Do you Dare to Share? Self-Disclosure Practices and Effects Among Micro-Celebrities with Mental Illness and Their Followers

Abstract

In the past few years, social media has shined a light on the elephant in the room for those who suffer with mental illness. Much of this development has been attributed to traditional celebrities who have worked to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness. With the rise of micro-celebrities, ordinary people who acquire a level of celebrity through social media, it is important to understand how self-disclosure by micro-celebrities, rather than traditional celebrities, encourage others to be more open about mental illness. Through content and discourse analyses of five Twitter and five YouTube micro-celebrities who self-disclose over social media, the study examined whether followers who watched and interacted with the microcelebrities and their content contributed to their own self-disclosure about mental illness. This study explores the intersection of psychology and social media, which may help the mental health community better understand the potential benefits of communication technologies.