IFLScience Creator Uses Twitter to Discuss Professional and Personal Revelations
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It started out in life as meagre Facebook page, run by Elise Andrew, a former biology student who used it to post various weird and wonderful science facts. It proved so popular that it quickly blossomed into a full blog and the rest, as they don't say, is chemistry. Specifically, explosive polymerization (something I learned about on the site itself). It blew up, practically overnight.
Presumably partially due to all the criticism Andrew has fielded since then for article inaccuracy, copyright infringement, unfounded claims and clickbaiting, she has become a very private person, almost never appearing in interviews and remaining fairly reserved on her own, public social media pages.
The only advice I have to those struggling with mental health issues is the same advice I give myself every single day. It does get better.
— Elise Andrew (@Elise_Andrew) October 10, 2015
That all changed on Saturday. Spurred on by World Mental Health Day and an apparently abusive Facebook comment, Andrew took to Twitter to detail her own struggle with mental illness, as well as revealing that she was once offered a very large sum of money for IFLS. She explained that throughout her life she has been repeatedly diagnosed and rediagnosed with various mental illnesses, ranging from depression to borderline personality disorder. Seemingly, the most accurate diagnosis was trichotillomania, a disorder which makes people compulsively pull their hair out.
It's easy to be criticized for my work, that's never bothered me. Agree or disagree, and always strive to do better
— Elise Andrew (@Elise_Andrew) October 10, 2015
The bulk of the tweets broached this topic, and the ways in which doing a job as social media dependant as hers creates a real risk of mental health issues intensifying, given the constant personal attacks she has to deal with. She was also speaking in support of other mental illness sufferers in a bid to help them understand that they aren't alone. This is what brought her around to the money. In a brief aside, she stated that she was offered $30 million for the site, and although she turned it down, the most enticing part of the offer was the idea of being free to relinquish dependency on social media for good.
The worst part. The absolute worst part of what I do, of where I am is that absolutely anyone can make up anything they want (1/2)
— Elise Andrew (@Elise_Andrew) October 10, 2015
and people will believe it. If I respond, I'm defensive. If I don't, I'm guilty.
— Elise Andrew (@Elise_Andrew) October 10, 2015
Sadly, that's the part of the story that gained the most pronounced media attention, prompting Andrew to start posting once again on Monday, explaining in more detail that she turned the offer down because she simply did not want to give up running the site, and the opportunities to 'travel the world' and 'meet awesome people'. She bookended this second string of tweets with a very significant point - retiring with millions in the bank at age 26, already contending with mental health issues is a very, very dangerous thing to do.
Mostly, the time just wasn't right for me. I love what I do. I believe in it, I have lots of plans for non-profits, scholarships.
— Elise Andrew (@Elise_Andrew) October 12, 2015
Being 26, "retired" with enormous amounts of money and severe mental health issues is a good way to end up dead before 30. Work is good.
— Elise Andrew (@Elise_Andrew) October 12, 2015
What ever you might think about Andrew, and her site, it's a real shame that the money became the main focal point of this story, when she was clearly making a very personal and very heartfelt effort to raise awareness about mental health. Talking about issues so close to home on a forum that leaves you wide open to personal abuse is far from easy, and personally I commend her for having the balls to do it. Hopefully her message made it through to the people who needed to hear it, and I have no doubt that she will continue to dedicate time and energy to raising awareness about mental health and aiding the community.
Callum is a film school graduate who is now making a name for himself as a journalist and content writer. His vices include flat whites and 90s hip-hop. Follow him @CallumAtSMF
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IFLScience Creator Uses Twitter to Discuss Professional and Personal Revelations
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Wednesday, October 14, 2015
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Reviewed by Unknown
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Wednesday, October 14, 2015
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