bethanyhaynes - Tumblr blog

[bethanyhaynes]

Referencing

https://shop.happiful.com/ 1/4/20

https://anxymag.com/pages/anxy-no-3-the-boundaries-issue  1/4/20

https://anxymag.com/pages/issue-1-anger  1/4/20

https://issuu.com/dollhospital/docs/dollhospital-issuethree-sneakprevie 1/4/20

https://issuu.com/dollhospital/docs/dollhospital-issuefive-sneakpreview 1/4/20

https://childmind.org/article/is-social-media-use-causing-depression/ 1/4/20

https://dazedimg-dazedgroup.netdna-ssl.com/581/azure/dazed-prod/1070/0/1070168.jpg 6/4/20

https://dazedimg-dazedgroup.netdna-ssl.com/1023/azure/dazed-prod/1070/0/1070163.jpg  6/4/20

American Psychological Association. "Mental health issues increased significantly in young adults over last decade: Shift may be due in part to rise of digital media, study suggests." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 15 March 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190315110908.htm>. 6/4/20

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/23/style/gucci-alessandro-michele-milan-fashion-week.html 6/4/20

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gucci-straitjacket-model-protests-guccis-offensive-use-of-garment-while-walking-in-brands-runway-show/ 6/4/20

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-7494853/Gucci-divides-fashion-lovers-sending-strait-jackets-catwalk-Milan-Fashion-Week.html 6/4/20

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3477910/ 17/4/20

https://www.instagram.com/recipesforselflove/ 17/4/20

https://www.instagram.com/theofficialsadghostclub/ 17/4/20

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/290200769738289993/ 30/4/20

https://www.iconfinder.com/icons/491081/clean_cleaning_drop_water_icon 30/4/20

https://vectorified.com/no-profile-picture-icon 5/5/20

http://clipart-library.com/line-drawing.html 19/5/20

[bethanyhaynes]

Conclusion

in conclusion I feel that I have achieved that I set out to do with my zine which is raise awareness that everyone is concerned about social media and how it is used and has been effected by it in some way. This was a hard message to get across in the style I wanted, it being very simple and not overwhelming, but when it all came together I was proud of what I achieved especially as this is an issue I feel strongly about myself. I enjoyed this project for that reason as well as it gave me room to exploring something I already feel passionately about more with academic research I would have never found before this. 

I think the techniques I decided to use worked well in the zine and were things I completed to a good standard for doing this whole project from home and with limited resources available to me. Another thing I think I completed well was getting a balance of real life negative experiences that I feel people need to be aware of in there zine and also including things that could help a person overcome these feelings to not make it too heavy on there reader that may already be struggling. 

One thing I feel I didn't achieve completely was targeting it completely towards a wider audience, I feel that in some places it feel mainly targeted towards females which wasn't my idea when I started I wanted it to be very universal, I think it is still universal but not as much as I would have liked, if I were to do this again I would do more research into zines that work well for Male and female audiences and cater more towards that style of working. 

I also struggled a lot with doubting the content as being at home doing this alone you can't just quickly ask for someone else opinion and gather inspiration from others around you. This is something I had to overcome as at the start of creating the zine I was hating everything I was making which was wasting my time. Once I had found a style I enjoyed working in I found this a lot easier to overcome as I felt more comfortable with what I was doing overall.

However overall I am proud of the work I have completed and now feel more comfortable using more elements of digital work as I have been completing and working things out for myself more, as well as becoming my own critic in a way that was productive and not just detrimental. I think I developed this idea well and made it so that its not too intimidating creating the space I wanted too that many topic can be spoken about on a real level. I feel it represents me well and showcases many of the skills I have learnt and developed over the year making me more confident going forward.

[bethanyhaynes]

Final Zine

This is the front of my zine, I chose to name it ‘not alone’ as I feel like that is a very important message to get across with what content is within my zine, therefore having this as the title is a constant reminder that the reader that they are not alone. Also I wanted the content of the zine to be changed issue to issue so using a name like this is very broad and gives room for each of the zines to be different. I used this image with the writing over to give the person looking at it a feel of what the content will be like and I feel that with the movement in the picture is is dynamic and interesting, this also wraps around to the back, I feel like this works well as it is not overwhelming. 

These are the first two pages of my zine, I wanted to get my message across quickly within the zine first being looked at which is why I chose this text. It clearly states the aim of the zine which is too escape from the world consumed by social media, I think the images support this well as they are images that contain no people and things that look so simple and that we see in everyday life but the warping of them is a reminder that even the reality we are so used to seeing everyday is very often warped to different perspectives. 

All the quotes in my zine are taken from real people and this is one that I thought was important so I used it as its own double page spread. I really like how the hand written message came out, I wrote onto a tissue in red inky pens and then used the pen to release more ink around the main message, crumbled it and scanned it in. Then having the second half of the quote so far away adds to the idea of stepping away and think it dramatises the impact of it completely.

