facebookxiety
There is no hiding the fact that social networking sites are sweeping users from all ages and backgrounds off their feet. Children, adults, the elderly....everyone wants a piece of the networking pie. From myspace to linkedin. Technology moves fast, but our innate desire to stay connected with each other stays the same. We can use these wonderul sites to post news, find business collegagues, make new friends or even for committing crimes. The need to stay connected to other humans as well as to world news and events has caused social networking sites to soar in popularity. They are fun and for the most part they are safe....but.....a new anxiety builds.
We've all heard the cases of children commiting suicide to escape online bullying, people being humiliatedd by "no-no" pictures being spread around the web ,and women finding out they have web stalkers, but the real anxiety comes from our innate need to feel connected.
Before, it used to be that insecurities and social anxieties stayed in the realm of school and home...now they are brought to life on the web. Friends competing for higher numbers, more pictures, more event pages, funnier videos, longer chats etc.
Before social networking, a middle schooler who feels left out for not being invited to the sock hop can go home and just walk it off. Here about it the next Monday, then move on to the next thing they feel left out about. Today, that same child can view pictures, comments, and event pages about the event he missed...everyday. The same child may wish to compete on this online popularity contest by trying to be-friend everyone he or she has ever spoken to, even if it were a brief period of time. THey child might try and post cooler pictures of themselves doing crazy or funny things so that everyone can see what his life is like. One can make their own collage of pictures, quotes, music, and interests to portray themselves however they please. So, in a way its a good way to define urself and reflect ur identity online as well as you already do in ur everyday life.
However, there comes a problem when you compete too hard, become vulnerable (fall victim to a weak self image) to other people's overwhelming pages , and change who you are to meet demands you see on pages and pages of other identities. Of course, this happens to those who have lower self esteem and weaker self images. Also, to people who do not have a well developed identity (like adolescents). But the thing is, it doesnt seem to stop with the youngsters, who are naturally competetive and on the bumpy road to establishing their identity and self.
It happens with adults too! Why? why is there such an anxiety around this. It's like the more information we are given about another person, the more we want to be like them. Adult A sees adults Ds page...decies that B-D have lead better more ideal lives and then adult A becomes disappointed with his own life......even though it never would have crossed his mind otherwise. So adult A either stays depressed or goes on a quest to "improve their life". But don't they realize that the pictures and liked movies from the others don't matter. they dont actually define anyone. A person is defined by what they do....or at least they should be...not by how many pictures or movies they own.
anywho, adult A now tries to do things they never wanted to do before...hoping to find some sort of happiness by feeling conntected and relatable to adults B-D. Meanwhile, B-D still live their lives normally...they go to work, same as A. they deal with BS , get sick, get sad, get happy, worry about their weight....same as A. But A strives until he runs out of steam and realized that that whole time he should have just been doing what made him happy to begin with...even if B-D have never heard of it. because as I say.....screw that noise.
Adult A will hopefully realize that his anxiety is just from his innate yearn to connect. Therefore, he should do what he loves , keep an open mind, and be with people who also enjoy the things he does/his company. That sounds very low anxiety. These sites are not the cause of the anxiety, don't get me wrong I know its the PERSONALITY that causes it. It's just now that we are entering this new age of online social connectivity, there is a new way for those personality types to feel lesser.
Of course there is the other side of this....rather than anxiety driven...there is the competition that is driven by narcissism and pretentiousness. Where it's people who want to glorify their own lives because they actually view themselves as glorified people. They compete for all the same things as Adult A. they want pics, movies, interestes, hobbies, friends, names....just like in their everyday lives(IRL if you will) , they want it all.
I remember reading one article talking about how many pictures people put online. This is me at a bus stop...look I go outside hehe . This is me eating food... look I ate at a resturaunt.... this is me wearing a smiley shirt....look i'm original like that guy on Forrest Gump....
