#dontfuckwithourdreams

[lazerhead1-blog]

Public Health Campaigns and Communities

The more I post on this blog, the more I feel I need to address the memes that accompany each post. Haha. Well today may seem like a cop out meme, but, I do plan to talk about music and musicians in this post which I feel justifies it.

Roughly, more than 80% of internet users seek health information. We’ve all been there. The more gross or embarrassing, the more we rely on ‘Dr. Google’ rather than you’re local GP. Now, I’m not saying this is a bad thing. The internet has changed how we as a species, take care of ourselves and our health. This being said a level of caution must be considered when placing your well-being in the hands of internet. So, with this in mind, let’s have a look at health campaigns that utilise the internet and networked publics. I’m sure we all remember the ‘SLIP SLOP SLAP’ sun protection campaign (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGgn5nwYtj0) that utilised TV and traditional forms of advertisement. While this type of campaign is great at reaching a wide audience with a specific message, engagement with the message is hard to gauge. Health campaigns these days can be far more interactive and participative, making them arguably more effective. Take for example, R U OK? ’R U Ok? Day’, a suicide prevention initiative (https://www.ruok.org.au/). The idea behind the day is raising awareness about mental health and on this particular day, your meant to ask your friends, family etc. ‘are you ok?’ in an effort to destigmatise asking for help in regards to mental health. The driving force of the campaign is social media. You only have to type #ruok into twitter or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/ruok/) to see the thousands of posts from both prominent public figures and the general public supporting the cause. This is the beauty of this type of campaign. If you see your friend or a person of notoriety that you like post about something, it’s fair to say you’d pay more attention and have more respect for the message rather than a generic ad on TV. This is the beauty of these types of health campaigns; peers encouraging peers. However, this does allow for superficial engagement. What I mean by this is, people may post about a health issue and feel as though they have contributed to the cause rather than contributing to the cause IRL.

This next bit may be a tad self-indulgent as I do enjoy writing about my favourite musicians but, hey, this blog is loosely a music related blog. Whilst fans of the Smith Street Band may be aware of the controversy surrounding the band of recent months, I’m purposely ignoring this for the time being as Wil Wagner’s (front man and singer/guitarist) openness towards his mental health issues is something that has helped me and many others over the years. Wil is a perfect example of how using social media to engage with an online community for the purposes of demystifying and raising awareness of a particular public health issue can be so effective. Due to the popularity of the band, wil is able to reach an audience that may not be affected by mental health, or relate to someone who is being affected by it and normalise and advise the issue. Take a look at the bands Instagram and see that the feed is littered with pro mental health content. https://www.instagram.com/p/BaAxp2GgfIY/

[gaslightphotography]

I'm forever blowing bubbles :: The Smith Street Band :: Splendour In The Grass :: @loudonline #smithstreetband #wilwagner #thesmithstreetband #dontfuckwithourdreams #ducksflytogether #splendour17 #splendourinthegrass #sitg #byronbay #canon7d #catfishandthebottlemen #twodoorcinemaclub #royalblood #loud #loudmag #loudonline #lucabrasi #gigphotography #gigphotographer #bandphotography #concertphotography #musicphotography #livemusicphotography #lightscamerarevolution #gaslightphotography

[rockkstrongo]

Meet me in between where I am and where I wanna be. #punkvinyl #vinyl #vinylporn #vinylgram #vinyladdict #vinylcommunity #vinylcollector #vinylcollection #recordoftheday #recordcollector #recordcollection #smithstreetband #dontfuckwithourdreams

[thesmithstreetband]

SYDNEY FRIENDS - if, like us, you believe in supporting a vibrant live Australian music community where punters (and venues) are free to responsibly party whenever they choose, then get down to Belmore Park for the #KeepSydneyOpen rally today. Lock out laws do not help Australia's alcohol-related violence issues. Let's punish the violent individual, not the wider community! Posters by our friend @raymondtlalotoa #dontfuckwithourdreams

[aaarghjess]

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A post shared by Jessica Anderson (@_broad_abroad_)

#dontfuckwithourdreams #smithstreetband (at Hi Fi Bar)

[getup-coward]

1, 24, 29, 70 :)

1-How are you?

Honestly kinda terrible right now

24-Do you have any pets?

I do! I have two ridiculous dogs lookit:

Theyre called Pip (The white  one, Jack Russel) And Nova (The ball of fluff, Pomeranian)

Pip:

Nova:

29-What would you say is your best quality?

I dont know. Theres probably something.

70-What is your favorite thing to do?

Possibly play guitar terribley, or maybe read. Or exist near helen

[gaslightphotography]

Triple stacker :: The Smith Street Band :: Splendour In The Grass :: @loudonline #smithstreetband #wilwagner #thesmithstreetband #dontfuckwithourdreams #ducksflytogether #splendour17 #splendourinthegrass #sitg #byronbay #canon7d #catfishandthebottlemen #twodoorcinemaclub #royalblood #loud #loudmag #loudonline #lucabrasi #gigphotography #gigphotographer #bandphotography #concertphotography #musicphotography #livemusicphotography #lightscamerarevolution #gaslightphotography

[wordsupsidehead]

SHORT CUTS 13 - THE SMITH STREET BAND - DON'T FUCK WITH OUR DREAMS - This is a explosively fun EP dropped by a four piece folk-punk band from Melbourne with their hearts on the sleeves and fireworks in their pockets. Really fun and creative album indeed! #checkthatshitout #shortcuts #sebsreviews #SmithStreetBand #DontFuckWithOurDreams #vinyl (at Punk HQ)

[jaumesalat]

The Smith Street Band – Don't Fuck With Our Dreams

[gaslightphotography]

Shoey :: The Smith Street Band :: Splendour In The Grass :: @loudonline #smithstreetband #wilwagner #thesmithstreetband #dontfuckwithourdreams #ducksflytogether #splendour17 #splendourinthegrass #sitg #byronbay #canon7d #catfishandthebottlemen #twodoorcinemaclub #royalblood #loud #loudmag #loudonline #lucabrasi #gigphotography #gigphotographer #bandphotography #concertphotography #musicphotography #livemusicphotography #lightscamerarevolution #gaslightphotography

[gaslightphotography]

Wil Wagner :: The Smith Street Band :: Splendour In The Grass :: @loudonline #smithstreetband #wilwagner #thesmithstreetband #dontfuckwithourdreams #ducksflytogether #splendour17 #splendourinthegrass #sitg #byronbay #canon7d #catfishandthebottlemen #twodoorcinemaclub #royalblood #loud #loudmag #loudonline #lucabrasi #gigphotography #gigphotographer #bandphotography #concertphotography #musicphotography #livemusicphotography #lightscamerarevolution #gaslightphotography