This is the main interview in my zine, it is taken from the interviews I carried out, I used real images of the person who I interviewed as I didn't want to used over posed images of her as it doesn't reflect the real life idea of the zine, the other images are all images that I have taken when she has been with me which is an extra personal touch that the wider reader may not know but for me making the zine it was nice to include. I didn't want the interview to be too overwhelming so I think making the images a big part of it helps it become less of a large body of text. I used this interview as I feel it has aspects in that everyone can relate to in some way. I also think the white lined paper over the other half of the pages works well as it draws you into the text and makes it clear.

I really enjoy the style of this page as it really acts as a breather from the other pages and an image/quote that focuses more o support than blaming other elements of life. I think the line image of the two hands works well here as the quote is ‘we as people’ meaning there is a sense of working together to over come how much social media has taken over our lives.

This spread works well I feel as it has both elements of photography and hand drawing/ writing, I think the images of the planes at the airport works well with the quote over the top as well as the quote speaks on ‘always go(ing) back’ which is what happens at an airport the planes ‘always’ return. The use of safety pins works really well over the hand image I think as it adds more depth as they were scanned in this way so gives a sense of warping the lines and paper really clearly. 

This page is something that I wanted to include as I wanted my zine to be something the person buying returns to and not just something to read once and then forget about, I feel like this page encourages the reader to be interactive with the zine and if they have something in there that they have worked on themselves they are going to be more likely to want to keep it after reading. Also just as a ‘mindfulness’ activity this work well as an escape that that spoken about throughout the whole zine and may encourage people to carry this out more in there own time if they enjoy doing tin the zine.

The images here work really well together, I really like how the image of the shirt interacts with the images with quotes on as you can almost get a sense that the shirt is trapping the person who is wearing it like a strait jacket, it is also trapping the word that are some of the darker realities and then the more positive parts are coming away from the trapping folds of the shirt. The perspective of the right image also makes you feel like you are falling into the corridor making the reader feel more involved in the zine.

This is also another style of ‘interview’ where I have just taken the responses and put them into a passage that is in first person. The writing that is repeated and handwritten is a quote from the passage that I think is the most important, the words in bold I also thought new the ones that stand out most and need to be focused on more, by enlarging them it literally makes the reader focus and think on them more. 

This double page also acts as a breather as the pages before discuss some of the darker effects of social media so I thought is was important to have more of a simpler page that summaries the idea of social media, which is everything we see is through ‘rose tinted glasses’. I think the use of laying the red plastic over the images makes it very literal and I enjoy that here as it is a huge message about social media and needed to be a clear reminder I feel. 

These are more quotes taken from the interviews and speaks more on how other people effect how we see our own social media and how we interact with social media most of the time not even thinking about it.

These are the final pages of the zine, I wanted to make sure they were more positive therefore leaving the reader in a more positive mindset to end the zine. I included another of the ‘mindfulness’ activities being the self care bingo, I feel like it works well being hand written as it feels very organic. The hand gesture on the right is also sign langue for love which I though was a nice image to end on and the repeating of the enlargement of words here but using it for more positive words as an impact.

The back page is a wrap around of the front and is simple matching the front page well.

[bethanyhaynes]

Interview findings

Within the interviews I used the exact same questions and found that many people had similar answers. Multiple people spoke about there dislike of social media yet they still use it, however many people spoke about there social media ‘journey’ where at a younger age they had be affected hugely by social media leading serious problems such as eating disordered and depression. These people mention that now they are older they understand that social media isn't everything in a persons life and it only shows the glimpse of a perfect life that no-one really lives, as a result of this they discuss how they now only follow social medias that make them feel good and ones they can resonate with rather than following the people that have lead them to feel bad about there own lives. I personally don't think people on social media posting these ‘perfect’ pictures fully realise what they are doing to affect other people as for many of them it is there job to be posting these images. Its scary to see that these people have been impacted at younger ages as they are all only 19/20 and 21 that I interviewed meaning there earlier teen years are the ones that have been affected where we grow and develop out sense of self the most. To me this shows that social media needs to become less accessible for people of a younger age with stricter checks on that as I personally know from having social media probably too young that all you have to do is change your birth year to make it seem like your older and your in this world of scary things sometimes.

I asked if people had ever come off social media for a prolonged period of time / done a social media cleanse, not one person had fully removed themselves from this world for even a day, by choice, when these people said they had had social media from there early teen years or even before, this shows how all consuming social media can be. I want to raise this issue in my zine by making people realise that you can step away from social media for more than a day and focus on doing what good for yourself and the world. After doing this interview one of the people has actually removed themselves from all social media as it made them realise how consumed they had become, I'm hoping that if just an interview can have this impact the zine can have this impact on a wider scale.

[bethanyhaynes]

Interviews

HARRIET

When did you first use social media & for what purpose?

I wasn’t allowed Facebook until I was 15 so by that time I was interested in what all of the fuss was about.

Have you seen a change in social media usage in your lifetime?

People have definitely started to use it more. A housemate of mine goes and sees his friends and they catch up for 10 mins and then spend the rest of the time together sat on their phones in silence.

