Playing with zombie problems : exploring the gender-digital-play assemblage in online mental health campaigns

In countries like the USA, UK, and Australia, online campaigns aim to leverage the interactivity and anonymity of the Internet to address perceived barriers to men’s help-seeking, such as lack of awareness, stigma, and fear (O’Brien, Hunt, & Hart, 2005, Ellis et al., 2012). However, there has been little critique of the kinds of gender positions made available in these campaigns or the role that digital cultures play in assembling gendered accounts of mental health. For example, in 2013, the Australian not-for-profit organisation beyondblue licensed and adapted the Man Therapy campaign (https://mantherapy.org/). Originally developed in the USA through a partnership between the Colorado Office of Suicide Prevention, the Carson J Spencer Foundation, and Cactus Marketing and Communications, the campaign aims to engage with ‘working-age’ men, deliver mental health information, and raise awareness of options for help and support. Using ‘dark humour’, accessible language, and a safe, anonymous, online environment, the campaign seeks to bridge the gap between men in distress and the services that can help them.