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.

Gateways

About a week ago, a friend and I were having a discussion about marijuana. Neither of us smoke (though I believe she used to smoke in the past, during her high school days), but we were reading an article in the school paper saying how administration doesn't really know how to handle the issue with marijuana on campus. Technically, there isn't a true "issue" at hand, but the cases of students caught with it has gone up almost twice the amount of last year at this time (last year=4, this year=7 students). Yes, it's not super expensive, making it easier for college students to get their hands on it, but in the paper they noted it as a gateway drug...

Now, many people (mostly marijuana smokers) become defensive when it is considered a "gateway drug" and deny that it is. Personally, I don't care who smokes or whatnot, but it's just something that I choose not to do. Plus, I bet I would be randomly drug tested not too long after I've smoked or something like that. My friend doesn't believe that it is a gateway drug, and spoke from personal experience that smoking pot never led her to pick up any hard drugs and such. Sure, it will be that way for many pot smokers because no one wants to become a druggie and fucked up in the brain.

Here's my opinion though...
Marijuana is not always a gateway drug, but it can be a gateway drug under certain circumstances. If a person is dealing with some personal issues and a ton of stress, marijuana may only help out with that for a short while, leading that person to turn to something harder to feel less pain and more bliss. This is how some people do end up as drug addicts, unfortunately. Because so many people do not see marijuana as a possible gateway drug, they don't always pay attention to those who might be developing a strong habit with smoking the green plant. No one believes that someone can be addicted to marijuana, but many people do become very dependent upon it. Dependence isn't too far from addiction, though in many cases the terms are used interchangeably. I know people who smoke pot everyday, claim that you can't be addicted to marijuana, yet they don't know how to function or be productive if they haven't had their fix for the day. What does that even say?

I'm not trying to say that marijuana is "bad" or should be illegal, but I'm not really trying to promote it at the same time. I guess I'm just pretty indifferent to how I feel about people using it, but this was specifically to talk about whether or not it is a gateway drug. Everyone has a right to their own opinion and to make their own decisions in life. Every action has a reaction. To all my green-smoking friends, have fun, chill, relax, get creative and all of that jazz, but don't be too quick to discredit your favorite plant as a gateway drug when you haven't been seriously/clinically depressed, abused by family or other loved ones, bullied, or dealt with other serious problems in your lifetime. Smoking pot isn't going to solve someone's problems forever. In fact, it won't solve them at all, but it might help calm someone for awhile.

This is one of the main reasons why I personally choose not to drink or do drugs- I'd be using them to escape rather than to just have an enjoyable time or be "social". Maybe that makes me slightly biased on the topic, but I'm not trying to change people's opinions on pot altogether. I'm just trying to provide a different perspective on the effect it has on some people who smoke pot and not all people who do.