The Blank Post project is not a regular case. Courageously, I decided to open up about my own struggle with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and share my crisis with the world, in real time. This true story has been transformed into a social tool based on a genuine experiment, and I’d exposed my own personal life, insecurities and fears, to help others with the same conditions and in similar situations.
Challenge
Globally, 275 million people suffer from anxiety disorders – 40 million only in the US – and anxiety crises have increased more than 30% during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Blank Post project sought to raise awareness of anxiety and anxiety disorders while helping those who suffer from anxiety every single day.
Strategy
Daniel Portuga, who suffers from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), created a social media experiment during one of his crises. He used a real anxiety experience and a cache of data to build a creative and well-informed project.
Daniel Portuga: “I was so overwhelmed I couldn’t ask for help, but at the same time I wanted to show my friends and family that something was off, so I posted 227 white posts, with no text, only the word ‘OUT’ in the last one. The Blank Post was supposed to be a cry for help; it became not only a social experiment, but also a tool for people with anxiety to capture attention during a crisis and get some kind of support.”
Idea
An anxiety crisis can be triggered in a matter of seconds and send the victim reeling into an internal catastrophe. That is why the support needs to come just as fast. The idea behind The Blank Post is simple: make just one white post on any social media to call for help. This is a tool for silently expressing your emotional state and being heard on social media.
Goals
1. Raise awareness and engagement of anxiety disorders using a real experience;
2. Utilize a social media tool to help and support those suffering from anxiety;
3. Alert and educate friends and family who suffer from or are affected by mental health issues.
Results
The Blank Post project is still underway, but it has already received more than 100 thousand website views from six different countries – including US, UK, Brazil and Singapore – in a short amount of time. As a result, nine companies are joining the effort and supporting the Blank Post project to help and heal people suffering from anxiety. Also, with data, we have proved people on social media have the same behaviors towards anxiety carriers as they have in real life: indifference, exclusion, contempt and misinformation about how to support people with mental health issues. Most notably, it started an honest, comfortable, and accessible conversation about a very taboo issue: anxiety.
