Mental Health Moments: The Exploitation Of Mental Health Through Clickbait Strategies

⌛ By Kaylin R. Staten ⌛

Mental health disorders are more at the forefront than ever before, with seats at the table in conversations and mass media. Millions of people are currently struggling with some iteration of a mental health disorder, whether it was diagnosed pre-pandemic or resulted from the effects of the pandemic itself. 

While general awareness is a positive thread in the mental narrative we collectively weave, there is still so much work to be done to destigmatize mental health disorders. After all, they existed before the pandemic and will continue to exist afterward.

One thing, however, is off-putting to me: using mental health as clickbait. 

All of us have seen the classic clickbait strategy. You read a sensational, yellow-journalism headline, click to read the article, and it contains all fluff and no substance. Words are taken out of context, or it could be something you’ve already read a thousand times but is worded just a touch differently. It’s one thing to earn money off of your intellectual property. I write about mental health issues in both paid and unpaid capacities. Anyone who has a mental health disorder knows it contributes to their creative energies in a myriad of ways. With that comes payment for your creative work and efforts.

At Hourglass Media, we strive for truth, so clickbait isn’t part of our communications strategy. (It can get you a quick buck online with clickthrough rates and the like, but can that money buy you ethics?) 

Like most people who have Netflix and love a good true-crime story, I watched “Crime Scene: The Vanishing at The Cecil Hotel.” I’m going to go ahead and spare you if you haven’t seen it already: just sit this one out. The show uses clickbait tactics to drive home conspiracy theories and other conversations off the beaten path. The thing is, all of it is irrelevant by the end. (Read this Rolling Stone article for more insight.)

Early on, I knew that Elisa Lam had a manic episode and potential psychotic break that led to her death. I am not a healthcare professional, but I know someone with a mental health disorder when I see it. She was in her own reality, which didn’t co-exist with the world around her. The empathy I feel for her family supersedes a quick bout of true-crime entertainment.

I enjoy true crime, but I do not enjoy the untrained Internet sleuths who think it’s their duty to shed light on every case. It’s one thing to make a documentary-style video about a case, but when you feed into the clickbait, that denounces your credibility. I have a minor in criminal justice, and even I don’t feel trained enough in police procedures and laws to make it a full-time Internet gig paid with clicks and views. 

With all of my commentary aside, there is one thing that really stuck with me after watching this series. Mental health is still very misunderstood and exploited. When you don’t have control of your own narrative, it can be misconstrued to the masses. Elisa Lam cannot tell her story, and even those who support her won’t be able to tell her truth as she would relay it to us. Once the show gives us the genuine truth, it’s almost a flash in the pan. This type of storytelling plays to our emotions, manipulating us to believe the narrative given to us. Logic isn’t part of it, or if it is, it’s in very small doses. Drama plays out in the form of cyberbullying over conspiracy theories, the location of the Cecil Hotel and its connection with the Black Dahlia, and the entire elevator video.

Clickbait preys on our desires to be always in consumption mode. After CNN unveiled its 24-hour news channel in 1980, journalism -- and the world in general -- began shifting in monumental ways. The true crime genre has become the modern form of gladiators’ fights to the death in the coliseums of ancient Rome. We expose others’ pain for our entertainment. Collectively, we invest our time and energy into narratives that could prevent us from addressing our own issues.

Our innate desire for information can contribute to what we decide to click on. It also correlates to the behaviors we exhibit as we obsessively check our timelines, likes, comments, and other forms of engagement. Our brains are addicted to dopamine hits, and social media (and clickbait) serve this function, as many addictions do. It’s like playing Russian roulette: you keep playing and playing until you win big (example: you go viral with a piece of content) or you lose (example: your peace of mind takes a downward spiral). If you continue to consume click-bait articles, there is often an internal unmet emotional need that isn’t being addressed, according to Psychology Today. It also ruins journalism’s core tenets of reporting the truth and contributes to how we feel about ourselves.

In essence, that is what these imitation “think pieces” in the realm of true crime and other genres portray. Instead of adding to the conversations about mental health and related stigma, clickbait-esque programming and storytelling take several steps backward by exposing mental health for shock factors, conspiracy theories, and speculation.

Mental health should also not be taken out of context when you are a business owner, influencer, or just a regular person posting your musings on the Internet. While mental health is a vital aspect of Hourglass Media’s advocacy, I do not give you a play-by-play of my struggles, and I do not aim to glorify how I have taken off-beaten or more traveled paths. Ultimately, at the end of the day, I know what it’s like to struggle with anxiety and depression. I still battle both of them in tandem every day while in active recovery from perfectionism. My overarching goal is to give you advice from someone who has been there so you can find your own level of success with managing your mental health issues. I don’t promise a cure-all pill masked in five steps to eradicate your anxiety. My hope is that you will resonate with even a small glimmer of my experiences and apply something to your own life. That is all. No strings attached. I genuinely care about mental health, and I want to see people thrive and not struggle.

Unfortunately, that is not how Netflix and other conglomerates work. It used to be that only sex sells, but now, the exploitation of others comes at a cost to our own empathy and other people’s narratives. I don’t know about you, but if I wanted clickbait, I would just take a Buzzfeed quiz or watch trash reality TV. I don’t want true crime to cheapen the person’s legacy or contribute to the masses’ existing mental health issues.

Anyone who has the courage to speak up about mental health through art or other methods deserves better.

Please note: These blog posts are not clinical, although we will provide symptoms and other information. These posts are based on my experiences with anxiety and mental health in general. If you or someone you know needs help, visit a website like Mental Health America to learn more.

Mental Health Moments blog posts are every other Tuesday of the month. Our CEO and contributors highlight what it's like to live with a mental health disorder and continue to fight the stigma through storytelling.

Kaylin R. Staten, APR, is an award-winning, accredited public relations practitioner and writer based in Huntington, WV, with 18 years of professional communications experience. As CEO and founder of Hourglass Media, she uses her compassionate spirit and expertise to delve into the heart of clients’ stories. She is a recovering perfectionist, mental health advocate, wife, boy + cat mom, and Leia Organa aficionado. Connect with Kaylin on LinkedIn.