Harvard's TikTok strategy; plus, Shirley Chisholm, the coalition diva
Mar 29, 2024
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Kate Speer from Harvard Chan Center shares how TikTok influencers are spreading accurate info. Shirley Chisholm's political impact and legacy are discussed, touching on her coalition-building skills and overcoming societal barriers.
Harvard partners with TikTok influencers to promote mental health awareness and research-based information.
Shirley Chisholm's historical contributions to Black feminist power politics offer insights into American electoral landscape.
Deep dives
TikTok's Potential for Good in Mental Health Advocacy
Despite concerns around privacy and addiction, Harvard's Creator Summit program aimed to leverage TikTok influencers to spread mental health awareness. Kate Spear, a mental health TikToker, shifted to a marketing role at the Harvard Chan Center, sharing personal experiences to uplift others.
Differentiating Mental Health Advocacy and Mental Illness Advocacy
Kate Spear emphasizes the distinction between mental health challenges and mental illnesses, noting the need to normalize discussions about the darkness and struggles faced by those with mental illnesses. She advocates for creating a space where people can openly address and combat the debilitating impacts of mental illness.
Harvard's Program for TikTok Influencers on Mental Health
Harvard's collaboration with TikTok influencers focused on disseminating evidence-based mental health information to wider audiences. The online briefings and toolkits provided by the program successfully increased the spread of accurate mental health research.
Empowering Advocacy Through Social Media Communication
The engagement of TikTok and social media platforms in spreading informative content highlights a strategic approach to mental health education. By leveraging influencers and aligning with scientific research, there is an opportunity to counteract misinformation and amplify vital mental health resources.
TikTok has come under fire for its addictive algorithm and for being a place where misinformation spreads. But still, there is one institution that thinks TikTok actually has the potential to be a source of good in our world: Harvard. To be more specific, it's the Harvard Chan Center for Health Communication.
To hear more about how the center is working with TikTok influencers to share researched information with the public, host Brittany Luse is joined by Kate Speer. Kate started as a mental health TikToker, but was recently hired as a marketing director for the Harvard Chan Center for Health Communication. Kate also shares her mental health journey and what it's been like to work within a mental health system that harmed her.
Then, Brittany looks at the history left out of the new Netflix film, Shirley, which follows the presidential run of Shirley Chisholm. Brittany sits down with Dr. Anastasia C. Curwood, author of Shirley Chisholm: Champion of Black Feminist Power Politics, to discuss what came before the historic race. They talk about how Shirley's various identities informed her approach, and scan for her fingerprint on American electoral politics today.
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