“U OK hun?” Sadfishing – when someone posts an emotional message on social media in an apparent attempt to attract sympathy or hook an audience – is under fire.
The phenomenon has been driven by influencers and celebrities, with Justin Bieber recently telling his 119 million Instagram followers: “It’s hard to get out of bed in the morning when you are overwhelmed with your life.”
In an era in which mental health is increasingly commodified, there is concern that some social media users are exaggerating emotional turmoil to draw people to their pages. And there are consequences: a new study by Digital Awareness UK found that young people with mental health issues who seek help online are receiving distressing criticism that they are jumping on a celeb-like publicity bandwagon, with it even making some children more vulnerable to online groomers.
The term “sadfishing” is tellingly cruel, playing to the prejudice that people brave enough to open up about anxiety or depression are just attention seekers.
The truth is that talking about how we are feeling online should be encouraged, if done safely. For all its faults as a medium, social media can often feel an easier place on which to share than doing so in person; a kind of anonymous offload. I have seen many people with mental health and physical problems post online during a rough patch, and promptly get invaluable support from their online communities. Some interventions have even averted suicide.
The “sadfishing” backlash surely has the problem backwards: the concern is not that too many young people talk about their mental health online, but that so many are struggling in the first place. Meanwhile, cuts to mental health support mean we can increasingly only turn to the internet for help.
Even privileged celebrities such as Bieber have the human need to open up for their wellbeing, and can tackle stigma in doing so. After all, for all their charms, wealth and fame don’t protect from sadness (a fact his young followers will benefit from hearing).
The last thing that anyone showing vulnerability needs is criticism. If in doubt, a bit of kindness can let all of us off the hook.
