Can A Cookie Make You *Sickly* Skinny?

Ever logged on to Facebook and realized that all the ad’s you see are surprisingly accurate to what you enjoy looking at or seeing on the internet? The other day I logged on, and mused over why Facebook was so insightful to my interests, why the site kept showing me things that were uncannily related to topics and issues I had recently been looking at. Obviously, I’m not very technologically savvy, because I decided to muse out loud in the university computer room, a question which was returned with incredulous expressions and the comment: “Cookies of course!”

I must have looked even more confused and lost, or just simply in awe of the internet’s mystical powers, because my peers then delved into an in-depth discussion of this delectably interesting concept called a Cookie.

The discussion prompted a little bit of research.

In essence, one’s online actions and movements can be ‘tracked’ and ‘stored’ as data on your computer and shown as a unique signature to certain advertising companies associated with particular sites. The whole cookie thing has led to something called ‘Behavioural Targeting’. At the centre of this process is something called a “third party cookie” which stores information on your hard drive allowing tracking to take place.[1]

To understand Behavioural Tracking (and how this all ties into mental health and social media), we must first understand the ‘Cookie’.

So first of all, what is a cookie? (Apart from the gooey chocolately goodness kind)

On your computer you have your internet browser (e.g. Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari etc.) then you have the website that you visit e.g. Amazon, Google, E-bay etc. When you visit a site for the first time- it wants to ‘remember you’. So it assigns you an ID number that is contained within a little text file called the cookie. Then, whenever the server sends a webpage back to you, it includes the cookie with it. That ID number lets the site remember the pages you visit, the products in your shopping cart and whatever information you provided such as your username, name, billing address.[1] In your computer, the cookie is linked to the name of the site, so that every time you visit the site- it will recognize you. [1]

Trackers, which are ad networks, follow your movements site to site using something called a third party cookie.[1,2] The third party cookie is installed on your computer and then ‘piggybacks’ off the site you originally visited. The third party cookie and the advertiser then come into play when you visit another site that may be related to the original advertiser.[2] When you visit this second site, the advertiser checks your third party cookie (remember this is stored on your computer- ‘tracking’ your internet movements) and looks for its cookie. Now let’s say they see that you do have their ‘cookie’ (i.e. you have visited a similar site before- your internet footprint per se) what the advertiser will then do is remember that you have visited these sites/pages and automatically display an appropriate ad target to your interests; e.g. derived from your past internet history- together with information the advertiser includes in the type of person they wish to view their advertisement. Now let’s get a bit more specific in terms of social media. On Facebook, the ad’s you see are selected for you based on the pages you like, the profiles you interact with, the stories you comment on and of course the information you share such as personal demographics such as age, gender, geographical location and ethnicity. Facebook uses this information (and COOKIES!) to target particular audiences.[1,3]

Ok, so that’s all pretty interesting…but errr how does this contribute to mental health/illness?

Facebook gets PAID to display ads to specific target audiences, so businesses want to ensure that their ads are displayed to the correct audience and they are engaging with the optimal crowd. [3] Now, businesses are well aware of the dominant and most interactive demographics using social media – adolescents and the young adult population. They are also well aware of the key interests of these populations, such as (and to greatly simply and generalise here) self-image, appearance, social acceptance, popular culture, music and entertainment. This culminates in a selective targeting of often insecure, emotionally vulnerable and ‘malleable’ population; where I use the word ‘malleable’ to refer to the fact that adolescents are undergoing a massive stage of development, psychologically and physically. With their psycho-social and emotional development and concept of self heavily influenced and reliant on their environmental and cultural factors, including the considered social norms, and pressure to attain a certain ‘ideal’ or conform to the in vogue trends and styles. These social pressures are heightened and amplified by this behavioural targeting. To understand this, let’s examine a probable example. Imagine a female adolescent who is slightly insecure about her body shape and subsequently feels envious and upset that her body does not fit the dictated ‘ideal’ set by the media and plastered across the internet in the form of heavily photo-shopped celebrity and model photographs, Instagram pictures, and of course, advertisements. She sees numerous ads on Facebook which all promise a ‘Miracle Cure or Easy- Step Rapid Weight Loss Programs” or “How to get the best Rockin’ Bikini Bod in 12 days!” and even “Look how Jane Doe went from Fat to Fab in 2 weeks! You can too!” This, in addition to a page she recently liked on Bikini Body Secrets registers on the internet, and begins to show her more and more of these ads, fuelling her insecurities and solidifying the idea that she needs to lose weight in order to be accepted by society and admired by friends. Ever been in the situation or witnessed when a friend has uploaded a photo followed by an overwhelming response of Likes and comments that state “OMG, you look so slim and gorgeous”; “Wow, I wish I had your body”; “That dress is soooo stunning on you, you’re so skinny now!”. Imagine our teenage female seeing these comments also, further manifesting in her mind that in order to be considered beautiful and popular or an attractive individual, she must lose weight so that she can gain acceptance and satisfaction/validation. We thus have this detrimental cumulative effect arising from pre-existing insecurities and predisposing psychological factors in the individual, compounded by their socio-cultural influences and heightened again by their online interactions due to behavioural targeting. What happens to our imaginary female teenager? Well, she may go on to become depressed, dissatisfied, discontent and lacking in self-esteem and confidence due to the consistent cues that she is not good enough, her body is inadequate and her genetics undesirable; on the other extreme, she may become immune and desensitized to it, and instead become more confident and accepting of who she is; she may develop an eating disorder in her quest to attain this unrealistic ideal, or she may develop social anxiety stemming from her belief that she will be spurned and rejected from her friends and others because of her appearance.