Have you ever been directly impacted by social media positively or negatively? (E.g cyber bullying or social media perks such as being paid for something)

Not really but it’s definitely impacted the choices I make in life. I probably wouldn’t be vegan if it weren’t for instagram but I also wouldn’t have issues about the way I look.

Do you think social media has made you view the world differently? How?

It’s made me realise that the world has two dimensions. The ‘real’ one and the social media one. These dimensions are so vastly different but we struggle to tell them apart. Social media portrays the best part of someone’s life because that’s all they show, we seem to think that this is true in the real world and we fail to understand that these people we are looking at are in fact like us and have the same struggles.

People are coming out and talking about this more openly now which is good, but unless you cut off all ties with this fake world, you will always be under the impression you’re alone and not as good as the ‘perfect’ version of that person on your screen.

Do you think social media is detrimental to mental health? Yourself and others?

Yes and no. It has effected my mental health a lot in the past in terms of my struggle with body image and body positivity. I would follow these Victoria secret model types of people and constantly feel bad about being me to the point where I would only eat if I felt like I was going to pass out just to get as skinny as them.

Fast forward to now where I only follow influencers who are a bit chunky around the edges and have stretch marks have shit one night stands but instead of hiding that to seem perfect to everyone else, they celebrate it allowing me to celebrate myself too. Yesterday I ate 5 crumpets AFTER my actual dinner because I wanted to and why the fuck not.

I think it’s detrimental to your mental health if you don’t follow the right things to keep your head above water.

Have you ever had a social media cleanse? Deleted social media/ gone off grid?

I have tried several times but always felt like I was missing out on things. It’s nice not to go on it but you also feel like your missing a left arm. It’s so weird. Social media takes up so much time that when you don’t go on it, you have no idea what to do with yourself.

How do you think life would be different without social media?

I think it would be simpler but also more lonely. It’s not something we need, but seeing what your friends are up to, especially in the current climate, is kind of liberating.

One thing you would say to someone struggling with there mental health due to what they see on social media?

Unfollow everything that doesn’t make you feel good or plays on an insecurity you have, then follow loads of the opposite. E.g. if seeing meat come up on your timeline makes you feel bad because you’re trying to be vegan then unfollow it all and follow vegan things. Get inspired and learn how to create the same food with less of an environmental impact.

BAYLEY

When did you first use social media and for what purpose?

1. i’d say i started using it around 2010 with Facebook, honestly using it back then because it was the cool thing to do & made me feel older/more grown up.

Have you seen a change in social media usage in your lifetime?

2. Yes social media is massive now compared to what it was, people build big careers out of it now.

Have you ever been directly impacted by social media positively or negatively? (E.g cyber bullying or social media perks such as being paid for something)

3. Luckily no negatives so far but it has allowed me to connect with people who i wouldn’t of been able to normally, i’ve met many friends through groups based around clothing and even transferred that friendship over to real life.

Do you think social media has made you view the world differently? How?

4. Yes definitely it’s made me realise everything off line is so much realer & authentic, its also gave me a perspective of whats going on around the world which i guess is a positive.

Do you think social media is detrimental to mental health? Yourself and others?

5. For sure i know loads of people who get upset over like counts etc & how they look online but i guess that has affected us all at some point.

Have you ever had a social media cleanse? Deleted social media/ gone off grid?

6. Yes i delete my stuff all the time, i personally only use instagram but i have a small side account with only 12 followers where i post, i hate the thought of a few hundred people seeing everything, i like to keep myself to myself & always delete stuff fast.

How do you think life would be different without social media?

i think without it the world would be much slower paced because i genuinely believe it’s a positive thing to have, we as people just have to focus on not letting it rule our lives too much.  

One thing you would say to someone struggling with there mental health due to what they see on social media?

Social media is all fake, it doesn’t reflect real lives do not beat yourself up over it & if you’re having a hard time coping with it all remember to step away and focus on the positives in life

LIAM

1) I think when I was about 10/11 it was facebook / msn to chat to my friends

2) yes definitely before it was more just to connect but now it’s more to show off, get good content and all very much focused on looks

3) I went on a TV show and got really bad hate on twitter lol

4) I think everyone is so invested in social media and it’s a big part of everyday life’s, it’s some people’s full time job

5) not me personally but yes, it can put people down if they feel they don’t look a certain way, or can’t afford certain items they see on social media and if there life is different to others it definitely impacts their mental health

6) nope lol I need too

7) I don’t think people would care so much about the latest trends or getting that perfect picture or too bothered about looking Instagram perfect they would be happy within themselves

8) I would say Instagram is a fake life, and it’s a front that everyone puts up and everyone’s life’s are completely different behind the screen

ROSIE

I first started using social media at the meer age of nine it seems by the dates of my Facebook account, originally to connect with friends outside of school and it seemed I enjoyed to share how I was feeling and what it was I was doing. The innocence of what used to be definitely doesn’t exist in this world anymore.

There has undoubtedly been a massive shift in social media and its purpose, in recent years there has been a growth in influencers and Instagram for example became a platform for advertisement and supremacy really.

I can gratefully say I have never been directly impacted by cyber bullying but truthfully I believe social media has definitely negatively had an effect on me purely due to comparison, I have grown to realise that this doesn’t matter and everything presented online isn’t at all the truth.

