Not so long ago, I wrote an impassioned editorial in our sister publication The Community News that bordered on vitriol and ripped apart social media and those whose lives seemed too dependent on it.
The basic theory of that rant was that social media forums (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc.) are an affront to the English language and, what’s worse, they encourage the very behaviour we all should be trying to avoid – in particular what we like to call the four N’s: negativity, neglect, narcissism and nosiness.
I still feel that in some hands this remains the case, but I have completely reversed a once firmly-held belief that nothing good can come from social media.
Take Twitter for example. In the News business, Twitter is without question the fastest way to receive and disseminate information. The Advertiser relies on it daily as a source for News from other users, and we’d like to think our account (@wellyadvertiser) has become a reliable source for quick tidbits of information or a link to a more in-depth News story on our website (wellingtonadvertiser.com).
Shameless plugs aside, Tuesday proved to us that social media can be something much more than a great News and crowdsourcing tool.
On Jan. 28, we were proud to participate via Twitter in the annual Bell Let’s Talk campaign, which aims to end the stigma surrounding mental health issues and to raise money for charities dedicated to that endeavour.
For one day, Bell donates five cents to the cause for every text message sent and mobile and long distance call made by Bell users, as well as five cents for every tweet using #BellLetsTalk and every Facebook share of the Bell Let’s Talk image.
Official results were not in by press time, but this year’s campaign was expected to smash last year’s record of over $5 million raised.
The campaign received incredible support from those in and around Wellington County, including many Advertiser followers on Twitter (we lost count at well over 400 retweets of approximately 20 tweets and retweets we posted throughout the day).
The support was overwhelming, but not surprising – we have come to expect such things from the generous communities in this area. It was also no shock that many tweets made special mention of Steven Hutchison, the popular teen from Arthur who committed suicide last year. Those tweets were very moving, to say the least.
We have documented Hutchison’s story before and his family and friends have been – and continue to be – remarkably brave in speaking out to help end the stigma surrounding mental health and prevent such tragedies from happening to others.
Thankfully, most of us will never be devastated by a suicide, but the fact is one in five people will experience a mental health or addiction problem. One of the best tweets we saw on Tuesday stated, “We all know someone struggling with mental illness. If you don’t, they haven’t talked about it yet.” That is so true.
And while many of us may not be able to personally relate to what some sufferers are going through, maybe that’s not necessary. Maybe it’s enough to be there simply to listen. Maybe one discussion is the vital first step in saving someone from a seemingly hopeless situation. And maybe, just maybe, something as simple as a social media campaign can spur people on to speak that crucial first word.
It is well past time to talk about it.