Males are just as affected, if not more due to these activities and advertisements online. It seems like a rite of passage these days for each teenager to attend a music festival, scantily clad in the most revealing and sexually objectifying clothing (or lack thereof). From my experience, it seems as though people spend more time taking pictures of themselves ‘having a good time’ than they do actually enjoying the music and the energetic atmosphere. There are pages on Facebook dedicated to “Festival’s most Hottest Chicks and D*cks” and numerous photos promoting incredibly ‘ripped’ and muscular men, some of whom their heads appear so out of proportion with their massive defined bodies that it is apparent they are abusing steroids. Sexual objectification is no longer limited to just females, but I am seeing it become a regular concerning occurrence for men too on the internet. Males are encouraged to attain a body-builder’s physique, with those who do applauded and celebrated on social media to the extent that others see it as the ultimate ideal of masculinity. Gym selfies are another prime example. So relating this all back to cookies, and social media and its role….let’s look at one more example.

Now we imagine a 17 year old male, Jim. His friends are all naturally tall and athletic, and most have started to frequent the gym on a daily basis. They all have girlfriends and are envied by the rest of his schoolmates. Jim however, inherited his father’s somewhat smaller stature and is more slightly built than athletic. No matter how hard he trains at school, he doesn’t seem to ‘bulk’ up as much as the other guys. He is regularly teased (in a joking manner of course) by his friends due to his ‘wimpy’ and small build, and is nicknamed “Runty”. Fed up with being the ‘runt’ of the litter, he begins researching exercise and fitness websites, all which promote the masculine body-builder phenotype. He is then shown an advertisement for “Muscle Power Miracle” – a steroid which is easily purchasable online. Jim orders the powder, and joins a gym, where he begins intensive 7-day/week workout sessions.

It takes 2 weeks before someone notices him change. To which he receives positive attention on Facebook including comments congratulating him on his ‘awesome rig’. To Jim, validation and social appreciation is then associated with body-image and steroid abuse. He continues this habit developing an eating disorder himself and functioning problems.

Now consider that the steroids and gym regimen did not work. Jim gets depressed that he cannot attain the desirable body image, and looks for other avenues to increase his acceptance and popularity. He watches as a couple of his mates post videos on social media of them doing ‘Neknominations’ where the individual is challenged to scull an entire alcoholic beverage in one go, somehow out-competing the original nominator. He decides to participate, and his entire beer sculling video is heavily liked and commented on. Jim feels contented that he has been validated in his masculinity and place in his social sphere. He soon becomes dependent on alcohol to both self-medicate his depression and to feel and gain acceptance from his peers. He develops a substance abuse disorder in his early twenties.

Sure, these seem like far-fetched scenarios, but the reality is indeed quite scary.

• Eating disorders are estimated to affect approximately 9% of the population. [4]
• Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa affect between 2% and 4% of the population [4]
• Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) may account for up to an additional 5% of the population [4]
• Up to 20% of females may have undiagnosed eating disorders [4]
• Most young people know at least one other young person who they think might have an eating disorder [4]
• 84.3% of Australian youth said they know one person who may have an eating disorder [4]
• 62.8% of young people said they know up to five people who may have an eating disorder [4]

In addition, it has been estimated that the average individual is exposed to 400-600 advertisements every day in magazines, on billboards, on television, and in newspapers. 1 in 11 has a direct message about beauty, not even counting the indirect messages. [5] But what’s more scary is that this fact doesn’t even take into account those targeted directly for us, bombarding us online.

