Grab a
cuppa and snuggle up this is a good ol’ friendly chatter.
In
our increasingly media filled lives the continual sensory stream of news,
images and opinions is being tested for its impact on societies’ mental health.
In the past year alone ¼ of the UK has experienced mental health issues. The vital discussion of mental health
is a topic which is increasingly being challenged and addressed in our modern
society by contemporary minds. The relationship between the media and mental
health is one which University of Bristol Journalism
Society is keen to discuss, and a recent panel of media and psychological
experts recently came together to examine this topic.
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| University of Bristol Journalism Society Event |
The
highly regarded panel consisted of Eleanor
Morgan: prestigious journalist for the Guardian, Times and Independent,
a former Vice senior editor and author of ‘Anxiety for Beginners’, she is
currently training to be a psychologist. Daisy
Buchanan: comical colonist and feature writer for the Telegraph, The Pool and Maire Claire and author of ‘How to be a Grown Up’. Dr Sherryl Wilson: a former NHS
nurse and now a senior lecturer in Cultural and Media Studies at UWE. Tobi Oredein: Editor and
founder of ‘Black
Ballad’ and freelance
journalist working with the Independent,
Vice and Elle. Noticeably, an all-female
panel, this collection of experts addressed both professional and personal
experiences of mental health around the media. Questions from Chair, Abi
Buchanan (co-president of the
society), lead the conversation through the wider issue of whether there is
enough discussion of the relationship between mental health and the media.
This
fluid discussion flowed through a loose structural format, allowing themes of 'Personal Perspective', 'Social Media', 'Mainstream Media' and 'Stereotypes' to be
addressed. A recurring motif being whether the media is anxiety inducing, as
the panel highlighted the media’s influencing power; which sometimes distort
personal perceptions. Think of the times you’ve been scrolling on Instagram and felt inadequate by all the
beautiful models with ‘flawless’ figures. Just one example of where social
media can influence our perceptions of our ourselves. Yet, Eleanor warned against the sensationalist trap
that ‘social media is making us ill’ as this can easily disregard the wonderful
connectivity and community core social media can bring. Which can subsequently
tackle issues of mental health. It remains to be seen that social media is both
a cause and a disabler of mental health issues – just like most other aspects
of society!
It
seems increasingly evident that projections from the media have a direct
relationship with individual’s personal perspectives, commonly seen in the
magnifying judgement of the internet. From a global media attacks, such as The Sun’s disrespectful comments to footballer Ross Barkley, to the more
personal fears of the media. Yet, the empowering sentiment of strength was
reiterated by Daisy who claimed, “Our internal monologue is nastier
than the nastiest person”. Social
media is the people behind the screens, and more often than not, those people
are much nicer than you think. So, presentation of the self and discussions
around mental health can be highly empowering, as personal breakthroughs in the
media enable people to connect and in turn, tackle that nasty inner monologue.
Part of this is addressing the sometimes mentally damaging stereotypes for example, Toni indicated the potential damage of a
‘black don’t crack’ image, as she personally struggled with facing other black
women who hadn’t been ‘knocked down’ mental, emotionally or physically. This is
a theme which is also common in male discussions of mental health. It’s
important for the media, and society, to recognise the fragility in every
aspect of humanity and it’s okay to have seemingly ‘different’ feelings:
they’re probably not even that uncommon.
So,
what’s next in the mental health discussion? Firstly, the panel addressed the
necessity for the Government’s formal and informal approaches to adapt mental
health services. People’s wellbeing is important. Mental and emotional
wellbeing should be as cherished as productivity; as poor mental health makes
for poor productivity anyway. With that in mind, let’s hope for a respect,
appreciation and full funding of our wonderful NHS to improve our collective mental struggles. As for mental health
in the media? The on-going pursuit for an authentic acceptance of the human
condition remains strong. In an age of technology and connectivity, the media
can act as an ideal platform to demonstrate the realistic and almost ‘normal’
experiences and presence of mental health to embrace our minds for the
wonderful and whacky tools that they are.
Here are links to all the people mentioned from the panel, check them out for more details and discussion on mental health:
What are your thoughts on the issue? I'd love to hear your opinions!
Laura
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