Escaping the Echo Chamber: How to Build Safe Peer-to-Peer Mental Health Platforms
Across the globe, the average person will spend an estimated 3.4 million minutes on social media, or about six years of their life.1 In an era of digitalization, the barrier between our digital and personal lives is fading.
As social media becomes an increasingly important vehicle for connection, there has been a proliferation of online mental health support groups: peer-to-peer communities where suffering individuals seek out support, information, and solidarity.2
These communities offer exciting benefits for the mental health space: ease of access, anonymity, and a trusted network of empathetic peers.2 As more people turn to online platforms, it’s clear that the future of mental healthcare is digital.
But despite its promising start, recent evidence is starting to suggest that these communities may occasionally cause harm to their users.
References
- Broadband Search. (2022). Average time spent daily on social media. BroadbandSearch.net. Retrieved June 27, 2022, from https://www.broadbandsearch.net/blog/average-daily-time-on-social-media#:~:text=In%202019%2C%20the%20WHO%20estimated,media%20over%20their%20whole%20lifetime.
- Prescott, J., Hanley, T., & Ujhelyi, K. (2017). Peer communication in online mental health forums for young people: Directional and nondirectional support. JMIR Mental Health, 4(3). https://doi.org/10.2196/mental.6921
- Shrestha, A. (2018). Echo: the Romanticization of Mental Illness on Tumblr . The Undergraduate Research Journal of Psychology at UCLA, 5, 69–80. Retrieved 2022, from https://urjp.psych.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/76/2018/06/URJP_2018.pdf. x
- Jargon, J. (2021, October 19). Teen Girls Are Developing Tics. Doctors Say TikTok Could Be a Factor. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 4, 2022, from https://www.wsj.com/articles/teen-girls-are-developing-tics-doctors-say-tiktok-could-be-a-factor-11634389201.
- Olvera, C., Stebbins, G. T., Goetz, C. G., & Kompoliti, K. (2021). TikTok tics: A pandemic within a pandemic. Movement Disorders Clinical Practice, 8(8), 1200–1205. https://doi.org/10.1002/mdc3.13316
- Bind, A. S. (2013, October 28). Social Media Is Redefining 'Depression'. The Atlantic. Retrieved July 4, 2022, from https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/10/social-media-is-redefining-depression/280818/.
- Gerrard, Y. (2020, March 9). TikTok Has a Pro-Anorexia Problem. Wired. Retrieved July 4, 2022, from https://www.wired.com/story/opinion-tiktok-has-a-pro-anorexia-problem/.
- Jeon, Y., Kim, B., Xiong, A., Lee, D., & Han, K. (2021). Chamberbreaker: Mitigating the Echo Chamber effect and supporting information hygiene through a gamified inoculation system. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 5(CSCW2), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1145/3479859
About the Authors
Triumph Kerins
Triumph is passionate about understanding how human behavior influences our world. Whether it be global macroeconomics or neural networks, he is fascinated by how complex systems work, as well as how our own behavior can help create, sustain, and break these systems. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Psychology at McGill University, attempting to design an interdisciplinary approach to better understand all the quirks that make us human. He has experience in non-profit consulting, journalism, and research. Outside of work, you can find Triumph playing bass guitar, gardening, or down at a local basketball court.
Dr. Sekoul Krastev
Sekoul is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at The Decision Lab. He is a bestselling author of Intention - a book he wrote with Wiley on the mindful application of behavioral science in organizations. A decision scientist with a PhD in Decision Neuroscience from McGill University, Sekoul's work has been featured in peer-reviewed journals and has been presented at conferences around the world. Sekoul previously advised management on innovation and engagement strategy at The Boston Consulting Group as well as on online media strategy at Google. He has a deep interest in the applications of behavioral science to new technology and has published on these topics in places such as the Huffington Post and Strategy & Business.
About us
We are the leading applied research & innovation consultancy
Our insights are leveraged by the most ambitious organizations
“
I was blown away with their application and translation of behavioral science into practice. They took a very complex ecosystem and created a series of interventions using an innovative mix of the latest research and creative client co-creation. I was so impressed at the final product they created, which was hugely comprehensive despite the large scope of the client being of the world's most far-reaching and best known consumer brands. I'm excited to see what we can create together in the future.
Heather McKee
BEHAVIORAL SCIENTIST
GLOBAL COFFEEHOUSE CHAIN PROJECT
OUR CLIENT SUCCESS
$0M
Annual Revenue Increase
By launching a behavioral science practice at the core of the organization, we helped one of the largest insurers in North America realize $30M increase in annual revenue.
0%
Increase in Monthly Users
By redesigning North America's first national digital platform for mental health, we achieved a 52% lift in monthly users and an 83% improvement on clinical assessment.
0%
Reduction In Design Time
By designing a new process and getting buy-in from the C-Suite team, we helped one of the largest smartphone manufacturers in the world reduce software design time by 75%.
0%
Reduction in Client Drop-Off
By implementing targeted nudges based on proactive interventions, we reduced drop-off rates for 450,000 clients belonging to USA's oldest debt consolidation organizations by 46%
