Is Clubhouse the Next Big Thing for Mental Health Advocacy?
So, are you on Clubhouse yet?
It’s that trending invite-only audio-based social media app that’s the new hangout spot for these seemingly endless connection-starved pandemic days. Described as “part talkback radio, part conference call, part Houseparty,” members can start or join in on conversations, debates, and interviews on any topic with virtually anyone.
Elon Musk nearly crashed the app in January as thousands flocked to listen in on his thoughts on living on Mars, SpaceX, and aliens. Bill Gates recently talked about climate change and his foundation’s response to the pandemic. Malaysia’s Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Khairy Jamaluddin, organised a panel on Clubhouse to discuss Malaysia’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout, and even Naluri’s own CEO, Azran Osman-Rani hosted a room about fear and how to overcome it.
Clubhouse is all about adding vocal value to individual voices on any topic under the sun and creating seemingly unfiltered and authentic connections between celebrities, thought leaders, experts, laypeople, and that uni-mate or ex-colleague whose number you’ve had stored in your phone for decades.
And the voice is a very powerful and intimate tool.
Mental Health on Social Media
It’s no secret that mental health is still a taboo topic in many parts of the world but especially in Asian societies. Social media, however, has been changing the conversation. Content creators have made it normal to openly talk about therapy, mood disorders, and mental health online.
And where they cannot talk about it, they have made an effort to show what it looks like. Instagram, YouTube, and even TikTok are rife with relatable, image-heavy content on common mood and mental health conditions, in easily digestible and understandable bite sizes.
Something similar is happening on Clubhouse. Only here, it’s audio-based and the platform is turning into a virtual forum more than anything.
People are openly talking about how the pandemic is affecting their lives. They’re sharing complex traumatic experiences such as abuse and neglect. Some are discussing how mental health needs to be viewed as a medical condition in order for it to be taken seriously. Yet others are using the platform to educate the public on how to react and respond to situations.
And even more are advocating healing. There are group therapy rooms, some hosted by qualified professionals, others hosted by empathetic people who genuinely care about creating a safe space where people can share and process personal experiences.
Regardless of any taboo, humans are hardwired to need connection and affirmation. We are created to relate with each other and to find some way to be a part of something. Clubhouse has brought these efforts even more into the fore, but not without issues.
The Pitfalls of Social Media as a Source of Mental Health Information
The problem with any form of social media is that it allows people to create bubbles that feed their bias. The normalisation of mental health doesn’t negate the fact that it is a confusing field to traverse and there is no one-size-fits-all remedy.
It’s one thing when accredited practising professional therapists and counsellors like @theshaniproject on TikTok creates 60-second clips on various mental health topics, or @millenial.therapist or @realdepressionproject on Instagram advocates how to manoeuvre life with or around loved ones with a condition, but it’s entirely another thing when it’s a two-hour long forum where just about anyone is able to openly share their opinions on the topic.
Because Clubhouse is built around the power of the voice, the idea of “having a voice” can seem to give people a sense of power and agency. And under certain conditions, this sense of power can be as harmful as it is empowering.
With anyone free to discuss mental health from any angle, there comes the possibility of unsolicited and unqualified advice being jumbled up with legitimate information. There have been instances where negative misinformation has been provided about therapy and mental health.
Some have also experienced censorship by room hosts who can pick and choose who gets to speak, opting to mute trained professionals using proper mental health language to give the proverbial “stage” over to a layperson with an opinion, or worse, to unqualified internet life coaches touting their services as a cure-all. This is not only unethical but also potentially harmful to people who might be seeking professional guidance but are unaware of the limitations of social media to provide therapeutic interventions or treatment.
With little to no moderation from Clubhouse and no in-app way to record a conversation, there is insufficient accountability and no way to ensure a conversation about mental health is truly insightful and safe.
What Social Media can do for Mental Health
The appeal of connecting and sharing on Clubhouse is immense. Its current popularity during the pandemic is timely and feels welcoming in a time when social distancing and masks can feel lonely and isolating. Social media is not a tangible community but a simulation of one, which, despite its many benefits can also cause serious harm if it is misrepresented, misunderstood, or misused as a tool for actual healing in real-time.
What Clubhouse and other social media platforms can do is reduce the stigma of mental health conditions and normalise seeking professional help. And social media has the power to direct people in need to credible, reliable sources for the kind of professional help, and guidance that can make a real difference.
In a society that barely scrapes the surface on mental health, Clubhouse and social media advocacy for mental health is a welcome forum that helps rationalise the relatability of struggle, emotional discomfort, pandemic fatigue, and childhood trauma. There just needs to be ample warning and disclaimers that it is not interchangeable for actual therapy and proactive healing outside in the real world.