As there is no escaping this world that is so heavily influenced and controlled by social media it would be wrong to say it doesn’t have an effect on how I view everything. Even if I personally disconnect from social media, everybody around me uses it and is thoroughly impacted. I believe if we didn’t have social media we could be more connected as a species and to nature, to going outside and seeing people physically opposed to every so often messaging them. I believe there wouldn’t be so much pressure to look a certain way but I wouldn’t know a world without this because from a young age this started to become prominent.

I believe social media is detrimental to mental health, there is no filter to what we come across and this may trigger harmful emotions or even kickstart something that wasn’t originally there; for example when I was 15 a highly influential age I started to develop an eating disorder which still lays in my mind today, this is due to the access of social media.

I once tried to delete Instagram and in all honesty grew to be bored without it. I did lose my phone for a while and kept without one so my access was limited and to be honest I really enjoyed that time, once I got my phone back I found to be on it all the time opening and closing the same 2 apps constantly, I wondered what I’d been doing for the past month without it. It does feel good to not be on it and if I were to ever do it again it would be in my interest to take up new things to fill this time I am so effortlessly wasting.

Life would be completely different without social media, I have a younger 14 year old sister and her generations lack of interest for anything else is unbelievable. I believe life would be a much more positive place.

I would say, social media doesn’t have to be a negative space for you, if you rid everything that is making you feel a certain way and replace it with educational or positive posts/ influences you could possibly see a change in your mental state. To know that everything presented isn’t going to be accurate to real life and change your perspective on how you view these things. If you can’t get yourself off it, change how view it and use it. Also know that there are also so many  likeminded individuals.

BETH

When did you first use social media & for what purpose?

My cousin created it facebook for me when I was 11. At first I used it for games, then moved on to using Snapchat and insta to keep in touch with people when I left school. Now I tend not to use social media unless towards my career.

Have you seen a change in social media usage in your lifetime?

Yes. It’s gone from gaming to messaging to trying to build a following to sell products. For instance at the moment I’m planning to use it to get people to go to fitness classes I’m running. I also tend to scroll through other peoples posts just to stay up to date even if I don’t talk to those people anymore.

Have you ever been directly impacted by social media positively or negatively? (E.g cyber bullying or social media perks such as being paid for something)

When I was younger I had a few people I didn’t know call me a rat and tell me to kill myself and such. Also had people who messaged me to kinda ask for sexually charged stuff which makes social media so hard to deal with. It’s difficult to post something and get the response you want. If you post yourself for instance in a progress picture many will sexualise that and it’s hard to escape and feel comfortable posting. Never had anything positive out of it.

Do you think social media has made you view the world differently? How?

I think understanding that people try to post the perfect image of themselves can be difficult. I do try to follow people who have a positive influence on my world view like nutritionists and those who deal with mental health. This helps to me to stay inspired rather that fall into low mood thinking I’m not good enough. Social media also posts a lot of negative news in the world to raise awareness so you find out things that might not be raised on the news.

Do you think social media is detrimental to mental health? Yourself and others?

Yes!! I have sat there and cried on many occasions because I don’t feel good enough because I feel ugly because I’m not making enough of myself based on what I see on social media. It has lead to me having anxiety, depression and eating disorders. I always feel as though I shouldn’t post because no one cares about me as I don’t live a life that’s very exciting because I don’t feel comfortable showing skin all sorts. It’s taken a long time to understand that a lot of what’s posted isn’t real and doesn’t accurately represent people and therefore shouldn’t effect me.

Have you ever had a social media cleanse? Deleted social media/ gone off grid?

Yes but part of it was for attention as you want to see if anyone reaches out and cares. I can’t lie. But now a days I don’t use social media barely only when I’m really bored so have kind of got over the need to constantly update everyone and get attention out of posting it’s more used simply when I’m super bored or really love a photo.

How do you think life would be different without social media?

Yes everyone’s life would be different. But this is part of our culture now and the way that we connect with people. Social media enables us to talk and connect in a way that face to face communication does not. Especially during this pandemic it is imperative to spread information and talk to our families. But also to keep people motivated.

One thing you would say to someone struggling with there mental health due to what they see on social media?

Don’t worry about everyone else just focus on yourself.

KATIE

When did you first use social media & for what purpose?

Facebook - to keep in touch with my primary school friends (was definitely not 13 but oops)

Have you seen a change in social media usage in your lifetime?

100%. The design of social media applications such as Instagram, Facebook and twitter have changed so much over time. They have become much sleeker and now offer many more functions than before.

Have you ever been directly impacted by social media positively or negatively? (E.g cyber bullying or social media perks such as being paid for something)

Positively - I have found work experience and charities to volunteer with through social media!

I have never been directly impacted by social media in a negative way luckily, but I know many people who sadly have.

Do you think social media has made you view the world differently? How?

Yes. I noticed recently how much we live in a society where we expect things straight away and don’t like waiting. This is more of a negative view however social media is also great for this exact reason.

