Blog One - Stimulus Assessment

What does the stimulus say to you? - 

We were given a variety of picture stimuluses, and decided on a majority vote of the one we were most drawn to. The one we ended up choosing was an image of a brain central, surrounded by many different emoji’s connected by sharp direct lines, with a block red background. My personal interpretation was the emojis reminded me of social media and the connection the brain could suggest the overwhelming emotions that come with the use of social media. Although there are some positive aspects of social media such as, it gives people a voice and allows self-expression, it connects us and can power social change, the negative impacts cannot be ignored. (HMA, 2017)

What will be the message you are portraying from your stimulus?

In class we mind mapped around the stimulus, the things it provoked us each as individuals to think about. In terms of a message, and potential movement ideas for the choreography we discussed a few ideas such as; a crowded mind, ‘social norms,’ and the effect of technology on mental health. We individually thought of some overarching themes we could narrow our main theme down to, we then collated these thoughts and took another class vote. We collectively chose to focus on mental health as our overarching theme with links to themes of social expectations and social media.

What references have got you to this point? -

After exploring these topics, I decided to research further into some of the issues surrounding mental health that are linked to the use of social media. I found that  'multiple studies have found a strong link between heavy social media use and an increased risk for depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, and even suicide.' (Robinson, 2020) 

This led me to look into 'dissociative identity disorder' which is also one of the topics we discussed in class. After researching I found that the disorder can be caused my many factors but most likely to be linked to some kind of severe trauma during early childhood before the age of six a sensitive developmental stage of childhood. 'Findings show that in families where parents are frightening and unpredictable, the children may become dissociative.'  (WebMD. 2020)

I also looked into some of the treatments for I found there is no confirmed treatment however the primary treatment is talk therapy (psychosocial therapy) and sometimes hypnosis. I thought It would be great to have a circular narrative to show how the treatment can help but the condition will always remain. (Frothingham, 2018)

Bibliography -

Robinson, L., 2020. Social Media And Mental Health - Helpguide.Org. [online] Helpguide.org. Available at: <https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/social-media-and-mental-health.htm#:~:text=However%2C%20multiple%20studies%20have%20found,about%20your%20life%20or%20appearance.> [Accessed 4 October 2020].

WebMD. 2020. Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder). [online] Available at: <https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/dissociative-identity-disorder-multiple-personality-disorder#1> [Accessed 4 October 2020].

HMA, 2017. Social Media And Mental Health | Community Links. [online] Community Links. Available at: <https://www.commlinks.co.uk/about-us/blog/social-media-mental-health/> [Accessed 29 November 2020].

Frothingham, S., 2018. Dissociative Identity Disorder: Symptoms And Treatment. [online] Healthline. Available at: <https://www.healthline.com/health/dissociative-identity-disorder#treatment> [Accessed 29 November 2020].