The number of Londoners leaving the capital has hit a 10 year high, according to a report from The Guardian. A brave few are even heading to The North in search of greener pastures and let’s face it, affordable housing. But at what cost?

Too often the media would have us believe that people from the poorer parts of the UK are uneducated, benefit-scrounging Brexiteers. In fact this kind of view only contributes to those living in poverty having a ‘significantly lower sense of self-worth’ and ‘feeling excluded from society,’ according to recent research by LSE and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

In the words of Owen Jones in his book Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class, “How did the salt of the earth come to be viewed as the scum of the earth?”

We all know the images that surround us everyday influence how we feel about ourselves and others. So, if society tells us that to be born poor is also to be inherently inferior, or worse invisible, there’s no wonder our country feels divided.

Social media only compounds this problem. We’re told Instagram is not real life, but even so we try to compete, and get sad when we can’t. These images tell us we shouldn’t be happy or content with what we have, so it’s no wonder anxiety and depression is on the rise, especially amongst the young.

But lately we’ve started to enter a new era of media, one that’s not based on aspiration, but real life. Where wealth is found in relationships and self-love, not in monetary assets and achievements society deems worthy.

Our industry has the responsibility to let people know that real-life, wherever you live, is worth talking about. We should do this by featuring more regional accents, showing the inside of more homes, and travelling north of the M25. I can promise you won’t be disappointed.