Do you think social media is detrimental to mental health? Yourself and others?

I think it has a large impact on mental health as people compare themselves to others. Although this could also be motivating however there is a fine line between this both detrimental and beneficial. For example, I quite often find myself looking at Instagram models and fitness people that I follow and feel both lower than them but also inspired to look more like them - however this could effect many people’s mental health if they already struggle with insecurities.

Have you ever had a social media cleanse? Deleted social media/ gone off grid?

Sometimes I stay off certain social media platforms for a few days at a time but I have never deleted the app as I know I will always go back to it.

How do you think life would be different without social media?

Life would not be as fast-paced however some incredible opportunities that come with the globalisation of our communities through social media would not be possible. For example, my best friend at high school moved to Australia and I am so grateful for social media as I am still able to keep in touch with her.

One thing you would say to someone struggling with there mental health due to what they see on social media?

Everyone is different, don’t compare yourself to those who live a completely altered life to the one you live yourself.

CHLOE

first used social media for myspace when i was rool young because i wanted to look cool in front of my brothers friends ahaha  

I have seen a change in social media in terms of the amount we all use it and how we do, it used to just be for keeping in touch with friends or your interests and now it’s becoming more unauthentic and polluted with advertisements and influencers

I have personally never been directly impacted by social media but I do know people that have experienced bullying and negative comments from strangers

I think social media has made me view the world differently in terms of how i see myself and comparing myself to others

I think social media can be very harmful for mental health in many different aspects but can also can be great for creating safe spaces and getting advice and help

I tried to do a social media cleanse for a day just to see how productive I could be without distractions but i didn’t even last 12 hours

I think life would be a lot different in terms out authenticity as a lot of the time i see people acting and posting things that don’t correlate with how they are face to face in real life

one thing i would say to someone struggling is to take a break and realise that everything you see on social media does not correlate to how most people actually live their lives and only portray the best moments

[bethanyhaynes]

Layout samples

This is the main article / interview I wanted to be included in my zine as it touches on many issues I'm speaking about. For the layout I wanted it to still have the same personal touch as the other pages, I stared this idea by using images of the person who I interviewed that are more natural with less posing than a selfie style image and shows her in her natural environment, whilst adding the style of the zine with the doodles on these images. I think the use of the lined paper behind one half of this spread works well and I like the effect it has. The thing I have struggled with is the placement and size of text which is something I hope to develop. 

For this spread I used red plastic over my own images and wrote the ‘rose tinted glasses’ quote over as I think that sums up what we see on social media well. I like how there images work behind this as you can see the landscape imagery as well as images like the one that includes graffiti which could be seen as destructive or art.

This is my favourite layout style and I have repeated this spilt spread idea throughout my zine as I like the contrast of colours against each other. I really enjoy how the elements look as it portrays the simple messages well by placing them over interesting things meaning you don't just focus on the text you also focus on the idea of looking at something and creating your own thoughts.

I wanted to create some pages like this one that were breaks within the zine, more simple and gives more focus to the message that it is showing. I really enjoyed how this page turned out as I think to keep the reader interested I needed to create some pages that didn't fit with the other spreads to give the reader a break and something different.

[bethanyhaynes]

Sample of images

I started by choosing images that were mainly of landscapes that I had taken myself. I wanted to use landscape imagery as I feel it gives a sense of escapism and a peaceful space.

What I wanted to do with this images is take quotes from the interviews I carried out and write them on top of the images to give the real stories of people which are sometimes emotional and hard hitting over the images that then create a sense of tranquility behind them giving you something to focus on behind the text.

I like the handwritten style of the images and it makes it feel very personal. I like how these two images interacted with each other and fit the messages on them well. The red writing is more hard hitting and focuses on a more detrimental side of how social media effects people, therefore the more gloomy image behind it fits well with this message, this is then juxtaposed by the lightness and green nature included in the image with black text which is more of an advice quote to try and help someone who could be feeling down. Also something as simple as scanning in these images made a difference to how there colours came across and made the whites brighter which I really liked as it added even more of a contrast to the images.

[bethanyhaynes]

Real people recognising the problem

As I scroll through social media myself I am seeing more and more people expressing more of a dislike towards it. These are just two post I have seen from people I follow in the past week, they both speak on the fact they have come to rely on Instagram as a source of confidence and validation from others. This is disturbing to see as they are admitting that social media is actively effecting there mental health but they are still using it and both of these people post regularly if not daily on Instagram. However the other side is that it is raising awareness of the issue and hitting the people that could be feeling the same on the app directly as they are posting it on there.

As you can see by the likes ‘yazonline’ has more of a social media presence and could be considered an influencer meaning her caption on the way she’s feeling / issue is more formal and lengthy this may not reach as many people even though she has more followers as people are less likely to sit and read a longer caption when they are scrolling on Instagram.

This shows me there is a clear need for something like my zine as people are openly sharing the way they feel about social media and are escaping back to social media? I want to create a new space for them to escape to.