Think about the current ‘Thinspiration’ Fad circulating Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter, where girls (and boys) post pictures of borderline or full-blown anorexic models and ‘idols’ as their thinspiration’ to lose weight. They themselves then become the ‘thinspirations’ for their peers. You don’t have to look far before being bombarded by the ‘Thigh Gap’ craze driving teenage girls to unhealthy BMIs in an effort to achieve a space between their thighs when they stand feet together.

  

Whilst it seems like doom and gloom, the Something Fishy [5] website on Eating Disorders puts it into perspective: “with all of these images, advertisements, and messages seeming counterproductive to a good self-image, and society’s overall acceptance of each person’s different size and shape, they are NOT the reason so many men and women develop an Eating Disorder. These images may not help, and for those already open to the possibility of negative coping mechanisms and/or mental illness, the media may play a small contributing role — but ultimately, if a young man or woman’s life situation, environment, and/or genetics leave them open to an Eating Disorder (or alcoholism, drug abuse, depression, OCD, etc.), they will still end up in the same place regardless of television or magazines. Ultimately it’s important to know that Anorexia, Bulimia and Compulsive Overeating are NOT about weight and food. Rather they are complex disorders where each sufferer is plagued with low self-esteem, an inability to cope with their own emotions and stress, and many underlying issues that have lead them to their disordered eating.” [5]

Whilst there is no definite or defined cause for mental illness, and every individual affected has their own complex multifactorial factors contributing to their illness manifestation, social media is providing an amplification platform where social ideals and concepts of ‘normality’ highlighted. In addition to cookies, advertisement behavioural targeting etc., the most insecure individuals can be quite seriously affected. We need to reconsider how we utilise the internet, how we engage with others and what our comments may ultimately be saying to someone. Perhaps instead of complimenting someone on their weight in a recently posted photograph, focus on say, their dress or eyes…“You look gorgeous in that colour, it really suits your eyes!” Or even better, perhaps we can start encouraging positive comments regardless of photo posting and self-promotion such as: “I really admired your artwork you displayed in the exhibition last week!” or “Just wanted to say how happy I was to see you yesterday- I really enjoyed lunch and talking with you!”

We need to start asking ourselves why we yearn for this consistent validation and admiration over what are in retrospect, incredibly narcissistic self-taken images? Why do we revel in other’s jealousy? Is it the reciprocal feeling of empowerment and success? Have we developed into a society that defines success and self-satisfaction as being the extent to which others yearn to be like us?

Be aware, advocate for positivity, and don’t become a victim to online advertisers, sexual objectification or Social Media dissatisfaction. We are all enough. We are all unique. We all deserve to feel accepted and loved.

 

References

[1] Live.wsj.com. 2014. How Advertisers Use Internet Cookies to Track You. [online] Available at: http://live.wsj.com/video/how-advertisers-use-internet-cookies-to-track-you/92E525EB-9E4A-4399-817D-8C4E6EF68F93.html#!92E525EB-9E4A-4399-817D-8C4E6EF68F93 [Accessed: 3 Apr 2014].

[2] Allaboutcookies.org. 2014. All About Computer Cookies – Session Cookies, Persistent Cookies,How to Enable/Disable/Manage Cookies. [online] Available at: http://www.allaboutcookies.org/ [Accessed: 3 Apr 2014].

[3] Facebook. 2014. Data Use Policy | Facebook. [online] Available at: https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/advertising [Accessed: 3 Apr 2014].

[4] Nedc.com.au. 2014. Eating Disorders in Australia. [online] Available at: http://www.nedc.com.au/eating-disorders-in-australia [Accessed: 3 Apr 2014].

[5] Group, C. 2014. Eating Disorders and the Media | Media Influence on Eating Disorders | Anorexia | Bulimia | Eating Disorders | Compulsive Overeating | The Something Fishy Website on Eating Disorders. [online] Available at: http://www.something-fishy.org/cultural/themedia.php [Accessed: 1 Apr 2014].

 

Selfie-satisfied? Or Selfie-Obsessed?