I am not one to talk. I have lots of pics of dumb stuff. I have lots of movies listed that I havent watched in a long time. I have many friends on my list that I only speak to once in a while.....but you know what I'm talking about. THere is normal and there is neurotic. Again, this is not because of the sites themselves...just simply the personality types adapting to the new online world. I find it interesting and when I meet people like Adult A and example 2....I hope they find whatever it is they are looking for...because happiness can't be measured in the way in which they search and exploit.
We've all heard the cases of children commiting suicide to escape online bullying, people being humiliatedd by "no-no" pictures being spread around the web ,and women finding out they have web stalkers, but the real anxiety comes from our innate need to feel connected.
Before, it used to be that insecurities and social anxieties stayed in the realm of school and home...now they are brought to life on the web. Friends competing for higher numbers, more pictures, more event pages, funnier videos, longer chats etc.
Before social networking, a middle schooler who feels left out for not being invited to the sock hop can go home and just walk it off. Here about it the next Monday, then move on to the next thing they feel left out about. Today, that same child can view pictures, comments, and event pages about the event he missed...everyday. The same child may wish to compete on this online popularity contest by trying to be-friend everyone he or she has ever spoken to, even if it were a brief period of time. THey child might try and post cooler pictures of themselves doing crazy or funny things so that everyone can see what his life is like. One can make their own collage of pictures, quotes, music, and interests to portray themselves however they please. So, in a way its a good way to define urself and reflect ur identity online as well as you already do in ur everyday life.
However, there comes a problem when you compete too hard, become vulnerable (fall victim to a weak self image) to other people's overwhelming pages , and change who you are to meet demands you see on pages and pages of other identities. Of course, this happens to those who have lower self esteem and weaker self images. Also, to people who do not have a well developed identity (like adolescents). But the thing is, it doesnt seem to stop with the youngsters, who are naturally competetive and on the bumpy road to establishing their identity and self.
It happens with adults too! Why? why is there such an anxiety around this. It's like the more information we are given about another person, the more we want to be like them. Adult A sees adults Ds page...decies that B-D have lead better more ideal lives and then adult A becomes disappointed with his own life......even though it never would have crossed his mind otherwise. So adult A either stays depressed or goes on a quest to "improve their life". But don't they realize that the pictures and liked movies from the others don't matter. they dont actually define anyone. A person is defined by what they do....or at least they should be...not by how many pictures or movies they own.
anywho, adult A now tries to do things they never wanted to do before...hoping to find some sort of happiness by feeling conntected and relatable to adults B-D. Meanwhile, B-D still live their lives normally...they go to work, same as A. they deal with BS , get sick, get sad, get happy, worry about their weight....same as A. But A strives until he runs out of steam and realized that that whole time he should have just been doing what made him happy to begin with...even if B-D have never heard of it. because as I say.....screw that noise.
Adult A will hopefully realize that his anxiety is just from his innate yearn to connect. Therefore, he should do what he loves , keep an open mind, and be with people who also enjoy the things he does/his company. That sounds very low anxiety. These sites are not the cause of the anxiety, don't get me wrong I know its the PERSONALITY that causes it. It's just now that we are entering this new age of online social connectivity, there is a new way for those personality types to feel lesser.
Of course there is the other side of this....rather than anxiety driven...there is the competition that is driven by narcissism and pretentiousness. Where it's people who want to glorify their own lives because they actually view themselves as glorified people. They compete for all the same things as Adult A. they want pics, movies, interestes, hobbies, friends, names....just like in their everyday lives(IRL if you will) , they want it all.
I remember reading one article talking about how many pictures people put online. This is me at a bus stop...look I go outside hehe . This is me eating food... look I ate at a resturaunt.... this is me wearing a smiley shirt....look i'm original like that guy on Forrest Gump....
I am not one to talk. I have lots of pics of dumb stuff. I have lots of movies listed that I havent watched in a long time. I have many friends on my list that I only speak to once in a while.....but you know what I'm talking about. THere is normal and there is neurotic. Again, this is not because of the sites themselves...just simply the personality types adapting to the new online world. I find it interesting and when I meet people like Adult A and example 2....I hope they find whatever it is they are looking for...because happiness can't be measured in the way in which they search and exploit.