Monday, April 1, 2013

Reinforcing Negative Thoughts Through Social Media?

Most of us love social media (I don't want to generalize here)- this is how many of us communicate with others. We are becoming more and more dependent on various sites to keep us connected and updated with  our loved ones (or our favorite entertainers). One of the additional perks is the freedom of speech (which has  plenty of cons, as we all see on a daily basis). We can share our feelings and opinions in an open matter on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs, etc. Lately, though, I've started to notice a trend (not in the "fad" sense) that's more prevalent on Twitter and blog sites like Tumblr- constant reinforcement of our thoughts/feelings through quotes and pictures.

Now, I'm not saying that these reinforcements are all bad, but I've especially noticed how many people who are feeling depressed, suicidal, having a low self-esteem, and other "negative" thoughts, will reblog or retweet quotes and photos that are consistent with the way they currently feel. To me, this reinforces a stunt in growth. How is one to get past those feelings when there are so many posts out there exemplifying how one feels?

I love Tumblr as much as the next person, but sometimes I get tired of seeing the same ol' posts that keep us stuck in the same mindsets, ya know? Sometimes I breeze over specific people's posts (reblogs, actually) because they all say the same thing EVERY TIME. It's like, we search for the posts that validate our feelings, and that makes it harder for us to move past these feelings. Examples:

  • how much you're still in love with your ex
  • how much you love someone you can't have in general
  • how much you're "forever alone"
  • anything relating to depression, feeling low, suicidal thoughts
  • worrying about your appearance, feeling fat, needing to lose weight, wishing you looked prettier
  • etc.
I think another issue that plays into this is how the internet (and the media in general) has created these "idealized" types of lives we're supposed to desire and whatnot. There are studies showing the link between social media usage and increased depression or dissatisfaction with one's life because we see how much "better" someone else's life is on a daily basis. It's the constant comparison game. Examples:

  • "Why can't I just find a guy/girl who has the same music tastes as me?" (because music is the most important thing in out lives)
  • "Why can't I meet a guy/girl who dresses like ___ and has interests in ___ and ___ and ___?"
  • "No one wants to be my boyfriend/girlfriend."
  • "I wish I dressed like her/him. I wish I wasn't so broke."
  • "I want to move to (insert major city) and have a cute little apartment to share with a nice boy/girl."
  • "I wish I were prettier. I'm so awkward and ugh."
  • "I'm such a failure. I suck at school. Why am I even in college?"
  • "Why can't I have a life like that?"
  • etc.
Clearly, these thoughts don't help us in life. But many of us are not stopping to see how constant exposure to these photos/quotes bring our moods down. Sometimes, when I know that I'm feeling down, I may avoid Tumblr for awhile simply because I never know when everyone else is going to be in a "mood" as well and just reinforcing it. Yeah, someone else posting a quote expressing your current depressing feelings makes you feel less alone, BUT think for a moment if that's actually reinforcing your negative thoughts. We're making each other feel worse rather than uplifting our spirits.

People may disagree with my opinion, which is fine since this is an opinion that does not apply to everyone. I'm just asking people, mainly those who spend a lot of time on social networks, to consider the content they digest every now and then, and to think about how that content may be affecting them.