30. Apple Cider Vinegar: Panel discussion about the Australian TV drama
'Apple Cider Vinegar' is an Australian TV series that was released in 2025. It presents a dramatised version of the real world story of Belle Gibson, an Australian social media wellness influencer.
In the series, Belle posts publicly about her experience of brain cancer and promotes alternative approaches to treatment to her millions of Instagram followers. And through a recipe app that was promoted by Apple called 'The Whole Pantry'. The primary conflict of the series being that Belle never had brain cancer.
This episode of Psych Attack is a panel discussion between myself (Dr Jaz MacDonald), Dr Erica McIntyre, Dr Suzie Gibson, and Associate Professor Donna Bridges. Each of us brings a unique lens to our viewing of the series, informed by our own life experiences and professional expertise.
The panel
Dr Jaz MacDonald: my area of expertise is trauma exposure and reactions, as well as mental health. I have a PhD in psychology and am a trained social worker with experience in mental health assessment. I mostly spend my time doing this podcast and working at an Australian research agency, creating practice resources for practitioners supporting children and families.
Dr Erica McIntyre is a psychology and public health researcher and educator, now working as an ADHD Coach and Career and Leadership Coach. Erica has a PhD in psychology and has also practiced as a herbalist. Her research focuses on health and wellbeing, specifically health care decision making.
Dr Suzie Gibson (PhD in literature and philosophy) is a Senior Lecturer in English Literature at Charles Sturt University. Trained in close textual analysis, Suzie surveys texts across fields and disciplines — literature, film, television and philosophy. She is interested in the ideological underpinnings of texts as well as with their aesthetic import and how it impacts upon their social and cultural meaning.
Associate Professor Donna Bridges is a sociologist and a gender theorist at Charles Sturt University. Donna's research focuses primarily on gender inequality and work – specifically women integrating into male dominated fields and the barriers they encounter. This led her to an interest in sexual harassment and violence.
Donna is also a creator and host for the podcast 'Conversations for a Brave New World' produced by the Gender Network at CSU. Each month, the podcast shares knowledge, scholarship and research about gender from the diverse perspectives of experts and scholars. The episode I have linked to is one where Donna interviews me (Jaz) about my team's coercive control research and practice resources.
Sensitive content warning
This episode refers to cancer, mental illness, and intimate partner violence. Please take care while listening and if you are feeling discomfort and would benefit from some support, please reach out to your GP or contact a service like Lifeline.
Content mentioned in this episode
Apple Cider Vinegar, Netflix
The Search for Instagram's Worst Con-Artist, Netflix
Dederer, C. (2023). Monsters: What do we do with great art by bad people? Sceptre.
Schur, M. (2022). This sandwich is morally problematic. But it's also delicious. Can I still eat it? In How to be perfect: The correct answer to every moral question (pp. 185-208). Quercus.
Research articles on parasocial relationships
Baek, Y. M., Bae, Y., & Jang, H. (2013). Social and parasocial relationships on social network sites and their differential relationships with users’ psychological well-being. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16(7), 512-517.
Balaban, D. C., Szambolics, J., & Chirică, M. (2022). Parasocial relations and social media influencers' persuasive power. Exploring the moderating role of product involvement. Acta Psychologica, 230. DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103731.
Bennett, L. L. (2024). Understanding parasocial relationships and the mental health impact. [Master's thesis, Louisiana Tech University].
Hoffner, C. A., & Bond, B. J. (2022). Parasocial relationships, social media, & well-being. Current Opinions in Psychology, 45. DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101306.
Liebers, N., & Schramm, H. (2019). Parasocial interactions and relationships with media characters–An inventory of 60 years of research. Communication Research Trends, 38(2).
Madison, C., & Adam, A. (2023). Perceived marginalization, social support, and mental health: The role of parasocial relationships. Modern Psychological Studies, 28(2).
Su, B.-C., Wu, L.-W., Chang, Y.-Y.-C., & Hong, R.-H. (2021). Influencers on social media as references: Understanding the importance of parasocial relationships. Sustainability, 13. DOI: 10.3390/su131910919
Cite this episode
In the series, Belle posts publicly about her experience of brain cancer and promotes alternative approaches to treatment to her millions of Instagram followers. And through a recipe app that was promoted by Apple called 'The Whole Pantry'. The primary conflict of the series being that Belle never had brain cancer.
