Smiling Depression: Really, it's a thing...

Tweet of the week from ctrevor501:

            “Strength comes not from frantic activity, but from being settled on a firm foundation of truth and light.” #ElderUchtdorf #psychsocialmedia (LDS General Conference Talk)

            This week has been a good week. A BUSY ONE, but a good one. I have found myself using the social media platforms on my phone significantly less. I forget I even have them on my phone sometimes. AND IT FEELS GREAT. I know I was freaking out last week because I felt so involved with my facebook and instagram towards the end of that week, but it has blown over already. I mentioned this freak-out I had to our class this week, and some of them were surprised that I was checking my phone so often for updates. They said that they hardly ever want to check their platforms. But after explaining how I had JUST put all of those platforms on my phone, and I was fairly new to all of them (except facebook), I realized I might have been anxious those first few days. But then, just as everybody else, my episode ended and I was free again.

            I’m not sure if it was just my own self-control, or if it was the demanding load of homework I received from all of my classes this week. I have been in the library for multiple hours every day. It’s crazy, but I feel better being busy with homework and classes than I do being lazy and looking at my phone to “feel busy” on facebook and instagram.

            A peer of mine shared an article this week about the consequences of instagram. It’s right here. I found it incredible that there is a such thing as ‘smiling depression.’ Seriously?! That’s a thing?! And then… Wait for it... It’s even considered a biopsychosocial disease! Wow! Who knew instagram had SO MUCH INFLUENCE! “One factor for the high rates of depression seen in social media-friendly people is the inconsistency they observe between their ideal cyber self and their self-image.” Obviously, what people post on their instagram is extremely edited after another extreme selection process. People will take a couple of pictures of something (or themselves) before finally approving one to be post-worthy.

            Thus, instagram is full of millions of great pictures that deceive reality. Just like the internet, people can really be whoever they want to be online. This is probably why so many people feel bad about themselves when comparing themselves to other instagramers; they aren’t capable of making a cooler instagram (hahaha). But really.. This is serious. People are honestly becoming depressed from these social media outlets, and it is destroying their sense of self-worth and self-image.

            I will be executing my project’s experiment starting next week. Although I will not be able to disclose the results with anyone until it is finished in two weeks time. So we’ll see what happens, and hopefully I can apply my research findings to this very topic. Until next week!