Hannah Milton, a 21-year-old student from south Wales, has gained a following of 1.6 million on TikTok for her dance videos and comedy sketches. However, the abuse that she sometimes receives from many anonymous online trolls makes her feel lonely, and at times, powerless. According to Hannah, the most toxic trolling takes place when one of her videos goes viral. Despite the hurtful comments, she has continued content creation since 2020. She began creating online content during her downtime due to Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.
She also enjoys doing makeup routines, sketches and dances. During her peak, she would stream videos on TikTok for up to eight hours. Nevertheless, Hannah revealed that people are not always fully prepared for social media fame. Young people may not be ready to handle the criticisms they face and may feel unprepared to cope with the trolling. In addition, she noted that some negative posts can hurt creators deeply, primarily teenagers and others building their careers.
Abi Butcher, the founder of Creator Productions, recognizes that the social media industry is highly pressurised, with a focus on young people’s enjoyment of content creation. She notes that while it is exciting, it comes with numerous challenges, such as dealing with trolls and hate comments. As a result, Abi urges influencers managing their mental health issues to speak up and quit content creation if it becomes necessary, as it can become draining quickly.
Dr. Margarita Panayiotou of Manchester University, a leading UK psychologist, studies the psychological effects of content creation and the stresses placed on the content creator. She believes that it is essential to consider the impact of content creation on mental wellbeing and professional development better. Researchers have yet to study what happens to self-worth and mental resilience when celebrity status is achieved via social media channels, such as TikTok and Instagram
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