On X, a viral tweet from the ‘Sesame Street’ character Elmo has started a discussion about users’ mental health. (AFP pic)
PARIS: Who would have thought that Elmo would provoke so many reactions on X with a seemingly innocuous question?
Yet by simply asking “How is everybody doing ?” the beloved “Sesame Street” character appears to have struck a chord with internet users.
The puppet’s post on the X social network (formerly Twitter) has garnered over two million views, 19,000 comments and 157,000 saves.
In response to this viral post, users have been sharing their state of mind, sometimes in a funny way, but most often reflecting a collective malaise.
“Wife left me. Daughters don’t respect me. My job is a joke. Any more questions, Elmo??? Jesus man,” posted one user.
Others responded with an Elmo GIF, which one user captioned, “The world is burning around us, Elmo.”
In short, users found a way of sharing their feelings of anxiety and fear with a touch of humour.
Some brands even jumped on this viral meme, such as Domino’s UK, which replied “Totally fine” accompanied by a picture of kitchen chaos.
In addition to entertaining X users and allowing them to share their current state of mind, the viral nature of Elmo’s post allowed 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – a helpline offering telephone assistance to people in difficulty – to remind internet users of its existence: “Hey @elmo, we’re here for anyone struggling with difficult emotions. No matter what someone may be going through, the #988Lifeline is here to help. Call or text 988 to connect with a trained, caring crisis counsellor who is ready to support you 24/7.”
This message was echoed by the official account of Elmo’s “Sesame Street” show: “Thank you, @Elmo, for checking in with a reminder for us to pause and take a mindful moment to focus on how we’re feeling.”
Far from being a simple meme, Elmo’s post appears to be symptomatic of a widespread malaise among internet users.
This observation is underlined by the psychiatrist, Chris Palmer, who posted on X: “Thanks for checking in, Elmo. We have a mental health crisis, and the same old solutions are not going to solve the problem. I hope you might learn about the science that connects our metabolic and mental health. It’s not a coincidence that as the rates of obesity and diabetes are rising, so, too, are the rates of mental illness.”
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