anxiety : 0
agitation : 0
I know it has rather become, er, stylish for parent-aged people to rant about the potential evils of social media, but that's not what I'm about to do here. I do appreciate Facebook for the convenience it affords me - for one thing, it makes it easy for me to keep in touch with people I normally wouldn't keep in touch with.
... Which is a good thing, right? Of course it is, assuming that all my contacts are pleasant, wholesome people who respect others' inboxes. But in reality, they aren't all, and that's what the "Hide" and "change updates" options are for. Oh, how clever. No need for curmudgeonly unfriending each time I find an upsetting post.
But here's where the situation thickens. I mostly receive only positive posts from people I like now, and that's not entirely alright. A couple of weeks ago, German researchers revealed (gasp!) one in every three Facebook users feel miserable after reading about how amazing their friends' lives are. This supposedly leads to jealousy, depression, isolation and so on.
... Seriously?
... No, seriously?
The first time I heard that on the news, I thought that was preposterous. But then I thought about it for a while and realized that it actually makes some sense. I mean, FB-related causes of misery aren't really quantifiable, but there's some sort of logic there. Seeing how successful /fabulous /magical your peers' lives are could make you feel like your own existence is pathetic in comparison.
I get it. I feel that sometimes too, I admit. Especially when I see someone else basking in a long-time goal I've been (and still am) gruelling toward. My mind seguees into the whole "life is unfair" internal monologue, i.e., "I work so hard but never attain what I want but she just happened to be born into a rich family" and yadda yaddda. Sigh. That's toxic.
I don't indend to ubsubscribe from likable people's news feeds - I sincerely like keeping in touch with what goes on with their lives. Luckily, the "change updates" option can be customized.
Furthermore, I think it's a good idea not to torture myself when I feel less than super. I'm better off conserving my energy and time for creative activity. Newsfeed checking should be done only when I feel good about myself at the moment.
