Mental Health in the Age of Social Media: The Role of Digital Aesthetics and Displays of Vunerbility in the Experiences of Women of Color

In our hyper-connected yet isolating digital age, social media emerges as an intersection of digital and physical realms. It acts as a communal square where identities are formed, movements ignited, and cultural patterns woven. This project investigates the nature of mental health dialogues on social media such as TikTok and Instagram. Employing digital ethnography and qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews, it discusses how the aesthetics shaped by the attention economy are critical in drawing or deterring user interaction. Specifically, it highlights how women of color utilize social media platforms to forge new bonds of solidarity and mount challenges against entrenched societal systems. It also marks the advent of a novel style of authority characterized by relatability and authenticity, upending the traditional, distant expert image. This human-centric authority underscores the importance of displays of vulnerability, transforming social media into a stage for both empowerment but also potential oversimplification of mental health discourse.