[bethanyhaynes]

White shirt styling task

We were tasked with having to style a white shirt in an interesting way using things we have at home and our own creativity. At first I was struggling to find ways to do this task and relate it to my topic with just things I had at home, I then looked back at my blog for inspiration and found my research on the Gucci strait jacket and how controversial that was. Within my images I wanted to take the idea of the strait jacket which could replicate with the white shit but show it in a less uniform high fashion way than Gucci, I wanted to show the suffering that comes with a strait jacket more as this links well into my topic of mental health. 

I didn't have a lot of accessories so decided my story would be told through the lines I created with my body and the hair and makeup, also strait jackets would be worn in institutes where you would not have access to anything more making it feel more realistic.

I photos myself using self timer which proved quite difficult to get into the position in time, I then started to use a different technique and set my phone up to record a video and then I could move into different positions while its recording and choose a still after. This worked a a lot better for me as it also gave movement to the pictures even when I chose the frame it didn't feel so static and staged. For the styling I smudged make up over my face to create a distressed tone showing the possibility of a story behind the image and making the person viewing it come up with there own story. 

I mainly used my arms to show the feeling of a strait jacket pulling myself back however in the second image I tied the arms behind me, the arms of the shirt I had weren't quite long enough to make this as effective as I would have liked but I still like the image as it is a simpler version of the aim but still links well in the photo set.

I decided to the edit these images to create a moodier tone over all by bringing the exposure down, creating more noise and shadows and raising the noise of the images. This worked well to not only create a darker more sinister tone making the person viewing emote with the images, strait jackets are a very old device and I feel the way I edited the images gives a vintage effect to them. The two images above worked well but I was not completely happy with them as I feel I lost a lot of the styling elements as the lines in the shirt went making it look very plain.

These two images are my favourite outcomes  of the task. I like the image of the tied sleeve as it is more refined and you really focus on the shirt and the details within the shirt, to improve it I would like to have a shirt with longer arms so it would sit better to give off more of a strait jacket look than something tied round me. 

`This image is my overall best outcome as you can see more of the styling elements such as the smudged make up. The editing also worked well on this image as you can see more of the line on the shirt giving it more texture and not feeling so flat as an image. I also like how the shadows have worked in this image as they have almost made it look like my eyeball in complete black and brought out more the white shirt as a contrast. 

To improve these it would have been nice for them to be better quality or have been taken by someone else so I could focus more on what I was doing rather than trying to multitask, however this was not possible and I think I succeeded despite that and enjoyed challenging myself.

[bethanyhaynes]

Artists who use social media to speak about mental health

Many artists are seeing the detrimental affects social media is having on young people and are creating account that post positive messages for people to see as they are scrolling. This may seem like something very simple but one postive message or telling a person it okay not to feel okay could change someones outlook on themselves on that day. This is the feeling I want to evoke in my zine using the idea of a few simple words that make it feel okay to step back and feel how you feel. Here are some examples of the posts.

@theofficialsadghostclub - this artist uses the ‘sad ghost’ in most of her posts creating a character with no gender or age giving everyone something to relate to. The posts include very doodle style drawings and simple positive messages around a rage of mental health ideas.

@recipesforselflove - this artist posts more of a feminine style of images but the main focus is still the positive messages they include in each post, they also include a range of women within the posts of all different ages, sizes, nationalities making it still very inclusive. This instagram also covers a lot of issues other than social media such as destigmatising sex work etc.

There are many more social media accounts that aim to do this which is a positive step forward as it means there are things that are trying to help people in need by simply using a positive quote or making them feel less alone and normal in the way they are feeling as mental health is heavily stigmatised as a way you are not meant to feel. As much as I think this is a positive movement it shows there is a need for something more positive on these apps and sites and the content creators who could be struggling themselves are the ones who are creating that safe place within the site and the sites are not doing anything themselves to help prevent the spread of detrimental posts.

[bethanyhaynes]

Social media and adolescent suicide

Many psychologists have found that in recent years social media and internet usage does have a link to the amount of suicides or attempted suicides.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3477910/ 

This paper has been very useful in understanding this topic, these are some of the pieces I have found useful and really support my idea that mental health is badly effected by the internet and these social media sites. 

‘The role of social media and its potential influence on suicide-related behavior is a relatively new and evolving phenomenon that society is only beginning to assess and understand. The emerging data regarding the influence of the Internet and social media on suicide behavior have suggested that these forms of technology may introduce new threats to the public as well as new opportunities for assistance and prevention.’ - Am J Public Health.

This quote is from a conclusion from a large body of work by three psychologists whoo recognise the effects of social media on suicide rates, they suggest some of the factors that increase the rate of suicide are cyber bulling exposure, cyber suicide pacts, internet has allowed access to find ways of killing yourself and vunerable people being influenced . 

Cyber bulling, a study was carried out to find out if cyber bulling really had an affect on mental health and ’Hinduja and Patchin reported results from a survey given to approximately 2000 middle school children that indicated that victims of cyberbullying were almost 2 times as likely to attempt suicide than those who were not.’ This shows that cyber bulling has a large affect on a persons state of mind and clearly makes them more likely to be suicidal.

