The weight of internet expectations on mental health
The internet, social media specifically was meant to connect the world. Yet somehow, people feel more disconnected today than before.
Most people repetitively will post about the one day in the month they went out or when that something special happened in their lives. Share photos of their new house or car, bodies that are photoshopped or bought and their true faces hiding behind filters.
While it is not a bad thing to share your experiences with the world, this one successful view of life is not realistic; yet the demand to look happy and successful like everyone else might lead many to look at their own lives and get depressed at how much it is not as flashy as old friend’s and to believe that they are alone in their misearable experiences with life.
Truth is someone might post about their holiday, new job, but not the countless regrets they sustained or the dozens of interviews they did not make through. The girl living ‘her best life’ cries herself to sleep and the ‘couple goals’ can’t seem to stop arguing. The new house/car is on a loan they can barely afford and the filters hide the acne that is almost always there. Oh and no one is put together first thing in the morning. No way.
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For the rest of their days the majority are living regular lives, experiencing regular problems, but we don’t see that side on social. However, when it comes to social media, everyone seems to be putting their best foot forward.
When you spend a lot of time there, it’s easy to get lost and get that confused with reality. You may start to compare your own experience with others , wonder why your life is stuck, why things are not going great for you and why your life is so ordinary yet everyone seems to be living large.
You forget that no one is posting about their loneliness, hopelessness, or better yet their awful experience with brokenness. No one is talking about how lost and misunderstood they feel.
You compare your life with twisted truths and forget that you’re not alone in your misery. You’re not cursed or being punished. At the end of the day, we all feel like this at some point in our lives , even when things might appear to be going well for us.
We experience all these beautiful things and feelings but at the same time, we also experience the not so nice feelings and terrible emotions and experiences that come with life.
It’s important to have a holistic view of social media. Understand that while it might bring people together, it does not always make us feel connected. Majority will only choose to share their positive experiences, but that is not the only experience, or the whole experience.
