I’m not discounting economic issues as a piece of this puzzle, but we also have solid research that social media is wreaking havoc on the mental health of everyone. Young people in particular. That’s also a big piece of the puzzle. Imagine how many problems would be solved if young people weren’t allowed on social media until age 18. Shit, imagine how much better the world would be if social media just didn’t exist.
I’d argue that social media isn’t inherently bad. It’s social media that promotes instant gratification that is bad. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok - their purpose is to make you consume more content, quicker, so they can harvest data on your likes and dislikes and stop you from thinking too hard, which makes you less likely to spend money. Social media should be about letting people talk to each other, not about glorification of celebrities.
And the former purpose is beneficial for youth, while the latter makes youths into victims.
Also just the general seperation of people. We are social creatures. We need to form bonds with other, but thanks to nuclear families, and work from home, and the loss of so many other social functions, we are losing those bonds. Thats extremely hard on mental health and resilience
I’m not discounting economic issues as a piece of this puzzle, but we also have solid research that social media is wreaking havoc on the mental health of everyone. Young people in particular. That’s also a big piece of the puzzle. Imagine how many problems would be solved if young people weren’t allowed on social media until age 18. Shit, imagine how much better the world would be if social media just didn’t exist.
I’d argue that social media isn’t inherently bad. It’s social media that promotes instant gratification that is bad. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok - their purpose is to make you consume more content, quicker, so they can harvest data on your likes and dislikes and stop you from thinking too hard, which makes you less likely to spend money. Social media should be about letting people talk to each other, not about glorification of celebrities.
And the former purpose is beneficial for youth, while the latter makes youths into victims.
Also just the general seperation of people. We are social creatures. We need to form bonds with other, but thanks to nuclear families, and work from home, and the loss of so many other social functions, we are losing those bonds. Thats extremely hard on mental health and resilience