Cyber suicide pacts, these are something I had not heard of before but it takes the traditional suicide pacts usually created by people who have met and have a strong connection and translates this to the cyber world where people who may have never even met before in person and may have just spoken on social media creating suicide pacts over the internet and social media. ‘South Korea now has one of the world's highest suicide rates (24.7/100 000 in 2005), and evidence exists that cybersuicide pacts may account for almost one third of suicides in that country’

Access to ways of killing yourself, you can find anything with a search or two on the internet this includes finding lethal means to kill your self with ‘how to guides’. ‘Of 719 individuals aged 14 to 24 years, 79% reported being exposed to suicide-related content through family, friends, and traditional news media such as newspapers, and 59% found such content through Internet sources.’ This shows that even if social media sites say they police the posts on there sites there are always going to be things that get through, for example newspaper articles that could be shared on sites such as facebook contain such graphic details of suicide it is practically a step by step guide.

Vulnerable people being influenced, there are many chat rooms and groups on social media that are targeted towards vulnerable groups as I mentioned previously pro-ana groups. People within these groups are looking for a place to belong and will go to extreme means to feel that way. ‘Although these online groups may provide the benefit of support, they may present a risk to the public by encouraging vulnerable individuals to harm themselves.’

[bethanyhaynes]

Addiction

Some people feel like they cannot live without social media and experience things such as ‘FOMO’ (fear of missing out) whenever they are not using social media. More and more this is being recognised as a genuine addiction and is even a featured addiction on the addiction centre. 

https://www.addictioncenter.com/drugs/social-media-addiction/

It explains how social media addiction will display the same symptoms as a substance absue...

>Mood modification - being able to use social media will have a positive affect on a person mood whilst actively using it 

>Salience - being preoccupied thinking about social media when not using it 

>Tolerance - increasing use of social media as time continues 

>Withdrawal symptoms - feeling unpleasant or uneasy when social media use is unavailable or restricted

>Conflict - personal problems with yourself and those around you as a result of social media

>Relapse - quickly reverting back to excessive usage when it has been restricted.

According to a new study by Harvard University ,using  social media sites lights up the same part of the brain that also lights when taking an addictive substance, this is also linked to the ‘reward centre’ of the bran meaning a person who feels like they have accomplished something may the spend excessive time on social media, for example a student finishing a piece of work may then sit on social media for hours as a reward.

It also comments on how getting notifications such as likes, retweets or mentions affects the brain saying ‘the brain receives a rush of dopamine and sends it along reward pathways, causing him or her to feel pleasure. Social media provides an endless amount of immediate rewards in the form of attention from others for relatively minimal effort. Therefore, the brain rewires itself through this positive reinforcement, making people desire likes, retweets, and emoticon reactions.’. This helps explain how social media effects mental health as you can see if is person is not receiving the likes they are used to there will be a decrease is the dopamine released to the brain possibly making them feel low and depressed. This is also a comment on how people who use social media expect immediate rewards making things like work and school more difficult for the person if they want a reward straight away and have to wait for results of a test or a project.

For many people they are addicted to the positive outcomes of social media and receiving recognition through social media which then makes real life interactions and rewards less useful to them disconnecting them from the real world, this is a scary way to live as we have seen how quickly positive attention on social media can become negative very quickly and if a person is already addicted to using social media when they are receiving positive outcomes it will be difficult for them to switch this off if the outcomes become negative. This meaning there mental health will severely affected especially if they have already become disconnected from real life and rely on social media for there mood and all aspects of life creating a very depressed low state of mind that if not overcome or dealt with could develop into suicidal thoughts.

[bethanyhaynes]

Gucci straitjacket

Guccis S/S20 runway show in Milan used the silhouette of the straitjacket used in severe cases of mental health, one model Ayesha Tan-Joneswho was ‘walking’ on the runway preformed a silent protest when she came onto the runway and had ‘mental health is not fashion’ written across the palms of her hands.

She spoke out after the show and said she did this "As an artist and model who has experienced my own struggles with mental health, as well as family members and loved ones who have been affected by depression, anxiety, bipolar and schizophrenia, it is hurtful and insensitive for a major fashion house such as Gucci to use this imagery as a concept for a fleeting fashion moment.".  She also commented on how they were brought out on a conveyer belt style runway only adding to the offensive style creating the idea that those with mental health issues are just products.

 Guccis designer of the collection Mr Michele tried to defend there choices by saying “I wanted to show how society today can have the ability to confine individuality and that Gucci can be the antidote,” he said later. “For me, the show was the journey from conformity to freedom and creativity. Uniforms, utilitarian clothes, such straitjackets, were included in the fashion show as the most extreme version of restriction imposed by society and those who control it. These clothes were a statement for the fashion show and part of a performance.”. Many people argued that using an item that was so restrictive and used in a time of suffering for those with mental health was insensitive to those that have suffered by using this as a fashion statement. As Gucci used the idea that the show was about freedom they also commented on how they thought it was ‘ok’ for the model to voice her opinions both on and off the runway.

