Jonathan Yan, Period 6, 12/19/23

Blog #2: Socio Political Consciousness

The dominance of humanity is because of the fact that we are social. We depend on each other, for companionship, for survival, for reproduction, and for growth. “The Loneliness Epidemic”, as some may dub, is often cited as a recent phenomenon. From the 1970s and beyond, the rates of loneliness seem to trend linearly upwards. 1 in 3 Americans experience loneliness on a regular basis, and this percentage only increases the younger we observe, being at the pinnacle at around 16 to 24 years of age - around 61%. I believe that everyone has experienced what it felt like to feel truly alone. This slow poisoning force is something I have obsessed over: Why do we feel this way in such an interconnected world?

How social is social media? This question sounds ironic, social media is social: you can talk to your friends, call your mother, look at celebrities, compare yourself to people you do not know, and indulge ugly gossip. It is increasingly easier to live behind an avatar and username and feed vicariously on events through a computer screen. It is increasingly easier to feel left out in social circles online. It is increasingly easier to ridicule others online and make their lives hell. It is increasingly easier to believe that your presence and reputation online dictates who you are. Various studies have found strong links between heavy social media usage and increased risk for depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm and suicide. The overindulgence recent generation teens and young adults accrue online causes an internal monologue and mindset of instant gratification and jealousy. The mistake we often make is comparing ourselves to other people on social media, but what many fail to remember is that what we see other people doing on social media is the culmination of the person’s highs, not their lows. When these highs do well online it feeds into your sense of sense of worth, a social currency. Lives become commodified, marketed as commerce, and compete for your attention. This so-called transaction is given value because of the exchange of attention and interaction. Whether you receive more or less attention can attribute to whether or not you feel valuable, and you literally become a product. With every interaction releases dopamine, with every phone check heightens your anxiety, drawing more and more parallels to substance abuse. After all this, it is no question why social media has been affecting teens and young adults. These people, who rely on social interaction - whether that be in school, for their job, or for career opportunities -, can succumb greatly to the pressures of social media, using it obsessively because they either feel like they need to, or because the instant dopamine keeps them online. When we are deprived of this instant gratification, or left out from interaction we can legitimately feel symptoms of withdrawal. It feels like you need to be on social media, overindulging, and interacting. Everyone else is doing it. Why aren’t you? This pressure has led many to feel so connected yet alone, or with the desire to just completely withdraw from social media and interaction as a whole.

I have spent my life pursuing the path of efficiency and happiness. In this pursuit I realized the greatest facilitator for these is balance. Balance is the force that destroys or facilitates life. Being at one extreme or the other is foolish as life is not black and white. I was previously under this misconception that to live efficiently was to live on an end of an extreme. If I did something, I was to either exhaust myself doing it or not do it at all. But everything is nuanced, and I have come to recognize that balancing your actions, hobbies, interests and life is the best way to achieve a better living. I have taken this lesson to social media usage. Where I previously used to obsess over it, I now practice restraint. I suffered from the symptoms of excessive social media usage: my self confidence deteriorated from comparing myself, I developed high levels of anxiety from fear of missing out, and I began to value superficial material things as the end all be all to happiness. This cynicism leaked into my actual life, where I by default perceived others as having ill intent for me, seeing everyone as competition because of my skewed perspective. Now, of course I still use social media, I want it to stay connected with my band, my club, and the people I cannot see often. Social media is not inherently harmful, the way in which we use it dictates whether it is or not. Everything can be harmful, it is moderation that separates water from being a progenitor of life or a deadly substance. I still value being online, the world is modernizing and being connected internationally is not a bad thing; we can see injustices in the middle east, conflicts in warring countries and use our voices online to call for action. We can research pressing issues, spread information and cast light on topics that deserve it. The towering expanse of all human knowledge is online so completely withdrawing from it is unrealistic, and unnecessary. My exploration into the causes of loneliness has led me down introspection on my usage of social media, and the realization of the power of moderation.

Sources:
Robinson, Lawrence. “Social Media and Mental Health.” HelpGuide.Org, 29 Mar. 2023, www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/social-media-and-mental-health.htm.

Zsila, Ágnes, and Marc Eric S. Reyes. “Pros & Cons: Impacts of Social Media on Mental Health - BMC Psychology.” BioMed Central, BioMed Central, 6 July 2023, bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40359-023-01243-x. “Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health? | Bailey Parnell | Tedxryersonu.” YouTube, YouTube, 22 June 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czg_9C7gw0o&t=724s.

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