Social media is tearing you down

In a modern society like ours it is easier than ever to have access to technology and in turn access to all kinds of media and news. This also means it is easier than ever to consume negatively influencing media.  What I commonly see it being used as, is an “escape” or a distraction from their work, people will get trapped in a state of “doomscrolling.”  What people seem to forget is, doomscrolling isn’t just mindlessly scrolling through anything, it’s the process of scrolling through and consuming that negative media/news. 

People can easily get trapped in this harmful feedback loop because it is incredibly easy to open your phone and start finding the negative content.  A big problem with this is how people’s “For You” pages work.  It recognizes the content you watch, share, and like and uses these interactions to push more of this same media to you. 

The Cleveland Clinic has dived into this same topic. “When we’re depressed, we often look for information that can confirm how we feel,” Dr. Susan Albers shared. “Doomscrolling operates with the same mindset: If you’re feeling negative, then reading negative news only reconfirms how you feel.”

It doesn’t always need to be news necessarily either, people can post their own negative content in a relatable format in order to vent their frustrations or look for similar thinking people and try and garner some sympathy. The problem with this is how they’re making the negative media and if people do end up relating with it they’ll think further about their situations and loop around it in their mind.

People may find content talking about insecurities they may have in appearance or social aspects, then after consuming so much of that idea they’ll reinforce that negative idea in their mind and it’ll be harder to get better.

I have seen the same kinds of things happen to people I know. I used to do the same thing.  It is so easy for anyone to get stuck in the quicksand and have their brain get fueled by the depressive, anxious, and cortisol induced content. 

As I stated earlier, the biggest issue with these loops is how the algorithms work.  They don’t really care if what media you’re feeding yourself is good or bad, all they care about is having another user on their platform and in turn you’ll become another piece of the puzzle possibly furthering that loop. 

While it can seem very obvious, I think it is important for people to seek out positive content too. People shouldn’t be constantly watching content about how, “I wish I looked like this,” or “If only I was like this.” It isn’t abnormal to have those feelings, but constantly reinforcing them can be detrimental to your health. 

As Albers said, “Burying your nose in a phone can actually exacerbate feelings of disconnection and loneliness. Too much time on any media or social media sites, whether the news is bad or not, has been linked with feelings of depression.”