I have a little test for you. It starts like this:

You’re preparing for a friend’s party, your hair is done, your makeup flawless and you’re looking pretty darn hot-to-trot in that new little black strapless thingy you purchased last week. How many of you would consider then and there to pull out your phone in the bathroom and take a selfie?

Yep, it’s a common sight on the internet- the bathroom selfie, goddess-features inundating the online newsfeed, glamorous and picturesque images of divine beauty, often all taken from the same flattering angle, sometimes with an added filter for artistic effect and a very modest, humble and almost self-hating caption like “Just a little prep for Justine’s tonight” or “My new black * brand-name * dress, pity my hair totally didn’t work out” or “All ready to hit the town with my favourite girls”.

It’s common enough. And most of us wouldn’t even think twice about seeing a selfie, taking a selfie, or commenting on a selfie. But here is my question: Would you take a picture of yourself, touch it up to ensure you look your best, print out 200+ copies and then hand then hand each print out to one of your friends, maybe even to thrust the images in their faces and frantically ask “Do you think this is pretty?”; “What do you think about this dress?”’ “I look way too fat don’t I?!”; “Please tell me I’m beautiful!”; “Why didn’t you say you liked my photo?”; “Do you think I’m prettier than Georgia’s picture?”.

We can laugh at the hilarity and absurdity of that setting, but do we not already do this on social media? We are encouraged and drawn into a culture so self-obsessed, so dependent on continual validation to maintain their sense of self-worth and esteem. It is unhealthy, it is gluttonous, vain and addicting. But it is our culture. It is our generation. We have normalised this form of shameless self-promotion, and creating a comparison culture, where every individual male and female is sexually objectified, judged by their appearance and blatantly and publically compared to others. The most frightful aspect of this new ‘selfie addiction’ however, is that youth are becoming dependent on it; dependent on the reactions given by their online peers and ‘friends’; dependent on the assurances that they are indeed beautiful or incredibly ‘ripped’ which in turn has become a defining quality in determining how ‘worthy’ you are as a person, and how valued you are in the community.
This focus on self-image and validation by online strangers is driving increasing insecurities in today’s teenagers and young adults. How can we possibly compete with the ‘beautiful’ images of people plastered online? How disgusting must we be, if all those pictures online are of ‘real’ people? We forget so easily of the technological manipulation, the staging and setting of the posted photos, and so often fall back into the mode of comparing our lowlights and flaws to everyone else’s highlight reels. It’s not hard to understand then, why body dysmorphia, depression, eating disorders and heightened insecurities leading to anxiety disorders are becoming so prevalent in young people today. Not only are we addicted to ‘selfies’ and becoming fixated upon the online response they receive, but we are further propagating our own sexual objectification and focusing the online community to unhealthy/unrealistic body image goals by the usage of certain ‘hashtags’ such as #nomakeupselfie, #bikinibabes, #blonde, #model, #thighgap.

“OK, selfies are a little vain, but everyone does them, and hey- they’re not that bad….”

Selfies are benign you say?
The reality is shocking. A recent article posted on Mirror News, told the story of Danny Bowman; a 19 year old who dropped out of school, didn’t leave his house in 6 months, and attempted suicide when he couldn’t take the perfect photo [1]. Danny is one of the few publicised cases of a very serious mental health problem brewing in today’s youth….selfie addiction leading to an internet-derived manifestation of body dysmorphic disorder (DSM IV). The story is astounding, with Danny admitting he would take up to 200 selfies a day, often spending about 3 minutes on each selfie, (~10hrs/day!) in his obsession to obtain the ideal image. The addiction stemmed from this ‘validation cycle’ when he was 15 and on Facebook. The article quotes Danny: “People would comment on them, but children can be cruel. One told me my nose was too big for my face and another picked on my skin. I started taking more and more to try to get the approval of my friends.” “I would be so high when someone wrote something nice but gutted when they wrote something unkind.” [1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2wTpah9Wfc
Danny is an extreme case, with his addiction culminating in a suicide attempt; but as Dr David Veal – a psychiatrist who helped Danny recover – stated that selfie addiction “is (becoming) a serious problem. It’s not a vanity issue. It’s a mental health one which has an extremely high suicide rate” [1] and is becoming so widespread that is now recognized as a mental illness. The addiction preys on the insecurities and vulnerabilities of adolescents and young adults, who are developing a sense of identity and concept of self-worth. In fact, Dr Veal stated that “”Two out of three of all the patients who come to see (him) with Body Dysmorphic Disorder since the rise of camera phones have a compulsion to repeatedly take and post selfies on social media sites.” [2]

