Is Sharing Caring? TikTok and Mental Health Videos : Content Analysis and Interview-Based Study

Sammanfattning: This degree project is particularly interested in how people with mental health difficulties use the social media platform TikTok to share their experiences. It aims to contribute to meaningful conversations about the role of social media concerning mental health awareness and the effectiveness of social media for social change. A qualitative content analysis methodology is applied to 50 TikTok videos shared under the TikTok hashtag #mentalhealthuk to determine how people share their experiences. In addition, four semistructured interviews were conducted with video creators sharing content on #mentalhealthuk. The theoretical lens through which this study looks is Media for Development (M4D) and the importance of Voice for development. In addition, there is a special focus on storytelling and performativity in the digital realm. The findings from this study reveal that TikTok has been an effective site for the recovery process of people dealing with metal health difficulties, because it provided a source of connectedness and room for creative expression. However, the findings also reveal the restraints TikTok users face when using social media to share genuine experiences, and the negative effects, for example cyber bullying, had on their mental health.