This episode of Psych Attack is a panel discussion between myself (Dr Jaz MacDonald), Dr Erica McIntyre, Dr Suzie Gibson, and Associate Professor Donna Bridges. Each of us brings a unique lens to our viewing of the series, informed by our own life experiences and professional expertise.
The panel
Dr Jaz MacDonald: my area of expertise is trauma exposure and reactions, as well as mental health. I have a PhD in psychology and am a trained social worker with experience in mental health assessment. I mostly spend my time doing this podcast and working at an Australian research agency, creating practice resources for practitioners supporting children and families.
Dr Erica McIntyre is a psychology and public health researcher and educator, now working as an ADHD Coach and Career and Leadership Coach. Erica has a PhD in psychology and has also practiced as a herbalist. Her research focuses on health and wellbeing, specifically health care decision making.
Dr Suzie Gibson (PhD in literature and philosophy) is a Senior Lecturer in English Literature at Charles Sturt University. Trained in close textual analysis, Suzie surveys texts across fields and disciplines — literature, film, television and philosophy. She is interested in the ideological underpinnings of texts as well as with their aesthetic import and how it impacts upon their social and cultural meaning.
Associate Professor Donna Bridges is a sociologist and a gender theorist at Charles Sturt University. Donna's research focuses primarily on gender inequality and work – specifically women integrating into male dominated fields and the barriers they encounter. This led her to an interest in sexual harassment and violence.
Donna is also a creator and host for the podcast 'Conversations for a Brave New World' produced by the Gender Network at CSU. Each month, the podcast shares knowledge, scholarship and research about gender from the diverse perspectives of experts and scholars. The episode I have linked to is one where Donna interviews me (Jaz) about my team's coercive control research and practice resources.
Sensitive content warning
This episode refers to cancer, mental illness, and intimate partner violence. Please take care while listening and if you are feeling discomfort and would benefit from some support, please reach out to your GP or contact a service like Lifeline.
Content mentioned in this episode
Apple Cider Vinegar, Netflix
The Search for Instagram's Worst Con-Artist, Netflix
Dederer, C. (2023). Monsters: What do we do with great art by bad people? Sceptre.
Schur, M. (2022). This sandwich is morally problematic. But it's also delicious. Can I still eat it? In How to be perfect: The correct answer to every moral question (pp. 185-208). Quercus.
Research articles on parasocial relationships
Baek, Y. M., Bae, Y., & Jang, H. (2013). Social and parasocial relationships on social network sites and their differential relationships with users’ psychological well-being. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16(7), 512-517.
Balaban, D. C., Szambolics, J., & Chirică, M. (2022). Parasocial relations and social media influencers' persuasive power. Exploring the moderating role of product involvement. Acta Psychologica, 230. DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103731.
Bennett, L. L. (2024). Understanding parasocial relationships and the mental health impact. [Master's thesis, Louisiana Tech University].
Hoffner, C. A., & Bond, B. J. (2022). Parasocial relationships, social media, & well-being. Current Opinions in Psychology, 45. DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101306.
Liebers, N., & Schramm, H. (2019). Parasocial interactions and relationships with media characters–An inventory of 60 years of research. Communication Research Trends, 38(2).
Madison, C., & Adam, A. (2023). Perceived marginalization, social support, and mental health: The role of parasocial relationships. Modern Psychological Studies, 28(2).
Su, B.-C., Wu, L.-W., Chang, Y.-Y.-C., & Hong, R.-H. (2021). Influencers on social media as references: Understanding the importance of parasocial relationships. Sustainability, 13. DOI: 10.3390/su131910919
Cite this episode
MacDonald, J. B., McIntyre, E., Gibson, S., & Bridges, D. (2026, March 12). Apple Cider Vinegar: Panel discussion about the Australian TV drama (No. 30) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com
Transcript
The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.
The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.
Acknowledgements
Psych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The video and audio for this episode was edited by Morgan McRae. Special thanks to Dr Erica McIntyre, Dr Suzie Gibson, and Associate Professor Donna Bridges for sharing your time and expertise.