Social Media Mental Meltdown

 As we know social media can be a very useful tool.  Overall it helps bring people together and to get messages out to mass audiences very quickly. Company’s can communicate brand awareness to the masses. We can keep in touch with family members half way across the world.  We can share photo albums from special life moments.  All of these are very useful gains from social media.

But social media can also cause a lot of stress! “Social Media Anxiety Disorder” yeah, it exists.  But that is an entirely differently blog.  As I run through my Facebook newsfeed I noticed there seems to be two majority groups of “Facebookers”.  Just as there are in life you have the negative people and the positive people. With Facebook being a mainstream means of social media communication it seems that these groups have also taken their issues to social media.  There are a few people who always try to project the most positive aspects of their life, while never mentioning the negative.  But then you have the people who constantly seem to complain constantly about their bad day at work or their health issues.

 

The “positives” are at the trendiest restaurants, they are going to the most talked about concert, or they are always traveling.  I believe even this can have a few negative effects.  I think that some people post these “positive” things in order to create some sort of an image of how they want people to perceive them.  Or even the person that they want to be.  They may not actually always being eating at the swankiest restaurant but they will check in every chance they can, while omitting the times they are at fast food joints.  This person may feel obligated to maintain this image they have created over a long period of time which could lead to “social media stress” The chapter pointed out that “people are best off being comfortable in their own skin and not pretending to be anything that they aren’t”.   But I think that social media can create more of a false profile.  This fake image doesn’t have to be as extreme as the Catfishing phenomenon we have recently seen.  But even someone you knew in high school yet haven’t seen in years can create this entirely new self of how they want to be seen by posting certain parts while omitting others.  I imagine maintaining this image must be exhausting.  I am sure that some people may even feel the need to live up to the profile in person.

Another negative aspect of the constant “positive life” posting can lead to the “Keeping up with the Jones’” effect. As followers and friends read these constant check-ins and statuses they may feel that these extraordinary things are the norm. I will go through my feed and see so many people my age buying a brand new car, traveling to exotic places, having babies, getting married, and at times I wonder if I am where I am supposed to be? Everyone seems so successful.  I think part of what contributes to this stress is that it isn’t just one person that is posting these items but many.  I also believe that when over a period of time people see these types of post then they too begin posting similar types of updates.  This effect of constant “one-upping” and social media showiness is spreading.

Yet another stress factor of social media is judgment. Some people lead their social media lives as an open book.  They post about every aspect of their lives and they say what is on their mind.  Whether we want (or need) to hear it.  When posting photos, check-in at exotic places, or opinionated (often political) statuses people leave themselves open for judgment.  Judgment leads to negative feedback and reactions.

Overall social media has brought a lot of positive change to us.  Bu as the book pointed out “you cannot deny that social media has forever changed the way in which we live”.