Mental health and the media
It has taken me longer than I expected to write this blog, because I felt so emotional about it and I couldn't articulate my thoughts properly. I'm not writing it for the likes, because it's trending or because I suddenly have an opinion on it. I've had an opinion on this for a long time, and given my recent mental health struggles I feel really passionate about it.
TODAY'S MEDIA LANDSCAPE IS VILE.
I'm talking about newspapers, online news sites and forums, gossip sites and social media. Sure, not every single thing on these platforms is vile, but the things that are can be so destructive and result in devastating consequences.
I'm talking about newspapers, online news sites and forums, gossip sites and social media. Sure, not every single thing on these platforms is vile, but the things that are can be so destructive and result in devastating consequences.
I did a journalism degree just over a decade ago, but never entered the profession. During my degree the things I learned about that journalists have to do really put me off. I learned about 'death knocks' - where you knock on the door of someone who has been recently been bereaved and try to convince them to talk to you. That's not for me. I'm not sure if that's even still a thing in local journalism, but the thought horrified me.
Today the news media is vastly different to a decade ago. It's all about the clicks. The media are largely funded by advertising and the amount of money they make depends on the amount of readers they get on their website, the engagement on their social media channels and, decreasingly, the amount of newspapers they sell.
The tabloid and many online media outlets rely on click-bait and sensationalist headlines to get engagement. Often I'll see a terrible news story on my local paper's Facebook page - it will be either completely irrelevant and not of public interest, or really negative. Lots of the readers agree on this, and comment on the post to air their views - and I'm sure many of them do this with good intentions.
The problem here is that it doesn't really matter to them if the comments on their Facebook link are negative or positive, so long as there are plenty of them. The higher the engagement, the more money they will make through advertising. So the more we comment, however negatively, the more of these stories will be published.
Then there's the slightly different issue of social media. In the 'olden days' if you had a problem with someone you would either keep it to yourself or a small circle, or say it to their face and risk a black eye. Now we have this big buffer called the internet, that allows people to sit behind their keyboard and say what they want without experiencing any consequences. People on there can be truly, truly awful and that can really affect those on the receiving end of abuse - even more so if they have a mental health issue.
Over the weekend, after the tragic news that Caroline Flack had taken her own life, I've seen so many posts and memes reminding people to be kind. That's great, I agree, but it's not enough. We have a real responsibility here, and a real power to change this bullying culture.
We need to stop consuming trash media. We need to stop clicking on bullying headlines that take advantage of a public figure's mistakes or misfortunes. We need to stop looking at fashion faux pas and articles about celebrity cellulite - whether we agree with the sentiment in the article or not. Unfollow the newspapers that promote bullying. Start following like-minded, non-judgmental people. Celebrate other people's successes. And for goodness sake, if you can't be kind, be quiet.
Rest in peace Caroline Flack, 9 November 1979 - 15 February 2020. You didn't deserve this 💗.
The tabloid and many online media outlets rely on click-bait and sensationalist headlines to get engagement. Often I'll see a terrible news story on my local paper's Facebook page - it will be either completely irrelevant and not of public interest, or really negative. Lots of the readers agree on this, and comment on the post to air their views - and I'm sure many of them do this with good intentions.
The problem here is that it doesn't really matter to them if the comments on their Facebook link are negative or positive, so long as there are plenty of them. The higher the engagement, the more money they will make through advertising. So the more we comment, however negatively, the more of these stories will be published.
Then there's the slightly different issue of social media. In the 'olden days' if you had a problem with someone you would either keep it to yourself or a small circle, or say it to their face and risk a black eye. Now we have this big buffer called the internet, that allows people to sit behind their keyboard and say what they want without experiencing any consequences. People on there can be truly, truly awful and that can really affect those on the receiving end of abuse - even more so if they have a mental health issue.
Over the weekend, after the tragic news that Caroline Flack had taken her own life, I've seen so many posts and memes reminding people to be kind. That's great, I agree, but it's not enough. We have a real responsibility here, and a real power to change this bullying culture.
We need to stop consuming trash media. We need to stop clicking on bullying headlines that take advantage of a public figure's mistakes or misfortunes. We need to stop looking at fashion faux pas and articles about celebrity cellulite - whether we agree with the sentiment in the article or not. Unfollow the newspapers that promote bullying. Start following like-minded, non-judgmental people. Celebrate other people's successes. And for goodness sake, if you can't be kind, be quiet.
Rest in peace Caroline Flack, 9 November 1979 - 15 February 2020. You didn't deserve this 💗.
Comments
Post a Comment