According to extensive research, there are two types of “Facebook experiences”: active versus passive. Active Facebook usage can be a highly constructive way to engage with social media platforms, helping to contribute to a sense of community in facilitating and solidifying inter-personal connections. However, for those with depression, the comparative nature of Facebook often exacerbates passive consumption which can further worsen the symptoms of the mental illness from which they are suffering. Thus, in essence, how we interact with one another via social media platforms dictates the effect that it will have on our unique psychological and emotional wellbeing as consumers of the technological medium.
What we post on our own social media pages blurs reality, according to the most polished versions of our lives that we wish to project. So, often how we view the life of someone on social media doesn’t adequately reflect what there life is like in actuality. I will attest myself to showing only the good and not even hinting at the bad. Facebook, of course, does not accurately represent the lives that we actually lead. As someone who is very happy and confident in terms of the direction in which her life is headed, I still catch myself comparing my life to those of others according to what I see on social media. Fortunately I can disconnect from these networks, acknowledging that this is not a healthy or constructive attitude to take. I also understand that my self-worth is not contingent on how popular my Facebook page is (or is not) and can foster feelings of self-value through other facets of my life. However, sadly, not everyone can and this is where Facebook use potentially poses problems.
For those who already have a high sense of self-value and who can make this above distinction, Facebook isn’t likely to have too negative an effect on the way we value our self-worth. However, sadly one of the pillar characteristics of depression is generally low-levels of self-worth and the tendency for an individual to constantly compare themselves to other people. The nature of Facebook that encourages us to compare our lives to one another (usually through arbitrary numbers ie. likes and friends etc) does therefore feed into the same insecurities as does depression already. This connection should pose questions as to the benefits of Facebook use for those who suffer from crippling self-esteem, the social media platform likely to become a trigger for worsened manifestations of their mental illness.
According to Beyond Blue, one in three Australians suffer from anxiety and depression. That statistic is staggering and yet so much of our contemporary society hinges off of cultural norms (such as excessive social media consumption) that encourages the depressive behaviours to develop (or at least their growth) in the first place.
It is my understanding that Project Brief 4 requires the group to take an angle that is creative and unique. Not only this, we can’t merely present facts but rather need to construct a narrative that pulls at people’s emotions and challenges us to reconsider a technological medium in a new light. For these reasons I am making the proposal to my group that we address the negative implications of social media on mental health for our upcoming project. I believe that it is an interesting angle to take that would fulfil the marking criteria, as well as provide plenty of scope to collect as diverse and textured a variety of content and material possible. Hopefully my group will agree.
