Mental illness stigmatization on social media and identity construction. An intersectional case study
Student thesis: Master Thesis and HD Thesis
- Laila Souza Hansen
4. term, Culture, Communication and Globalization, Master (Master Programme)
Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka stated on social media that they dropped essential competitions such as Tokyo Olympics and Grand Slam in France to deal with mental health issues in 2021. Once people with mental illness have been perceived as "incapable" and "weak" in general common sense, the Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles case study aims to understand if their statements have the potential for positively changing the image of mental illness in the public understanding. A total of nine in-depth interviews were collected from people who deal with mental health problems in Brazil. The results found that the participants perceive social media as an essential tool for stigma reduction. User-generated content on social media improves the discussions around mental health problems and spreads scientific information. Lastly, mental illness stigmatization occurs on different levels for people depending on their social position. In Brazil, black and poor people are the most segregated regarding mental health problems.
Specialisation | Latin American Studies |
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Language | English |
Publication date | 23 May 2022 |
Number of pages | 112 |