Trolls, Media & 'Odd One Out' (The Jesy Nelson Documentary)

‘When I started on Strictly ‘the pasty kid from Grimsby’ everyone was behind me. As I gained more success and a higher profile on the show the trolls came out’

In this insightful episode, Kevin explores why people and the media are unkind to those who achieve any success.

Why are people so unkind to others online and what makes them do it? The questions and answers are all explored in this candid podcast.

Kevin shares with searing honesty his own experiences and explores the reasons why we can all be insecure and how we can all chose to communicate with kindness.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The underdog achieving success

When people are being unkind, being trolls on social media or just having a go it’s not just the person you are talking about who is affected by it. The people around the person their family and friends are also affected.

In this country, we have a very difficult relationship with success

We like to champion the underdog, we want to be on their side, we want to help them and be part of their journey.

As soon as someone is successful people take up against them. Comments focus on them having forgotten where they’ve come from and getting ‘too big for their boots’

There is a link between being successful and others need to knock them down. People feel insecure when they see other people doing well. It stirs our own insecurities because we want success for ourselves.

When you are feeling insecure you can either see the successful individual as an idol, a role model, someone to aspire to or someone to knock down to your level so you don’t feel as bad about yourself.

• Significance

People often make decisions based on achieving significance

It's not a bad thing to want to be significant but sometimes it’s a dangerous thing because it is this that can lead to the insecurity and jealousy of ego, which can lead people into trolling

People can feel significant when they have a negative opinion, one that makes them stand out.

• The media

Competition is fierce and it’s about grabbing attention through ‘clickbait’

The newspapers don’t really care what side you’re on they just want you to be angry, indignant or interested enough to click through and follow their story.

The media drives involvement through negative emotions and the ensuing comments are rooted in anger and lead to trolling.

If you are someone who’s decided to say something unkind to someone stop and think about how necessary it is for you to say it.

• Who’s talking

Consider who’s writing – is it a faceless entity or someone you respect?

When a random person writes something about you they are reflecting themselves and their insecurities onto you.

Social media platforms provide no context, you can’t gain any context about the person who is writing about you.

We are all human and we don’t like people saying nasty things about us, but these people are reflecting their own insecurities and you can respond with kindness you never know what they may be going through.

BEST MOMENTS

‘Jesy talking about it creates the opportunity for discussion and hopefully a rethink about how we conduct ourselves online and she should be seen as a real hero for what she’s done’

‘When she got better there was a mix of those who were pleased she had improved so much and those who started to turn on her as she achieved success’

‘There have been times in my life when I’ve been the person searching for significance because of my own insecurities’

‘People who know me, know my exuberance is not attention-seeking but a way of dealing with my extreme nerves’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Kevin Clifton Show podcast

Odd One Out Jesy Nelson documentary

ABOUT THE HOST

Kevin Clifton is a professional dancer who has been performing & competing at the highest level for over a decade. Kevin has worked on shows like 'Burn the floor' & 'Rock of Ages' to 'Strictly Come Dancing' one of the biggest TV shows in the UK which Kevin won in 2018.

CONTACT METHOD

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