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I wrote this for the AMS Lab, but figured it would garner a bit more discussion here...
How to be Popular on Bodybuilding Forums
I know what you're thinking...who cares if your popular on the internet? IRL (in real life) is what matters! What's interesting is that to many it does matter. Finding a social arena that includes people of similar interests and experiences is what social networking is really all about. And what's more extreme than bodybuilding? Not much. Which means finding people like yourself may be more difficult IRL than it seems.
That is one reason why Australian researchers actually studied an online bodybuilding forum, to determine what exactly motivated their body image, and health behaviors. This was a ethnography study, which is essentially a qualitative study of the influences on a particular cultural group. In this case a bodybuilding forum, that included everything from competitive bodybuilders, strongmen, powerlifters, physique enthusiasts, to "newbs" and "vets". There were many interesting aspects of their qualitative review, but one was what they describe as "capital". You could just as easily call capital in this case popularity or power. They describe forum popularity/power in four different forms:
Hopefully you sensed the sarcasm in the above tips (note the study is real). But you will probably find, or have already found that some of these are actually quite true. It also in some ways represents the view of the person who may not take physical culture as seriously as you. If you were to read this study from front to end, you might leave with the notion that the researchers are in fact pencil necked geeks with little understanding of one of our favorite passions. But remember they looked into a particularly extreme example, where people often inflate their ego by fabricating stories and achievements. This is simply because there is no measure of audit involved beyond a picture since most online communities are largely anonymous. With that in mind, don't be a douchebag on the forums. Go there to help people, share experiences, learn, and have fun.
Smith AC, Stewart B. "Body perceptions and health behaviors in an online bodybuilding community." Qual Health Res. (2012): 971-85.
How to be Popular on Bodybuilding Forums
I know what you're thinking...who cares if your popular on the internet? IRL (in real life) is what matters! What's interesting is that to many it does matter. Finding a social arena that includes people of similar interests and experiences is what social networking is really all about. And what's more extreme than bodybuilding? Not much. Which means finding people like yourself may be more difficult IRL than it seems.
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| Online personas at war |
That is one reason why Australian researchers actually studied an online bodybuilding forum, to determine what exactly motivated their body image, and health behaviors. This was a ethnography study, which is essentially a qualitative study of the influences on a particular cultural group. In this case a bodybuilding forum, that included everything from competitive bodybuilders, strongmen, powerlifters, physique enthusiasts, to "newbs" and "vets". There were many interesting aspects of their qualitative review, but one was what they describe as "capital". You could just as easily call capital in this case popularity or power. They describe forum popularity/power in four different forms:
- Economic Capital - Normally we would think this just means how wealthy you are. But on forums, wealth is less important than the following forms of influence. Still they found that some form of popularity was gained by your ability to obtain supplements, training equipment, and anabolic steroids.
- Cultural Capital - In one word, knowledge. But not necessarily the knowledge you might think of, such as a degree in exercise science. "Hardcore experience" in the real world (a gym) was held in greater regards than any research in the lab. It was best illustrated by an example the author's list that they describe as "bicep size served as a proxy for knowledge".
- Symbolic Capital - This one was the simplest, and perhaps the most influential. Symbolic capital was gained by simply posing a picture of your physical dominance. Even words and claims of size or body fat increased symbolic capital.
- Social Capital - This was your everyday investment in the forums. Meaning things such as your post count and frequency, your ability to fit in and understand who is important, and just joining in the journey they call the "brotherhood of iron".
- Be as big as possible. 275lbs+ or it's not good enough
- Be near or in competition shape all the time. In other words less than 10% body fat
- Post as many pictures as possible, make sure the lighting is good
- Video's of impressive lifts and posing help as well
- Make sure you call out anyone of a lesser physique than you (flame away)
- Make sure people know you have access to only the best supplements, training facilities, and steroids
- Maintain that your anecdotal opinion supersedes all scientific research. The bigger you are, the more "right" you will be
- Proclaim your achievements "290lbs + 10% body fat, state bodybuilding champ"
- Muscle first, not safety
- Make bold statements like "That's the ONLY way you truly get big"
- Narrate your stories of dominance, especially ones in the gym
- Acknowledge your superiors successes, but always subtlety include your own accomplishments.
Hopefully you sensed the sarcasm in the above tips (note the study is real). But you will probably find, or have already found that some of these are actually quite true. It also in some ways represents the view of the person who may not take physical culture as seriously as you. If you were to read this study from front to end, you might leave with the notion that the researchers are in fact pencil necked geeks with little understanding of one of our favorite passions. But remember they looked into a particularly extreme example, where people often inflate their ego by fabricating stories and achievements. This is simply because there is no measure of audit involved beyond a picture since most online communities are largely anonymous. With that in mind, don't be a douchebag on the forums. Go there to help people, share experiences, learn, and have fun.
Smith AC, Stewart B. "Body perceptions and health behaviors in an online bodybuilding community." Qual Health Res. (2012): 971-85.
