As social media has become a huge part of our everyday lives and the majority of us have accounts on sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr. Each of these sites has gained millions of users worldwide.

By User:ZyMOS [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The uses of social media vary greatly, businesses have accounts to connect with their consumers and potential consumers, individuals may use the sites to update friends and family about their day to day lives, others might share news articles and other content they find interesting. Many of these people are involved in communities outside of social media however, social media platforms allows these communities to connect online as well as offline. They are an expression of people's identity, Tumblr especially.

There are many microbloggers on Tumblr who identify themselves as having mental health disorders and are more often than not on a varied scale of severity, they are an online community nonetheless.

Tumblr has become a place for those who are suffering with mental illness to reach out to one another, share content relatable to their lives and seek ways to improve their feelings and take steps for proactive change. It provides a support in addition to what the NHS can currently offer and eradicates some of the lonely feelings that many suffers of mental health feel.

Microblogging on Tumblr is also an excellent way for communities to get involved in current topics featured within mainstream news. Individuals involved in the community can develop the topic, discuss and progress the conversation adding insight and opinion. Platforms such as Twitter allow users to reply to the original user posting the content and consequently spark discussions as well as reaching out further into a community of people interested in adding to the conversation. I have previously discussed the benefits that Twitter can have. I personally found it very cathartic to share my story and battle with depression and anxiety through microblogging.

Have you shared your own personal experience via microblogging? How did you find it? Do you think that using social media platforms benefits discussing mental health issues in our society?