[bethanyhaynes]

‘Mental health issues increased significantly in young adults over last decade’

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190315110908.htm

I found this academic article which is based on facts in America but it is still useful to look at in terms of findings. It discusses how there has been a huge rise in mental health issues such as depression and suicidal thoughts in the last 10 years and states that social media and rise in its use may be a large contributor to this. Here are some of the stats broken down more clearly...

Adolescents reporting symptoms of major depression in the last 12 months from 2005 to 2017 increased 52 percent (from 8.7% to 13.2%) and in young adults 63 percent in age 18 to 25 from 2009 to 2017 (from 8.1 percent to 13.2 percent).

The rate of young adults with suicidal thoughts or other suicide-related outcomes increased 47 percent from 2008 to 2017 (from 7.0 percent to 10.3 percent).

This rise is shocking as it has happened in such a short amount of time, the article also mentions how it is adolescents and young adults who have been effected most as the rise in these problems of people of a older age is not nearly as high and psychologists even saw a decline in these problems with those over 65.

The article then discusses how the psychologist Twenge feels this new age of technology has effected people of a younger age and says how older generations are more likely to have a already structured life and routine meaning it is less likely for them to slip into habits related to how social media negatively affects the younger people, an example of this is using social media late at night meaning you in turn get less sleep which effects your mood and cognitaive development, older generations would less likely to become victim to this as they are already in routine for there responsibilities such as waking up for a job. Twenge also comments on the use of social media to interact more than face to face communication is being interchanged enough to effect a person to create mood disorders for example not being able to properly get your feelings across in a message may make you feel like you are not being heard or listened to correctly making your mood plummet. 

Twenge is quoted at the end of this article saying “Overall, make sure digital media use doesn't interfere with activities more beneficial to mental health such as face-to-face social interaction, exercise and sleep." showing there needs to be a change in the amount of social media use if we wants the stats to change.

[bethanyhaynes]

Nastya żerebecki - Emoji nation

The artist nastya żerebecki created a series of art where she took classic paintings some having religious comments some just classical and took aspects of modern technology and social media to expand on them. Her inspiration behind this was that using emoji has become it own language and she feels it is easier to express yourself using ‘a little yellow face’ than describing how you feel. This links to the mental health aspect to me as I feel this clearly show the emotional disconnect people are developing as they find it easier to understand how someone is feeling by using emojis and language you often find uses in social media rather than looking at someone or in this case a piece of art and deciphering for yourself what is happening. 

This is one that has more religious connotations using the facebook framework.

I find this one more interesting as it shows the instagram ‘like heart’ over the females exposed bum which makes you think this is a positive image, but when you look closer into this image you see the male looks very solemn and is looking away from the woman which makes you think maybe this is a comment on how other people see the body in a world of instagram and those closest to you in the moment don't appreciate it as much.

[bethanyhaynes]

Mental health campaigns.

It could be argued that social media aids mental health awareness with the use of it to spread positive messages surrounding mental health. I found an article which supports this idea as it discusses the 7 most impactful campaigns they found and 5 out of the 7 are all very social media based, having either a strong video presence on youtube or the use hashtags to bring people together on instagram.

https://blog.globalwebindex.com/marketing/mental-health/

This shows that even if mental health is being affected by social media like a lot of people understand and would agree, companies and brands are seeing this and trying to spread a more positive message over these platforms for people to see when they are constantly exposed to them. The outcomes of all of these campaigns has been positive and beneficial showing that social media can be used for positive outcomes as the algorithms target ads and things like the lad bible campaign to those they thought were most at risk males between 18-24. 

It could be argued that this is also too little too late and is not enough such as the instagram hashtag ‘#hereforyou’ which was meant to create a community within instagram for people to go to when they are struggling, however instagram does not regulate posts and there has been many uses of hashtags to create communities that become detrimental to peoples health and mental health. An exaple is #proana (pro anorexia) or #proed (pro eating disorders) that includes people who suffer this issue to come together and share how they have ‘succeeded’ in harming themselves and in particular for this one how they succeed in loosing weight. This idea alongside the thousands of pictures of the ‘ideal body’ that society has created could be detrimental to any ones health even if you do not already suffer with the mental health disorder before seeing these pages and hashtags.

[bethanyhaynes]

@blondey

I found these images on Instagram created by ‘blondey Mccoy’ the creator of the thames fashion brand, they stood out to me a lot as they all showed a clear heartfelt message so simply as quickly. 

The use of handwritten messages on images that are so simple and evoke a mood that doesn't even directly link to the message was really interesting  to me. I like the use of photography within these as it is the type of ‘meaningless’ photography I enjoy in the way that the picture means and show nothing but when you put the text over it, it creates a meaning to the picture. This is a style I would like to explore to include in my own zine adding a very personal touch in a simple way by using my own photography and own writing but possible taking quotes on my issue that I have gathered from other people 

He used this style in his skate zine ‘freedom ‘19′ these are a few examples of how it looks in a zine format. I think it is very successful and feels very free and expressive as nothing is perfect and that is a message that links to my chosen subject of mental health.

To further this ‘imperfect’ style he often includes mistakes crossed out which also have a message under.