What I Learnt About Social Media and Mental Health From Chatting to Frankie Bridge
The first Monday in May is all about Met Gala madness and the general social vibe is to be seen, not heard. The second Monday in May is a totally different ball game, marking the start of Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) here in the UK – a week-long occasion prompting anyone and everyone to be as open as possible about their mental health, ensuring we all feel heard, seen and supported. MHAW is becoming an increasingly important event for all of us to be aware of with as social media becomes ever so closely intertwined with our lives. This year for MHAW I sat down with Frankie Bridge – popstar, influencer, mother and now, good friend – to record our latest Verified Views podcast episode. We chatted about how she’s managed some extremely challenging mental health moments alongside a monumental career, what platforms should be doing more of to support content creators and how we can all look after our minds a little bit better, both online and off. Having bravely opened up about her own struggles with depression and anxiety, Frankie is now investing much of her time into working with charities like Mind and campaigns like Time To Change. Frankie is currently in the process of writing her debut novel on mental health, entitled ‘Open’ and that’s exactly what she was when we chatted over on our podcast; Verified Views.
Influencers are very much celebrating MHAW far more openly than they have done previously, and mental health in general is increasingly becoming a more common topic of conversation both on and offline. I’m in awe of people like Frankie who can use their following to support and help others – in contrast, I still have the mentality of maintaining a poker face and my personal mantra has always been; “Grin F**k” which comes from never letting anyone else show how you’re feeling and always doing your best to grin through it (even if you’re swearing in your head!).
Frankie and I discussed the fear of being named as a ‘poster girl’ for mental health as she was one of the first to really change the way we discussed this topic online, and the huge amounts of pressure that comes with that kind of label. We also talked about how surprisingly rewarding it is to discuss mental health online, with Frankie sharing that when she does choose to talk openly and candidly about her mental health via social media or otherwise, the reaction is always overwhelmingly positive because it reminds others that even celebrities and influencers alike suffer from the same mental woes as the rest of us.
One of her Instagram posts from Christmas 2018 is particularly memorable, in which she discussed the terrifying lack of routine that cripples so many of us with anxiety and depression around the Christmas period, because the lives we live nowadays are so full on and so centered around ‘showing face’ that we have forgotten how to slow down and switch off. Influencer burnout is no secret; last year, teenage YouTuber Elle Mills made a video about how dangerously depressed she had become having lived her life on the ‘YouTube conveyor belt for too long, churning out content day after day’, which in turn inspired a vast number of other influencers and YouTubers to come clean about the realities of online life, and how mentally damaging it can be if not approached safely. Louis Cole, a British YouTuber who has been daily vlogging for over six years straight, mentioned how addictive the platform of YouTube can be,in that it only tends to reward creators the more they upload. Influencers face a constant pressure to be creating for and sharing with the world non-stop – a daily phenomenon no human has every really experienced before the age of the internet.
One of the biggest lessons I learnt whilst chatting to Frankie about her online life, is that regulations and ‘safety nets’ are not being put in place by platforms when it comes to dealing with ill mental health online – and that needs to change, immediately. Influencers are bravely working really hard to change stigmas surrounding the discussion of mental health, and it’s obvious that their efforts are paying off given how positively accepted behaviors associated to ill mental health online and offline have become. The problem is that very little of that honesty or effort to combat damage to mental health via social media creators and users is being reflected in the way platforms are operating. Those who speak out online about mental health are being loyally supported by so many followers, brands and charities, but the platforms facilitating these incredibly important conversations regarding mental health are not demonstrating anywhere near the same level of support right now, and instead are merely perpetuating this dangerous ‘always-on’ culture. Social media sites seem to be so set on skyrocketing their user counts, boasting the biggest influencers and debuting the latest addictive platform feature, that little to no effort has gone into protecting the mental health of their content creators.
What we do know is that support is needed across the board for influencers, celebrities, content creators and everyday users alike. Platforms – along with brands – should at least be taking notice of the incredibly brave conversations happening in and around the digital space in regard to mental health and looking for more ways they can help influencers make the digital world a safer, more supportive one, that doesn’t perpetuate burnout and instead fosters healthy creativity – as influencers and their followers are already doing. Perhaps the answer is for platforms to promote the influencers making a huge difference to mental health awareness – whether that’s this week, or in the future - and giving people like Frankie Bridge, Matt Haig, Elyse Fox, Bryony Gordon or Scarlett Curtis the pedestal they deserve to show the world that the best part about social media is the community that comes with it, proving we never have to be alone.
If you’re wondering where to start supporting the online world this Mental Health Awareness Week, have a listen to Ep.5 of our podcast Verified Views with Frankie Bridge, to hear about how her life that went from S Club Juniors, to The Saturdays, to marrying a footballer and having kids – all very much in the public eye - has made her an outstanding mental health advocate.
Listen to Frankie Bridge’s Verified Views Podcast Ep. here.
Pre-order Frankie Bridge’s book here.