Social Media and Mental Illness Identity Formation: The Role of Community Culture and Misinformation

Through a thematic analysis of top posts on Twitter and TikTok for different search terms related to mental illness diagnoses, this study analyzes the most popular content resulting from searches of “ADHD” “Anxiety” and “Borderline Personality Disorder” in order to see how social media plays a role in mental illness identity formation, and how posts on the two platforms might make mental illness seem desirable to some users. I found that monetization incentivizes creators to make posts as relatable as possible for financial gain, and these posts “teach” clinically unverified (mis)information, often leading other users to self-diagnose. While creators and other users on both platforms often try to normalize mental illnesses and symptoms, TikTok users often glamorize disorders, while Twitter users often discuss the difficulties that disorders create in their lives. The presentation of the self performed by a popular creator on TikTok often implies that a mental illness diagnosis adds to their attractiveness and popularity, while a popular creator on Twitter is more likely to explicitly discusses how they are admirable in spite of a diagnosis. Additionally, while some popular content stresses the importance of seeking treatment from licensed professionals, the vast majority of posts on both platforms valorize self-diagnosis, and a desire for community drives this self-diagnosis phenomenon.

Author

• Clark, Allyson

Language

• en

Keyword

• Social media
• Self-Diagnosis
• Community
• Mental illness
• Misinformation
• Mental health

Date created

• 2023

Type of Work

• Master's Thesis

License

• All rights reserved

Rights statement

• In Copyright

GW Unit

• Sociology

Degree

• M.A.

Advisor

• Ken, Ivy

Committee Member(s)

• Jones, Antwan

Persistent URL

•  https://scholarspace.library.gwu.edu/etd/9593tv99z