Chapter 6: Fallout-Media and Mental Health

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A man uses a cell phone in New Orleans on Aug. 11, 2019. Some social media users are calling out celebrities for what they say is inaction in the face of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza — and they've taken to a "blockout" to pressure the stars to take a stand. For the blockout, users put a block on seeing any and all content from the accounts of certain celebrities on social media platforms including X, TikTok and Instagram.


The October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas not only marked a new beginning in the decades old Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it also ushered in a new era of social media. Hamas live-streamed the events of that day and the bloody business of war was brought unfiltered into our hands. Within days, the hashtags Palestine and Israel had logged billions of views on social media last fall.

Members of the Urbana-Champaign community shared their thoughts about the toll the flood of graphic violence from the perspective of both Israelis and Palestinians took on their mental health and well- being. Here is chapter 6 of Fallout: Media and Mental Health.

This series was produced and edited by University of Illinois Journalism Professor Charles “Stretch” Ledford.  Interviews were conducted by U of I Journalism students Liv Barwinska, Nathan DeHaan, Elizabeth Kelly and Faith Lee.

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