There is a good, bad or ugly side to almost anything and everything in the universe. Social media is no exception. However, in this case, social media has the darkest side of them all. There has been numerous cases of men and women alike developing psychological illnesses such as depression and other psychotic disorders due to their obsessive and compulsive usage of social media. But why is this so? Why is it that so many people have fallen to vanity? What does this mean for our mental health? In this article, we shall discuss and explore the dark side of social media, but be warned, it is a place you wouldn’t want to end up in, ever. Before you continue reading, do follow me and subscribe to my newsletter!
A New Age
The invention of the internet has allowed much to be accomplished in the history of mankind. We can now work and share with others in real time. Knowledge can be accessed simply by doing a simple search on Google. And In the midst of all this achievements and breakthroughs, social media was born. In the early stages of the internet, chatrooms and forums were the main platforms for communication for the numerous netizens around the world. As time passed and as the internet became more advanced, social media platforms with higher degrees of complexity and capability were introduced, the notable two being Facebook and Instagram, which has greatly shaped the modern world as we know it today. And in the present world, social media has become a ubiquitous element in most of our lives and it will continue to be so.
The Dark Side Revealed
As usage of social media increased over the years, we have become increasingly reliant on social media for communication. We no longer send letters to our relatives and friends. Instead, all one has to do is click on WhatsApp, type out his/her message and click “send”. It’s that simple. Meanwhile, on public sharing platforms like Instagram and Facebook, it is equally easy to post a photo of yourself and comment on the posts of others. Here’s where chaos begins. Many men and women become obsessed with putting their pictures up online for others to admire, while others do so out of vanity. At the same time, users of such platforms begin to judge a person’s worth through appearances alone. In the minds of such users, thoughts like these start to pop up. “She looks pretty, so I’m going to give her a like.” “This one doesn’t look as good, I’ll pass.” These thoughts gradually alter the ways in which these users think. In other words, these unhealthy habit has rewired their minds to calculate the respect they should give another person based on appearances and looks alone. Meanwhile, cyberbullying has taken a new turn. All it takes is a single comment to begin the onslaught. Many begin to target the appearances of others and in turn comment nasty remarks to taunt them. Furthermore, it is now extremely easy to pass on rumours of another person, often with the intent of slandering or demeaning the target in question. As these comments and nasty remarks begin to snowball and accumulate, the person at the receiving end often faces feelings of distress and helplessness. The victim is unable to understand why he/she deserves such treatment and plunges close to the threshold of depression. And eventually, without timely assistance, such scenarios can end with an unfortunate suicide. This problem is especially prevalent among the youth today. It is because of these above reasons that social media has a bad reputation for bringing out the worst in humans, who may seem friendly upfront but are deadly when given a keyboard.
The Takeaway
The world is a chaotic place. Be wary not to blindly follow the crowds. At the same time, learn to keep your emotions on a leash. Do not fall prey to your emotions and subconscious desires. Rather, use the gift that you have been granted at the moment of your birth: Rational thinking. Without it, we are nothing but animals, living in the present, slaves to emotions and carnal desires. This applies to social media as well. Do not fall into the trap of judging the self-worth of yourself and others based on appearances, as they are often deceiving. At the same time, learn not to crave it, as the desire for the flesh often leads to the destructive path to lust. Not only will you lose your mind in the process, but you may very well lose your life and your loved ones as well.
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