“To deal healthily with social networks, you need a filter and discernment between what is yours and what belongs to others, what is real and what is not, what you really want to share and what it is an external charge. The care is not to make your appearance on social media the center of your life, be careful when feeding an image that you create, which is not real (and end up embodying a character), that you want to show to others. Carefulness lies in wanting to do things only with the intention that others see what you are doing.”
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The assessment is carried out by a psychologist Lia Ayumi Takemoto, specialist in cognitive-behavioral therapy. She explains that the obsession with appearance in social networks can take content creators away from real life.
The fine line between virtual friendship and harassment
Last Monday (12), the influencer Matheus Costa published an outburst on Instagram stories – a social network where he has 2,7 million followers. The creator of humorous content revealed that he was going through a delicate mental health situation due to the harassment he suffers on the streets.
“I am in the worst mental health phase of my life. Even though my career is going up, I'm really sad. I go to normal bars, normal parties, so I'm not among the rich and famous who do private things. I go to normal places and I would really like to be treated like a normal person, but I know it's not possible anymore. It's the life I chose for myself, public life. That's what I found to give my family a better life. But this harassment, as it is, is not healthy for me”, he explained.
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Matheus said that the intimacy that the internet seems to provide between influencers and followers opened space for unpleasant situations. “I feel disrespected on the street every day in many ways, both verbally and physically. And because he is this calm, relaxed and accessible kid, people feel entitled to many things. I will no longer accept any kind of disrespect towards me. I'm not going to be rude, I'm just going to completely ignore it. I'm doing this for my own good, because if I don't set my limits, no one will. And I need it more than ever,” he said.
For psychologist Lia Ayumi Takemoto, it is necessary to pay attention to the exhausting routine and the pressure to always be available to followers – which can be very harmful. “It is extremely important to take care of the psychological and emotional side of dealing with demands, criticism and pressure from people. Develop emotional intelligence and wisdom to manage and know how to deal with everything that this job puts at stake”, she adds. She also adds that the digital influencer must carry out a self-assessment: to what extent do I feel comfortable sharing this with the public? Am I doing this just because I was asked? Is their will mine too?
That's why, in this case and in many others, therapy becomes an ally. Lia highlights the importance of seeking professional help – an attitude that Matheus Costa revealed, through stories, that he had already taken it.
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The exposure of private life: the cases of Gabi Brandt and Boca Rosa
Another recent case that exposes the impacts of public life on private life was the revelation of Gabi Brandt's pregnancy. After pregnancy rumors spread across several gossip profiles on social media, the influencer went public to reveal that she was pregnant. In the statement published on Instagram, she explains that she had not published the news because it was an extremely risky pregnancy, with placental abruption and bruising.
“Once again, I had my privacy invaded and exposed against my will. My instinct as a mother was to hide to protect you, but I forgot that nowadays I don’t have the right to choose how, when, or if something like this will be exposed”, wrote Gabi.
The case is very similar to that of Pink mouth. The businesswoman and influencer also had her pregnancy exposed on the internet without her permission. In a documentary on her YouTube channel, Bianca lamented: “That should be a crime. A baby's life is at risk. When a woman is at this early stage, in addition to being her moment, which she should have the right to tell, it is the baby's life, because many women suffer miscarriages at this stage. One of the biggest causes is psychological, emotional.”
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Lia Takemoto explains that the number of cases of anxiety and depression in the world of celebrities is extremely high – both due to the intense work routine and excessive exposure. “Pressure and lack of privacy can contribute to relationship and conduct problems. People constantly live in exaggerated tension, anxiety, and the more famous they are, the greater the pressure,” she adds.