So how far does this selfie-craze have to go before we recognize something needs to be done? It is foolish to ask the internet population to cease taking selfies- it is unfortunately become an integral part of our culture and validation of self-esteem. What we need to encourage and begin proactively doing, is not participating in sexually objectifying selfies, to refrain from posting images of yourself online that have retouched, edited, or have simply been posted for attention and compliments. We do not wish to see your bedroom mess reflected in your wardrobe mirror, we’d rather see your new bikini’s on at the beach with a group of friends rather than in the dressing room of a shop; we definitely do not enjoy the photos of you looking pristine at the gym (surely I’m not the only one who looks disgusting and on the brink of respiratory collapse and exercise-induced anaphylaxis during exercise? Let alone having a hand too sweaty to even take a selfie?). It is not flattering, no matter how gorgeous you look, or how great your muscles look in the light, but bathroom selfies simply cry vanity and insecurity. Post your selfies, but ask yourself before you do, Why am I posting this? Am I celebrating an event? Am I announcing a new haircut? Or are you doing it for confirmation and reassurance of how ‘thin’ and pretty you are, or how toned and defined you’ve become? Are you secretly wishing to create envy? We are all guilty of it. But we do not do it out of sheer vanity, narcissism or egotism to begin with, we do it because we feel pressured to conform, to be approved of, or perhaps initially just to also show your new outfit, and share with your friends how glamorous you may be looking. Beware of when it takes hold, the addiction and the insecurities. You do not need the approval of online acquaintances. You are not defined by your appearance.

 

 

 

 

Body Dysmorphia Video

 

 

 

 

 

 

COMIC RELIEF

A hilarious blog on the ‘worst type of selfies’ – Can you relate?

A Funny look at “the 12 types of selfies” and “what they say about you”

 

 

 

References

[1]Aldridge G, Harden K. Selfie addict took TWO HUNDRED a day – and tried to kill himself when he couldn’t take perfect photo. [Online] 23 March 2014. 2014 Available from: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/selfie-addict-took-two-hundred-3273819 [Accessed 30 Mar 2014].

[2]Unknown. Selfies Linked to Narcissism, Addiction and Mental Illness. Disclose.tv, Weblog. [Online] Available from: http://www.disclose.tv/news/Selfies_Linked_to_Narcissism_Addiction_and_Mental_Illness/101410 [Accessed: 30 Mar 2014].

Facebook Envy….Why are today’s adolescents so jealous, so alone, so miserable?

Is Facebook Making You Miserable?

If identity is shaped by the society around us, then we can assume that children and adolescents today are under tremendous pressure to conform to the unrealistic ideals and images bombarded by the media and internet community. The nature of online social interaction means that we do not get the “full, realistic picture”, but rather the edited versions of people, their ‘highlight reels’ of perfection. Hiding behind the online subterfuge, users cannot sufficiently engage in their environment or community as effectively as would face-to-face encounters. The online movement, has resulted in reduced communication skills, understanding of non-verbal language cues and facial expression. Furthermore, individuals are drawn into the false impression that due to residing in the privacy of their own home/ workplace, behind a computer screen and using a pseudonym or different online persona, that the usual social conventions, expectations and manners/etiquette apply. As a result, individuals are disinhibited and much more likely to respond in a more harsher, denigrating and detrimental manner than they may usually do in confrontation or arguments. The social networking explosion has given birth to a new generation of attention-seeking, self-promoting individuals, each competing for their voice to be heard and recognized amongst the millions of people suddenly in our ‘community’ as opposed to the smaller, more intimate social environments in the past. Social media profiles, utilize image, ‘likes’, status updates, comments and popularity as a gauge of a person’s character and thus do not just attract a more narcissistic and self-obsessed population, but actively encourage all of its members to participate and engage in the judgmental way of thinking and behavior. So for an individual user then, the effect of participating in an environment that focuses on appearance and superficiality whilst simultaneously being fed lies and unrealistic images, hidden behind lines of code and photo-shopped images, how can possibly expect individuals to not suffer from insecurities and anxiety? How do we learn to distinguish fact from fiction?

And perhaps more importantly, how do we teach young, newer users of social media to discriminate between reality and fiction?

