By: UEA Alumni team
Jim Chapman graduated from UEA in 2009 with a BSc in Psychosocial Sciences. Today, he is a hugely influential social media star, model, writer and broadcaster, with over 95 million unique YouTube views.
Jim recently talked to us about being among the first YouTube stars, the importance of discussing mental health, and the dangers of social media.
How did you get into YouTubing?
I started doing YouTube stuff while I was doing a Master’s part time. The numbers on my channel started to increase and, at the same time, I was not particularly happy in my full-time job. I was working in insurance doing data entry to pay for my degree and was travelling to London 2-3 times a week to study.
My creative outlet was social media, and it really took off as I was finishing my first year of my Master’s. So, I had to decide: do I continue for the second year, pay the remaining fee - which was a significant amount for me at the time - or do I pursue this new thing I was doing? At the time, I hadn't even met anyone else who was doing it or making any money from it, but I decided to quit the job and my Master’s. My mum thought I was bonkers, but I really thought there was something there, and I suppose the rest is history.
For me, it was my creative outlet. To begin with, I only got a few comments, but it was so new and exciting, and it felt like the beginnings of a community. When I look back now it’s awkward because some of the stuff I made was shocking, and also I was terrible at getting myself across. But I learned it and I've honed my trade. In the early days I was shy, I talked into my laptop, and now I'm interviewing important, successful, famous people and talking to an audience for a living.
I was having a lot of fun to start off with but didn’t know where it would go. And then I met a few others who were in a similar space to me, and they became my community. They were a real support and soon after it started to snowball.
Before too long, I couldn't get on public transport because I'd get swamped by people. I remember one time breaking the High Street in Glasgow because I tweeted, "Hey, I'm in Glasgow. What's good?" because I've never been before, and suddenly thousands of people turned up, and a security guard had to take me through the back of a shopping mall just to stay safe.
How did you get into the insurance job after graduating?
Well over the years I’ve worked everywhere in Norwich. I’ve worked in Marsh, Levi’s, House of Fraser, French Connection and then, after UEA, I worked selling insurance – cold calling.
Insurance was the first job that came along and before long I felt stuck there. Lots of people there were thriving – they were maybe a bit older and were able to switch offer outside of the 9-5. But, for me, I felt stifled and like I wanted to break out. It was a real low point, and my mum was really concerned for me.
I think the year after graduating is a really tough time for many graduates. You go really quickly from being a teenager and craving independence, to learning things you’re passionate about and making friends for life, to suddenly being thrown into the world and being expected to have it all planned out. In reality, I think it’s not as simple as that for most people.
And how have you approached mental health issues?
My mental health has been an ongoing challenge, and I've improved significantly due to years of therapy and developing a sense of self. Checking in on oneself takes time and effort, and it's not a quick fix. As a student, you're in a fragile state, experiencing newfound independence without clear direction, relying on peers who are in a similar situation. It's an exciting time, but it can also be challenging.
I think there needs to be more focus on mental health at different key stages in life. For me, one of those is children. I have little people, and I've noticed, and research supports it, that very young children are increasingly anxious when they shouldn't be. Something is fundamentally wrong, and we need to address it. We need to look at key times like exam periods for students, but also for students entering early adulthood and facing the mountain of pressure to succeed.
Social media currently promotes a grind culture where you must always work constantly and have a side hustle. It's important to remember that you need to rest and take care of yourself as a human being. The world we live in has become overly complicated and it isn't good for our mental health.
How can university students approach talking about their mental health?
The university experience is exciting but also terrifying. I tended to withdraw and become introspective during tough times. However, I observed others who seemed to combust due to the pressure and challenges. It's crucial to have places where students can go for support. Mental health should be openly discussed, and there's a growing trend of younger generations being more open about it. It's crucial to start having discussions about mental health earlier and normalise seeking help. The earlier it becomes a regular part of life, the better. The scheduling of therapy or support should be as common as planning other activities. It should be a routine part of life, not something seen as particularly brave or unusual. Everyone, regardless of their mental health status, should have someone to talk to for honest support.
It should be straightforward for students to say, "You know what? I'm not gonna come to the meeting”, or “I'll come meet you after because I've got therapy sessions." We all talk about mental health so much, but sometimes I fear that we talk about it because it's trendy, and it feels a bit like mental health greenwashing.
Video highlights of Jim's Interview with us
And you’re from Norwich, is that right?
My mum lived on Bluebell Road throughout my studies, and I was able to save a fortune while studying by living at home. I did couch surf a lot of the time, though, and I felt like I got the full student experience. London is my home now, but lots of my family are still in Norfolk.
I applied to a few other universities, but UEA was my top choice. It was one of the top places in the country to study psychology, and I had the grades. It just made sense, and financially, it was almost essential.
And how did you become interested in psychology?
I was always good at drawing, and I had imagined for a long while that I was going to study art. But, after a while, I struggled to see a future career in it whereas psychology seemed like a proper science. I had taken it at A-Level and was really good at it. I think I'm naturally an empathetic person, and gaining more knowledge about the brain and how people behave was enthralling to me.
What are some of your favourite campus memories?
One of the best venues to see bands in is the LCR. It's so small and intimate. I remember seeing Bloc Party here on my own. Just got a ticket, and just rocked up. I used to do that all time even if I didn’t know the band that well – just because the venue is so great.
And how do you balance your profession – sharing your life – with having a happy family experience?
If you watch one of my reels, you'll see 15, 30 seconds, a minute of my day. Occasionally I do a full video and that might be 15-30 minutes. But there’s a huge portion of my day that you don’t see. Also, now that I am a dad and I'm a bit older, there's a lot of my job that I can't show people because it's me sat on my desk writing stuff, which is boring content. It's great for me, I love doing it, but if I'm writing a book or screenplay or something, my audience can't just sit and watch me type.
I’ve been doing this for 15 years. My audience know me well, but I don’t know them. I'll happily have a conversation with my audience on the street, but they'll talk to me like I'm their friend, and it's lovely, but it is also one-sided because I don’t know them.
How do you see the future of social media?
I do have concerns for everybody involved. Consumers are encouraged to spend more and more time scrolling. It’s not a coincidence that all apps look the same. Every every time you scroll, you get a little tiny micro dose of the good stuff, and you feel a bit happier. Even if you do a boring task like filling the dishwasher, ultimately, you get a much more positive brain. You throw in a walk or a cuddle or do something productive, and you are a much happier person than if you're just scrolling all the time. But people are hooked because it's so simple.
I can't stop my children from having a phone because they won't be able to communicate with their friends, but there need to be parameters. I think the platforms need to change, and they won’t do so until there is legislation.
I also have concerns for the creators. Now, I've been doing this a long time. I've got a good head on my shoulders, lots of therapy, and I don’t believe my own hype. I'm not that important. If I were to get hit by a bus on the way out of here, my family would be devastated, but my audience would go and find the next person. These days, if you are straight out of school and you've got a load of followers, you start believing you're the centre of the universe. And then, before you know it, the audience dries up and moves on to someone else. How damaging is it to a young mind to think that they're really important, only to have the rug pulled out from under them?