Is anyone else struggling after going down Epstein files rabbit hole

[Strugglingafterseeing]

I feel so upset and disturbed. I didn't want to see and read the things I have but I just couldn't look away from the horror. I think part of me was hoping to come across something that says it's all fake news. It's all exaggerated and made up. But it isn't is it? It's probably not even the half of it.

Perhaps very naively, I thought the files "just" involved girls of 14/15 being trafficked among all the other corruption. I had no idea how much more there was. The horrors that have come to pass and no doubt are still are still happening while these monsters remain shielded by their money and power.

Is anyone else really struggling with what they've seen and learnt over the last few days? And any advice to try and move forwards now, because ultimately I can't change this and my mental health was already fragile (thanks menopause). I need to keep on going for my own DC. I'm angry and so, so sad that humans are capable of this.

My Instagram is meant to be funny reels about dogs and menopause but now I'm being fed more and more about Epstein. I know it's the algorithm effect because I've watched similar content but now I need it to stop. I've logged out for the time being. Might not go back. I don't think our brains are meant to able to deal with all this.

Those poor babies. How on earth can this be real

Don't know what to say really in response to that incredibly judgemental and patronising post.

By move forward, I mean how do we shift this information and images from the forefront of our minds. I have had this rather strange nauseous feeling on and off all day whenever I think about it. Maybe I'm just too sensitive.

I've just been on Instagram and gone into my settings. Under preferences there's something where you can completely reset your feed, I think that could help so we see less of this awful stuff. Does anyone know?

I just want to ask how we move forwards.

Avoid things that will upset you. That's how.

There are huge numbers of other people looking into this matter and trying to get justice for the victims. You don't need to know all about it. You can let it go.

The world is full of people who did bad things (and good things). You have choices about what information you seek out; don't seek out info that will pointlessly upset you.

@Strugglingafterseeing i've never done age verification

That's probably why none of this stuff gets shown to me

Also, isn't there a setting where you can ask for sensitive content to be blurred out? Or get a content warning.

I'm surprised that the algorithm is pushing this at people who haven't searched for it - I don't use Instagram much and it's only for art and cats!

thanks to people who answered my questions.

You knew what had been on the mainstream news and how awful that was. Therefore it must have been obvious to you that going down the online rabbit hole would reveal things that cannot be shown on bbc1 news at 6pm. If you are particularly 'sensitve' why would you do that. You viewing it doesn't change the outcome of any of it, nor does it improve the situation of the people IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED TO. You indulged yourself in Epstein porn and depravity ' because you fancied a little peek and now you can't unsee it. Tip for the future.....don't look at it.

@EmeraldRoulette most of the photos and emails are heavily redacted so I suppose content filters might not work. I really don't know much about about how it all works. Unfortunately, it's not hard to join the dots even with all the blacked out data. A few reels showing snippets of the EFs is all it takes.

I can only assume someone I've watched reels from before must have decided to do a reel about EF, and then a few reels later you get shown another one and it just seems to gather pace at an alarming speed.

@Strugglingafterseeing oh I see

I hardly ever look at Instagram to be honest. I find it annoying.

stay logged out. Look after yourself 💐

Uninstall the app. Press the off button. Pick up a book.

I will never understand the mentality of those on MN who actually take the time to write a post to put someone down who has already stated they are struggling.

I don't actually go on Instagram very often but I'm being made out to be some sort of social media addict just because I have unfortunately seen disturbing content I hadn't wanted to or planned on seeing.

It isn't virtue signalling or indulgent for people to be deeply disturbed by the scale and depth of the depravity that has been revealed to us in recent days, especially if they have seen stuff that they can't unsee.

I don't personally think it's particularly wise for anyone with a sensitive disposition to expose themselves directly to the material in the Epstein files, but I certainly wouldn't blame anyone who has waded in and then found that they can't easily switch off from it. The Op's question is perfectly reasonable.

Just uninstall insta n stay away from news outlets i guess 🤷 I personally think its important all this comes out. This is how they have got away with it for so long. I'd read years ago about the use of the term pizza and pizza parties to describe the abuse of children by celebs and world leaders etc but there was never any proof. Now there is.

I don't read anything other than the Times and the BBC. I don't watch the news either, I do listen to R4 and Times Radio.

News reporting has changed so much in the last 15 years, often the reporting contains really graphic filming and I find it stays with me so I stopped watching.

I've never been on instagram/x etc., because I know it wouldn't work for me.

You just need to access the news in a way you know you can manage OP. No judgement here at all.

Came to say this. All social media is unreliable now, unless you are only looking at trusted sources who still follow the rules of journalism. The platforms are just full of AI now and the truth has retreated.

What has got to me is that they managed to redact the names of the powerful men but let the victims be re traumatised by having their identities put out there. Kind of perpetuates the abuse.

