Social Media Comparison – The Menace That Taunts Us!

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Intro

I want to open up an important conversation about how social media comparison has become a major issue in today’s society, and how it often leaves the youth, and indeed people of all ages and backgrounds feeling worse off than they were before signing in/up

In this post, I’ll shed light on the psychology behind this phenomenon, the potential mental health consequences, and how we can address the issue. This piece is for anyone looking for an assertive and informative stance on the matter. So, let’s get into it!

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Overview

With the ever-high expectations of what is deemed ‘perfection’, constant comparison on social media has put undue pressure on many people, setting them down a path of depression and other mental health issues. This piece aims to provide insight into this growing problem and provide solutions to help curtail this menace of social media comparison.

Social Media Comparison

In this day and age, it is almost impossible to ignore the influence of social media in our lives; we measure our friends, partners, career, and even our bodies using what we see online as indices for comparison. Social media platforms are growing unsustainably fast, reaching an incredible depth and penetration that has made it difficult for us to ignore their tremendous impact on our mental well-being.

Social media comparison is one of the gravest causes of mental health issues of our day, from depression and anxiety to even low self-esteem and body image issues. It has been found that there is an undeniable correlation between people’s social media usage and their risk of suffering from depression; hence, when we compare ourselves with our peers and all that they have, we can feel overwhelmed and helpless, and even humiliated at times.

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These comparisons are also greatly favored by the way social media is structured because it is meant to display the best parts of people’s lives and leave out the messiness and struggles. Unfortunately, what we see on our feeds is not an accurate representation of reality, and this deception can have adverse effects on our mental health.

Furthermore, the idea of gaining “likes” as a measure of success takes over our minds, setting unrealistic expectations for ourselves and unconsciously feeding our need for validation. At Chinenye’s Blog, we want to encourage people to understand the importance of taking a break and disconnecting from social media once in a while. Follow a balanced online regime, where you take time to spend offline on things that give you joy and be mindful of your mental health. There is more to life and more fulfilling experiences than what we find online and our mental health needs to come first.

My advise?
Take a break!
To help you understand why it’s best to take a break from social media comparison, here are 5 possible effects it can have on you mind:

1. Impacted self-esteem: When you are constantly surrounded by edited posts and feeds of people looking glamorous, you start to question why you don’t look the same, leading to low self-esteem.
2. Mental exhaustion: The unending waves of updates and endless feeds can be tiring on the mind and make us feel mentally drained.
3. Feelings of anxiety: We might want to measure up to the posts or stories that we see about other people and that can cause feelings of fear.
4. Fear of missing out: Content overload and updates can lead to the fear of missing out on important news or posts.
5. Increasing feelings of depression: As a result of the above-mentioned causes, depression can increase significantly due to being completely submerged in what the social media world has to offer.

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Conclusion

It is important to recognize the reality of social media in our personal lives and the potential adverse effects that can arise from overusing it. With the anonymous nature of information gathering, social media can make us vulnerable to people’s opinions and beliefs which can be damaging to our mental health.

As consumers of digital media, we must exercise caution in consuming information and strive for a healthy balance of digital consumption. We must also recognize the power of using social media to boost our mental health by creating a supportive social media environment with mutual support and understanding.