Social Media’s Dominance in Over Self-Diagnoses
The rise of social media and mental health awareness in Hollywood has led to a surge in self diagnoses occurring in today’s youth. There are opposing opinions as to whether this is due to influences from social media or from film. While both film and social media contribute to the romanticization of mental illness and misinformation prevalent in media, this paper aims to prove social media’s role as the primary culprit in fostering a culture of over self-diagnoses due to its interactive and viral nature.
Firstly, film is argued to provide the most detriment to youth struggling with mental health as opposed to social media. Dunn (2017) maintains the position that this is because of unrealistic portrayal in film and social media, and general lack of understanding from producers of such films and social media platforms as to the implications of inaccurate material. However, despite the overarching aim of her thesis to establish the impact of film on self-diagnoses Dunn adds social media to the mixture of influences because it is, “just as, if not more of an influence on attitudes as film is, because social media is interactive” (2017). Thus supporting the opinion of social media’s dominant stronghold on media surrounding mental health, due to its interactivity.
Social media’s interactive nature facilitates the over-diagnoses in today’s youth. The internet has provided a space for people to connect on diverse topics through social media platforms, blogs, and online forums. Giles & Newbold (2011) posit that these social forums and support groups have contributed to an increase in self-diagnosing based on information found online. Users are left susceptible to self-diagnosis because it poses symptoms as a relatable occurrence (Hatzenbuehler et al., 2013). Furthermore, the influence of celebrities and influencers, particularly on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, contributes to the romanticized portrayal of mental illnesses. Clark (2023) highlights that influencers inadvertently encourage the self-diagnosis of adolescents by creating an aesthetic around mental illness on social media. Interactivity is a significant media strength, a dimension in which film lacks.
Additionally unique to social media, viral events are ubiquitous as the infrastructure allows one to share information across networks with a speed and reach never before availability to the vast majority of people (Nahon, 2013, p. 14). For example, Murphy’s research illustrates that on TikTok, the ADHD hashtag 10.6 billion, anxiety 13.1 billion, neurodivergent has about 3 billion views. The rapid dissemination of information on social media plays a crucial role in the upsurge of self-diagnoses among adolescents. Alhusseini (2020) states that on the internet, specifically platforms such as TikTok and YouTube, becomes a significant source for health-related information, leading to a rise in self-diagnosis based on the media content encountered. The distribution of film is slower and its virality is limited in comparison to social media. Movies are not able to be shared as easily as videos on social media are, therefore, a short video circulating the web has the ability to exceed the virality and have a more impactful influence than a film that takes years to produce.
In summation, numerous overlaps exist between film and social media influences, in the context of self-diagnoses. Misinformation and oversimplification exists between both media outlets. However, with its relatability and rapid dissemination of information, social media is a primary cause for the prevalent issue of over self-diagnosing among today’s youth.