp