‘Family Relationships’-esque social media content

[Anonymous]

I’ve seen more and more accounts and content related to boundaries, toxic relationships, family dynamics, etc., on my Instagram feed, like from this account:
https://www.instagram.com/millennialmatleave/

What’s interesting is that many of these content creators seem to be in a position of authority, but don’t have counseling, psychology, therapy or mental health credentials. A lot of accounts are “how to handle a narcissist” type of content.

It’s kind of like DCUM has come to life! Just wondering if others have been reminded of this forum when you see these type of posts.

[Anonymous]

I don't instagram or twitter and rarely check Facebook.

[Anonymous]

That account doesn't seem to be pretending to be a therapist or authority? Looks like she's just sharing her experience as a mom and dealing with difficult family members in a solidarity-encouraging way. You may or may not agree with what she's posting, but I'm guessing her followers are probably people who deal with similar situations and derive some comfort from it. Seems harmless.

I'm a writer and I follow some accounts on writing practice, dealing with writer's block, getting published, etc. Some of them are people with a ton of expertise offering expert advice on writing/publishing. Some of them are like me -- just people who write and sometimes share their struggles or little tips they've learned that work for them, and those can be really helpful in making me feel less alone, plus I do actually get good ideas that way. I'm smart enough to understand the difference between an experienced writer or editor saying "here are three mistakes I see new novelists make in querying" and an unpublished author saying the same thing.

I might feel differently if the account you linked was someone trying to present themselves as a therapist or family relationship expert, but it just seems like someone offering her perspective as a lay person based on her own life experience. I do wonder if her IG account causes issues with her ILs, since she seems to talk a lot about toxic relationships with her ILs. But on the other hand, if her ILs are as bad as she says they are, I'm not sure the account could make it any worse and if it helps her feel better and more in control, and form relationships with people in the same situation, more power to her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't instagram or twitter and rarely check Facebook.

Then why did you click on a thread with a title clearly indicating it was about social media?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That account doesn't seem to be pretending to be a therapist or authority? Looks like she's just sharing her experience as a mom and dealing with difficult family members in a solidarity-encouraging way. You may or may not agree with what she's posting, but I'm guessing her followers are probably people who deal with similar situations and derive some comfort from it. Seems harmless.

I'm a writer and I follow some accounts on writing practice, dealing with writer's block, getting published, etc. Some of them are people with a ton of expertise offering expert advice on writing/publishing. Some of them are like me -- just people who write and sometimes share their struggles or little tips they've learned that work for them, and those can be really helpful in making me feel less alone, plus I do actually get good ideas that way. I'm smart enough to understand the difference between an experienced writer or editor saying "here are three mistakes I see new novelists make in querying" and an unpublished author saying the same thing.

I might feel differently if the account you linked was someone trying to present themselves as a therapist or family relationship expert, but it just seems like someone offering her perspective as a lay person based on her own life experience. I do wonder if her IG account causes issues with her ILs, since she seems to talk a lot about toxic relationships with her ILs. But on the other hand, if her ILs are as bad as she says they are, I'm not sure the account could make it any worse and if it helps her feel better and more in control, and form relationships with people in the same situation, more power to her.

OP here. I was making an observation. You seem to think I was accusing her or others of some kind of wrongdoing? That’s you projecting. I didn’t say anything of the kind. I think it’s interesting, but I didn’t say she was wrong to have an account dedicated to this kind of topic, but with no credentials. Not sure why you ran with something I didn’t say, at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That account doesn't seem to be pretending to be a therapist or authority? Looks like she's just sharing her experience as a mom and dealing with difficult family members in a solidarity-encouraging way. You may or may not agree with what she's posting, but I'm guessing her followers are probably people who deal with similar situations and derive some comfort from it. Seems harmless.

I'm a writer and I follow some accounts on writing practice, dealing with writer's block, getting published, etc. Some of them are people with a ton of expertise offering expert advice on writing/publishing. Some of them are like me -- just people who write and sometimes share their struggles or little tips they've learned that work for them, and those can be really helpful in making me feel less alone, plus I do actually get good ideas that way. I'm smart enough to understand the difference between an experienced writer or editor saying "here are three mistakes I see new novelists make in querying" and an unpublished author saying the same thing.

I might feel differently if the account you linked was someone trying to present themselves as a therapist or family relationship expert, but it just seems like someone offering her perspective as a lay person based on her own life experience. I do wonder if her IG account causes issues with her ILs, since she seems to talk a lot about toxic relationships with her ILs. But on the other hand, if her ILs are as bad as she says they are, I'm not sure the account could make it any worse and if it helps her feel better and more in control, and form relationships with people in the same situation, more power to her.

OP here. I was making an observation. You seem to think I was accusing her or others of some kind of wrongdoing? That’s you projecting. I didn’t say anything of the kind. I think it’s interesting, but I didn’t say she was wrong to have an account dedicated to this kind of topic, but with no credentials. Not sure why you ran with something I didn’t say, at all.

"What’s interesting is that many of these content creators seem to be in a position of authority, but don’t have counseling, psychology, therapy or mental health credentials."

This is a criticism. It's framed in a very passive-aggressive way ("what's interesting...") but it's a criticism. I was responding to that criticism because I went to the account you linked and it did not appear that the creator was presenting herself as "in a position of authority." It's very clear she is posting about her own experience and observations, and from my quick view of her posts, she isn't presenting herself as having a background in counseling or mental health.

Why did you start this thread if not to discuss this? So weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That account doesn't seem to be pretending to be a therapist or authority? Looks like she's just sharing her experience as a mom and dealing with difficult family members in a solidarity-encouraging way. You may or may not agree with what she's posting, but I'm guessing her followers are probably people who deal with similar situations and derive some comfort from it. Seems harmless.

I'm a writer and I follow some accounts on writing practice, dealing with writer's block, getting published, etc. Some of them are people with a ton of expertise offering expert advice on writing/publishing. Some of them are like me -- just people who write and sometimes share their struggles or little tips they've learned that work for them, and those can be really helpful in making me feel less alone, plus I do actually get good ideas that way. I'm smart enough to understand the difference between an experienced writer or editor saying "here are three mistakes I see new novelists make in querying" and an unpublished author saying the same thing.

I might feel differently if the account you linked was someone trying to present themselves as a therapist or family relationship expert, but it just seems like someone offering her perspective as a lay person based on her own life experience. I do wonder if her IG account causes issues with her ILs, since she seems to talk a lot about toxic relationships with her ILs. But on the other hand, if her ILs are as bad as she says they are, I'm not sure the account could make it any worse and if it helps her feel better and more in control, and form relationships with people in the same situation, more power to her.

OP here. I was making an observation. You seem to think I was accusing her or others of some kind of wrongdoing? That’s you projecting. I didn’t say anything of the kind. I think it’s interesting, but I didn’t say she was wrong to have an account dedicated to this kind of topic, but with no credentials. Not sure why you ran with something I didn’t say, at all.

"What’s interesting is that many of these content creators seem to be in a position of authority, but don’t have counseling, psychology, therapy or mental health credentials."

This is a criticism. It's framed in a very passive-aggressive way ("what's interesting...") but it's a criticism. I was responding to that criticism because I went to the account you linked and it did not appear that the creator was presenting herself as "in a position of authority." It's very clear she is posting about her own experience and observations, and from my quick view of her posts, she isn't presenting herself as having a background in counseling or mental health.

Why did you start this thread if not to discuss this? So weird.

No, a criticism would be “what’s bad is that…” or “what shouldn’t be allowed is that…”

I literally meant it is interesting. Which is what I said. I then asked if other people have noticed this trend. This seems to be new: I’ve seen lots of content creators like family therapists or psychologists who offer expertise. What I haven’t seen until recently is people who dedicate a lot of content to this type of area based only on their personal experience, *which is fine.*

I specifically said what was interesting to me is that it’s almost like DCUM Family Relationships come to life—people on here, obviously, have been sharing their personal experiences as well.

Really do stop being so defensive. Try responding to what people actually write or say, rather than your projections.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That account doesn't seem to be pretending to be a therapist or authority? Looks like she's just sharing her experience as a mom and dealing with difficult family members in a solidarity-encouraging way. You may or may not agree with what she's posting, but I'm guessing her followers are probably people who deal with similar situations and derive some comfort from it. Seems harmless.

I'm a writer and I follow some accounts on writing practice, dealing with writer's block, getting published, etc. Some of them are people with a ton of expertise offering expert advice on writing/publishing. Some of them are like me -- just people who write and sometimes share their struggles or little tips they've learned that work for them, and those can be really helpful in making me feel less alone, plus I do actually get good ideas that way. I'm smart enough to understand the difference between an experienced writer or editor saying "here are three mistakes I see new novelists make in querying" and an unpublished author saying the same thing.

I might feel differently if the account you linked was someone trying to present themselves as a therapist or family relationship expert, but it just seems like someone offering her perspective as a lay person based on her own life experience. I do wonder if her IG account causes issues with her ILs, since she seems to talk a lot about toxic relationships with her ILs. But on the other hand, if her ILs are as bad as she says they are, I'm not sure the account could make it any worse and if it helps her feel better and more in control, and form relationships with people in the same situation, more power to her.

OP here. I was making an observation. You seem to think I was accusing her or others of some kind of wrongdoing? That’s you projecting. I didn’t say anything of the kind. I think it’s interesting, but I didn’t say she was wrong to have an account dedicated to this kind of topic, but with no credentials. Not sure why you ran with something I didn’t say, at all.

"What’s interesting is that many of these content creators seem to be in a position of authority, but don’t have counseling, psychology, therapy or mental health credentials."

This is a criticism. It's framed in a very passive-aggressive way ("what's interesting...") but it's a criticism. I was responding to that criticism because I went to the account you linked and it did not appear that the creator was presenting herself as "in a position of authority." It's very clear she is posting about her own experience and observations, and from my quick view of her posts, she isn't presenting herself as having a background in counseling or mental health.

Why did you start this thread if not to discuss this? So weird.

You were unclear. The way you phrased it and the wording you used implied judgment. You made a point of saying that these accounts "seem" to be in a position of authority but don't have any credentials. That's a clearly implied negative judgment. If you can't see how, I can't help you.

In any case, I don't run one of these accounts and am not defensive of the practice. I actually tried to engage with your premise (note that literally no one else has done so) by offering my observations, and then you accused me of projecting and acted like it was weird for me to interpret judgment from your post. I actually read your post closely and tried to respond thoughtfully, and rather than just clarifying politely ("oh that's not what I meant -- I just think it's interesting, not bad"), you chose to attack me.

Good luck with your thread

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That account doesn't seem to be pretending to be a therapist or authority? Looks like she's just sharing her experience as a mom and dealing with difficult family members in a solidarity-encouraging way. You may or may not agree with what she's posting, but I'm guessing her followers are probably people who deal with similar situations and derive some comfort from it. Seems harmless.

I'm a writer and I follow some accounts on writing practice, dealing with writer's block, getting published, etc. Some of them are people with a ton of expertise offering expert advice on writing/publishing. Some of them are like me -- just people who write and sometimes share their struggles or little tips they've learned that work for them, and those can be really helpful in making me feel less alone, plus I do actually get good ideas that way. I'm smart enough to understand the difference between an experienced writer or editor saying "here are three mistakes I see new novelists make in querying" and an unpublished author saying the same thing.

I might feel differently if the account you linked was someone trying to present themselves as a therapist or family relationship expert, but it just seems like someone offering her perspective as a lay person based on her own life experience. I do wonder if her IG account causes issues with her ILs, since she seems to talk a lot about toxic relationships with her ILs. But on the other hand, if her ILs are as bad as she says they are, I'm not sure the account could make it any worse and if it helps her feel better and more in control, and form relationships with people in the same situation, more power to her.

OP here. I was making an observation. You seem to think I was accusing her or others of some kind of wrongdoing? That’s you projecting. I didn’t say anything of the kind. I think it’s interesting, but I didn’t say she was wrong to have an account dedicated to this kind of topic, but with no credentials. Not sure why you ran with something I didn’t say, at all.

"What’s interesting is that many of these content creators seem to be in a position of authority, but don’t have counseling, psychology, therapy or mental health credentials."

This is a criticism. It's framed in a very passive-aggressive way ("what's interesting...") but it's a criticism. I was responding to that criticism because I went to the account you linked and it did not appear that the creator was presenting herself as "in a position of authority." It's very clear she is posting about her own experience and observations, and from my quick view of her posts, she isn't presenting herself as having a background in counseling or mental health.

Why did you start this thread if not to discuss this? So weird.

You were unclear. The way you phrased it and the wording you used implied judgment. You made a point of saying that these accounts "seem" to be in a position of authority but don't have any credentials. That's a clearly implied negative judgment. If you can't see how, I can't help you.

In any case, I don't run one of these accounts and am not defensive of the practice. I actually tried to engage with your premise (note that literally no one else has done so) by offering my observations, and then you accused me of projecting and acted like it was weird for me to interpret judgment from your post. I actually read your post closely and tried to respond thoughtfully, and rather than just clarifying politely ("oh that's not what I meant -- I just think it's interesting, not bad"), you chose to attack me.

Good luck with your thread

There is no “implied” with the clear and simple words: “I think it is interesting.” But you tried. You tried really hard! Hope you have a better day. Maybe go pick a fight with DH. Seems like you’re trying to fight with someone. Try someone who cares!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve seen more and more accounts and content related to boundaries, toxic relationships, family dynamics, etc., on my Instagram feed, like from this account:
https://www.instagram.com/millennialmatleave/

What’s interesting is that many of these content creators seem to be in a position of authority, but don’t have counseling, psychology, therapy or mental health credentials. A lot of accounts are “how to handle a narcissist” type of content.

It’s kind of like DCUM has come to life! Just wondering if others have been reminded of this forum when you see these type of posts.

I always side-eye this. I was recently invited to hear an author speak about the toxic culture of perfectionism and it's impact on college-aged girls and when I started reading the author's profile I realized she has 0 relevant degrees/licenses.