As we encourage more to talk and ‘open up’ about their mental health struggles following the pandemic, young people have gone online to vent their issues. Thanks to under-funded mental health programs, the ‘screen barrier’ and ease of access, Twitter has become a breeding ground for mental health discussion.
Ironically, it is the distance and lack of personal connection that makes venting online satisfying. It’s easier to share with a stranger you’ll never see again than with the family one sees daily. In a sense, social media users’ issues are spoken, heard and noted, before they fade into internet anonymity. A ‘like’, the only remnant that anything was even said. A post eases the burden of confessing. The issue won’t linger like it might with family or friends. This can help the issue reach catharsis with no mental or social damage.
Dr. Ysabel Gerrard believes social media is the perfect landscape for mental health. She tells Dazed,
“It can enable people to talk about experiences that they might not be able to in their everyday lives. It can really take you out of that lonely, isolated place”
She is not alone in that thought. Journalist Kelly Main similarly believes social media is an untapped tool for good mental health. It can maintain connections, create inspiration, allow safe venting, and increase knowledge with relative ease. She does note, however, that the environment you create for yourself on social media is just as important. The wrong people surrounding an account can be detrimental and even harmful to that user’s mindset and general livelihood. Per Inc,
‘Social media shouldn’t cost you your mental health. It should afford you happiness through meaningful connections, infinite inspiration, a library of never-ending educational opportunities.’
Expensive Strangers
Venting to strangers you’ve never met has its own issues, online or otherwise. To share a personal fact is to expose yourself. That is a vulnerability. It’s a vulnerability that many of the worst users online have no issue attacking or taking advantage of. It has also given rise to ‘Sad-posting’. Ironic and humorous about the terrible state of one’s mental health. This trend can fall into intense self-pity, or worse. It can lead to an environment where being miserable and depressive is desirable.
Despite her positive beliefs on social media, Dr Gerrard believes no one should only take mental health advice from Twitter. An expert’s opinion is still valid and critical. She blames the rise of mental health social media on the sheer lack of affordable mental healthcare. It creates a desperation that sends people to anything that could ease mental stress.
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