Bell Let’s Talk has become a portal for the global discussion about mental illness, but one Canadian researcher says people’s heartfelt social media posts may make them targets for advertisers. “The Bell Let’s Talk campaign is a multi-platform movement that is supported by the unpaid labour/engagement of social media users,” she writes. “Individuals who post their personal stories on Bell Let’s Talk Day are targeted and exploited with advertisements for products that can ‘assist’ with their mental health illnesses,” she writes in her paper. “As a person who struggles with anxiety, I was always pro-Bell Let’s Talk Day…. For so long I thought that Bell was a leader in mental health awareness, but when I had the epiphany that they may be more concerned with their brand than mental health illnesses, I was upset….

Source: National Post June 14, 2019 13:52 UTC