Intersections & Interactions of Power Between Nonprofits and Social Media in the US Teen Mental Health Crisis

• In Event: Open Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 13: Stress and Mental Health

Abstract

This paper will present preliminary, in-progress findings from an ongoing dissertation analyzing power interactions and intersections between nonprofits, social media, and clinical spaces engaged in defining and/or treating US youth mental health crises, and how those power dynamics shape individuals’ access to care. Based on the first waves of data collection, this paper will focus on the power interactions and intersections between nonprofits and social media. I investigate these questions qualitatively, utilizing interviews with key stakeholders located within these institutions as well as teenagers and caregivers of teenagers who have experienced a mental health crisis and/or extreme, persistent symptoms of anxiety and depression. Interviews will be supplemented by a content analysis of documents produced by clinics and nonprofits embedded in the US healthcare system, and teen mental health discourses across the three platforms most frequented by US teens: YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Finally, limited fieldwork at public events will further serve to supplement data and recruit interviewees. Theoretically, I define power as access to resources and the use of various forms of capital, per Bourdieu. I also utilize Gramsci’s cultural hegemony to analyze data with discourse and situational analysis. These early findings may help support other projects engaged in similar research and contribute to a better understanding of how complicated systems constructing the unsettled field of mental health in the US impact the individuals relying on them for critical care.

Author

• Jennifer Nicholas, Georgia Institute of Technology