Mental health wise, you need to stay away from those places where AI slop will be served up to you because it’s toxic, intended to be so, and once you’ve seen it it’s too late.

I think I'll bail out of this thread now, as time to move on from the subject. Thanks again to those who have been understanding and empathetic.

I had no idea how much worse the EFs really were as thus far had only read and heard what has been reported by BBC. And tbh I don't read many of the articles in depth as quite frankly I didn't want to give these entitled scumbags my headspace. Instagram for me was for a bit of light hearted relief from time to time. I now know that anything can be thrown at you unexpectedly. Lesson learned.

I'm sure tomorrow will feel lighter.

I'm not looking at any of it . Ive heard there's horrific stuff in those files and I know it will upset me

Yes I stopped watching the news years ago. The ire packaged heightened visual impact is created to provoke and keep you hooked.

Better to really control types of information consumed.

The actual 'crimes' are about men not asking young women just how old they are and (deliberately?) not requiring proof when they say 18.

Many men are angry and disappointed that there is no really awful stuff in there and especially no video clips.. So they go on social media where people are gleefully inventing more to get clicks on their pages.

Someone posts that 'they' rape babies so to top that someone says "oh they eat them afterwards" Then another poster will say they drain them of adrenochrome first.

Now people are roaming the streets looking for pizza places with dungeons under them just like last time this madness struck

It's not real. It's wishful thinking by men posting on social media from their basements while their wives or mothers cook dinner.

I think most people assume you have been scrolling endlessly on SM because that's what they do. Because it's extremely addictive...

Social media sites want you to spend as much time as possible on them. Ideally you would never click away. So every single thing the algorithms and the design and the graphics are designed to do is keep you engaged.
In particular the algorithms are designed to feed you shocking, upsetting or angering content because that what gets engagement. The more people respond to a post/tweet with strong negative reactions the more people will see it. The more that you respond to or just look at certain posts the more it will feed you.
As a result, you will get more and more upsetting material the longer you look and the longer you look the more you will want to look. The real details of the Epstein files are awful. There are 3 million pages that have been released and journalists are still going through them. But The Twitter algorithms don't care about what's real and what isn't. Likewise posters on Twitter care more about engagement than what's real. So there are very high chances you will see deeply distressing content that isn't actually real or if real not connected to Epstein. So you are traumatising yourself for nothing.

I can get people saying "Twitter is the only place you can find out the truth the MSM aren't reporting". I'm not convinced that's really true. But if you do use Twitter/Social media for informing yourself on distressing content give yourself a 10 minute time limit and then turn it of.

I know that sounds patronising. But I had to work with distressing content as part of my job in the past and it really gets to you. And we had rules about how long you spend on it, were encouraged to take breaks, had colleagues to de-stress with. I don't think it's healthy for anyone to be diving into the most distressing details on their phone.

Plus, there's a real chance the Whitehouse went for the 3 million documents dump approach because it makes it harder to parse through, and will lead to a chaos of people forming their own conspiracy theories/posting made up AI versions of what might have happened etc. And that makes it harder for the truth to come out. Or just do exhausting people lose focus.

I've seen the women being described as "barely legal" (Meghan Kelly) or people making the point that most of the women involved were probably "above the age of consent."
That's because the age of consent in the US Virgin Isles (where little St James is located) is 14. So it's technically true. But saying many of the "women" were just over or just under the age of consent is misleading because you assume that means they were 18 but it really doesn't. If it were true that some men on the island were caught out because they "didn't think to check their ID and the girl was a year younger than the age of consent" that means they thought the girl was 14 and she was 13. Not they thought she was 18 and she was 17. Even if the women were above the age of consent, sex trafficking is still illegal and very horrible.

The crimes are real and horrible. The contents of the emails are deeply disturbing. But it's 3 million pages of text that needs to be shifted through mostly..not shocking videos/photos (there are some photos) and that's not as social media friendly.

I'm so sorry, LentilBurt.
This happened to a friend of mine - she only told me after I'd known her a long time, we were then in our 50s. She'd never told anyone before.
I'm sorry you're struggling now because of the media coverage of Epstein. I hope you find some peace. 💐

I know it's hypocritical of me when I posted about it in response to someone else myself. But I also find when the news gets too much/too depressing it helps to just watch News round. It's factual but non sensationalist and calm. Because it's aimed at children. I don't do it all the time and I'm prone to get swept up in the news myself. But if you need to take a break while remaining informed. It's a good bet.

OP if you are regretting looking on Instagram just why are you posting on MN ?
I personally avoid Instagram ,Twitter and news websites because I don’t want to unsee ,unhear anything that is upsetting !

I am struggling as someone who was de facto trafficked and tortured in my teens. These things were known about for years and years. It's like you have to beg people to give a shit.

This. It's very easy not to be exposed to this sort of stuff. You can't do anything about it so just get on with living your own life and keep away from SM if this is what it is doing to you.