It’s 2019 and mental health is a thing. It’s everywhere, on our Instagram feeds and in campaigns such as Mental Health Day (10 October). Even celebrities are more open about it. Whilst it is a good thing that mental health is now spoken about more openly, there are a few drawbacks such as the double negative that is Sadfishing.
Sadfishing is first defined as people using issues to do with their own mental health in order to gain more social media followers. Celebrities such as Justin Bieber and Kendall Jenner are alleged to have done this. The second, unintended consequence of Sadfishing is that those who have exposed their inner thoughts and feelings in pursuit of sympathy and support, are then vulnerable to all sorts of sniping, trolling and perhaps even predatory behaviour.
From a survey commissioned by headteachers and involving 50,000 pupils, Digital Awareness UK recently reported that large numbers of young people are now bullied online as a result of Sadfishing.
We should all be encouraged to talk about how we feel and share our problems. However, if you are posting online about topics such as these, it’s important to remember that some people will also leave nasty comments. Meanwhile some celebrities and influencers should be more considerate: they may say they are helping to remove the stigma around mental illness when their sad posts only encourage young followers to leave themselves open to online attack.
