Let’s start with an obvious fact – Vulnerable people usually don’t do well on social media. For some, it’s catastrophic; as bad as the hideous “normal” high school horror stories. Many people really do suffer horribly. Instagram in particular is getting a lot of flak for its role in mental health issues among teens, especially girls.
TIME Magazine has a simple, very efficiently told story about the crash and burn of an Instagram user, covering 9 years of a girl’s life on social media. It’s pretty grim reading, though. From day one to a virtual shopping list of issues years later, this girl really hit the rocks, hard. After nearly a decade, she had to seek medical help.
Rather sadly, there’s an all-too-predictable narrative, and it applies across the board. From naïve excitement to a growing and terrifying fear of rejection, the reward process of likes, etc., it’s all there. It’s a virtual map of the hazards. From body image problems to just plain social bullying, it reads like a market survey. The problem is that it IS a market survey, in so many ways.
Bear in mind this subject of many jagged edges also locks in 2000% into modern teen culture. Socializing is compulsory, and often quite bad enough without documented trolling and hate. That culture is well known to be so brutal and relentless online.
Social media too often pushes the buttons of insecurity. Teens, already coping or trying to cope with adolescence, can easily be in the wrong place at the wrong time online. These kids are definitely way too vulnerable as a group, let alone individuals.
Let’s clarify a few things:
- The kids aren’t “weak”. They’re subject to horrific emotional and social stresses any adult could find utterly unmanageable.
- Their wider social environment is no picnic, either. The current generation of teens are also living in a very strange, often downright grotesque, macro world.
- Threat evaluation is tricky. What’s trolling, what’s dangerous, and what’s targeted hate? Some choice for a kid, wouldn’t you say?
- Teen suicide and self-harm have been major plague-level issues for well over a decade. Nothing much, and nothing effective, has been done about it. This is the environment they’re living in on a daily basis.
“Facebook knows”
Facebook, the owner of Instagram, is also getting massive criticism. The criticism is coming from just about everyone and everywhere for these very tough, very serious, problems.
Facebook’s own research agrees, in fact it agrees in so many words about the problems for teen girls. The Wall Street Journal published a long report including excerpts from Facebook’s research (paywall) which is being cited worldwide. One of those quotes is: “We make body image issues worse for one in three teen girls…” Many other potentially very dangerous issues, notably anxiety and depression, have also been cited.
However – Professional commentary also says this is a societal problem, which is unavoidable. This self-destructive, ridiculously polarized society is as bad at managing its kids’ problems as it is at managing everything else.
There is no way to refute this overwhelming amount of evidence, which dates back to “suicide epidemics” among teens many years ago. Whole encyclopedias could be written from anecdotal reports alone.
What’s obvious is that no progress at all has been made. Teen suicide, even at huge, unprecedented levels, is treated much like the weather, and with the same levels of ignorance as climate change.
Let’s not ignore – Media as a major factor in social interactions
Media, however self-righteous, is also a major contributor to this meltdown of a generation. One of the big “societal” problems isn’t at all teen or social media-based. It’s the brutalization of public social conduct. A pigsty would be more civil, and probably more mentally hygienic.
The sub-animalistic behavior of so many “public figures” is a case in point. This is how you raise kids? To behave like that? What’s the difference between the utterly gross “grabbing them by the pussy” and “grabbing them by their insecurities”? This trashy garbage is the cue for “adult” behaviors, too.
Media has normalized and even institutionalized this level of truly antisocial behavior. These repulsive gargoyles are role models, in far too many ways. Where can you go, online or elsewhere, to see people acting with any degree of actual social skills? Not an easy question, is it?
The behavioral cues are truly universal. Everywhere in media, there’s someone being “assertive”, adding stress to someone else. From sitcoms to soap operas, from crime shows to the other crime shows like the news, this social hell is always right there. Social insecurity is built in.
Add to this the other compulsory media blessings of global porn, rape culture, making heroes out of criminals and other antisocial parasites, and the (ob)scene is set is where you live.
Too many double or triple standards here, you say? Yes. Morality by definition is something you inflict on other people. These highly lucrative atrocities are good examples. The same people spreading the filth then do highly paid opinionated rants on the morals of others. It’s a multi-millennia racket, and it sells.
The immorality of others and the righteousness of one’s hypocritical self are classic reward psychology. Much good that’s doing anyone. Social media is the symptom of a true global malaise.
What to do about it? Survive and dodge the bullets.
The only possible good news for damaged teens is that survival instincts can still apply. Most teens learn to get out of hostile environments, fast. Whether it’s the street or an equally unyielding social media scenario, the same instincts work.
- If you distrust social media environments, stay out of them.
- If you see other people being mistreated, take the hint and cancel the account.
- Stress is always bad – Block anyone and anything you don’t like.
- Someone being way too friendly? Avoid.
- If it looks bad, it probably is.
- Don’t waste time, effort and sanity trying to “manage” people. It won’t work.
- At least some of the people you see acting irrational or maniacal are using meth or some other great social asset. It’s common enough. Don’t bother interacting at all.
- Don’t be too visible. Silent anonymity can be a good defense, as well as an offense.
- Don’t just mindlessly join in, whatever the environment. Find out what you’re getting yourself into.
Meanwhile…
This alleged civilization has a bad habit of creating social hells. The workplace, the unavoidable groups of people, middle managers; it’s a risk factory. Change the acceptance of these behaviors, or you’re stuck with them.
This won’t go away. It’s not a “phase” for teens. It’s an actual health risk. Stop pretending it isn’t. Time for the adults to prove they’re adults, and do what needs doing – Shut down the bullies, shut down the groomers, and do it fast.
