THE suicide of a teenager in Sarawak triggered by an Instagram poll is a shocking revelation.
Some may say that the teenager may have resolved to kill herself regardless of the outcome of the poll, one fact remains and that is the need for reaffirmation through social media and this is prevalent among today’s adults.
This is a worrying trend as the digital age has ushered in superficial culture of acceptance which is measured in the number of likes, followers, views, and downloads. One’s self worth is determined by the accumulation of such digital “responses” that is capable of influencing one emotionally and physically. It is therefore not surprising that social media platforms are distorting the values of many individuals, their self-worth and their ability to make decisions.
Digital social media spaces have become artificial grounds for the inflation of one’s vanity, ego, and self-esteem. The posting of a picture, a video, a post, emoji or comment is gratifying to the user who seeks such acknowledgment from their social media friends. The self-gratification that it bestows to the attention seeker is akin to “digital heroin” and is the reality of the digital communication world.
Social media platforms have changed from the last decade in terms of its content, format, objective, usage, and functionality. They have evolved to become a universal “marketing” tool for the individual and organisations.
This has led to a phenomenon that author Mark Manson calls “mass-media-driven exceptionalism”. It is the pervasiveness of technology and its consumption that has distorted people’s expectations for themselves and their self-worth. The constant “inundation of exceptionalism” of social media has conditioned many to believe that exceptionalism is the norm and one must be “visible”, successful, and lead highly extraordinary and meaningful lives as individuals of the digital age.
This would lead some individual who have less than “glamorous” lives to feel inadequate when comparisons are made to social media tinsel town. Thus, it is not surprising that the rise in depression and mental-health illnesses are said to be linked to the rise of social media exposure especially for the millennial generation. Feeling isolated, lonely, depressed, and insecure, they turn to the digital world for a reaffirmation of their existence and the reality of such an escapism can be a double-edged sword for the many who live by such an existence.
What is advocated is therefore a more balanced, healthy exposure to social media news and a greater emphasis on moral and religious values. In addition, individuals also require judicious perception, high self-esteem and a strong will to overcome social media stereotyping and biasness. The time has never been more urgent than now to detoxify ourselves of such falsehoods, and embrace our limits and shortcomings. If ever there is a need for individuals to seek help, the answer can never be from social media but from trained professionals, counsellors, parents and close trusted friends. One should not be too engrossed in living in the digital world that one forgets the real, physical world of the present.
David C.E. Tneh
Petaling Jaya