“Facebook Envy”….A precursor to “Facebook Depression?”

On the surface, social media websites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter appear benign, even beneficial in establishing and encouraging social engagement, communication and interaction. So why is it that we often are left feeling dissatisfied, disillusioned and discontent?

Let’s set the scene: you’re home on the weekend, with little planned, except to complete a couple of errands, maybe some homework, an assignment, or if you’re working- maybe with the sole intention of relaxing. It’s fair to say in your prastinating boredom, you resort to the computer and log in to your favourite social media website to see what everyone else is up to. Surely a little Facebooking will take your mind off things, like the stressful week at school/work/uni, the fight you had with your partner and the pile of homework/assignments/bills that threaten to give even the 7 wonders of the world a run for their money. So you start absentmindedly trawling through the Facebook newsfeed, and what you see is picture after picture of friends on vacation, traversing the world, participating in exciting activities and events. You see Sam’s new car, Josh and Tracy’s new house on the beach front, Jeremy’s night out where he met his favourite band, and- oh, all your friend’s at a birthday party that you seemed to have not been invited too.

Its no surprise that you feel more lousy than when you originally logged on. Social media encourages ‘social competition’ by causing it’s users to feel jealous, envious and discontent with our lives as opposed to the feeling of popularity, involvement, support, love and care we expect from the so-called warm embrace of our friends and our wider social network. [1] A 2013 article titled “Envy on Facebook: A Hidden Threat to Users’ Life Satisfaction?” studied 600 participants of the social network website and found that 1 in 3 felt worse after visiting the site – especially if they viewed vacation photos, or spent extended time on without posting their own content to feel validated. [2] The study also stated “past research has linked consumption of social information on FB to such undesirable outcomes as jealousy, increase in social tension, social overload, isolation and even depression,” and that “passive following exacerbates envy feelings, which decrease life satisfaction. From a provider’s perspective, our findings signal that users frequently perceive Facebook as a stressful environment, which may, in the long-run, endanger platform sustainability.” [2] So indeed, it would appear as though Facebook has grown into something quite insidious and dark…where it once was a platform to leisurely engage with friends, has now matured into a source of stress and tension- linked to increasing pressures and strains of conformity on users. Interestingly, the study noted behaviours that I often see mimicked on Facebook myself, whereby as part of young people’s envy-coping plan, some users may engage in “even greater self-promotion and impression management.” [2] In fact, it was interesting to read the study’s interpretation of the increased self-promotion as a reaction to jealousy of other users, mentioning: “After all, overstatement of persona accomplishment is a common reaction to envy feelings This behaviour can trigger the phenomenon we denoted as the self-promotion – envy spiral, with users reacting with even more self-promotional content to the self-promotion of others. As a result, envy-ridden character of the platform climate can become even more pronounced” [2].

So whilst we may all begin with the intention of using social media for pleasure and relaxation, given the opportunity, and the ‘correct circumstances’ (e.g. increased insecurity, low self-esteem, heightened feelings of depression and anxiety all relatively common in the adolescent population), the negative seed can take root in the user’s psyche and grow- nurtured by the negative cycle of envy-self promotion-gratification-validation. Perhaps we can agree at the moment, for most of us, social media’s positive aspects currently supersede the negative aspects…however, how do we know when it begins to become detrimental to us? How do we identify when we become victims to the superficial publicity and self-promotion-envy spiral? Will we be able to tell at all? Like any addiction, the user does not wish to stop or acknowledge the damage the drug/tool has inflicted- nor does he/she often even realize they have a problem. The same applies for Facebook. Thus brings us to our question- how important is it for adolescents and pre-teens to be educated about the usage of the internet and its detrimental side effects? How young is too young? For adolescents who are already in a pressured environment socially, mentally and emotionally, who are developing, and experiencing a period of insecurity, often low self-esteem and uncertain sense of identity, what can be done to help prevent these detrimental aspects of social media affecting the adolescent mind set and culminating in mental illness? How do we identity those who need help? When does a teenager’s right to privacy end and the greater need for supervision on the internet begin- when we suspect that the teenager may be suffering online? Before? Or is it all a matter of teaching the new generations how to be more resilient and confident in themselves and if so, why should we expect them to do this- when this stress has previously been a void and absent factor in generations before them….do we even understand the full extent of social media and internet usage has on the developing brain?

The envy/misery and gratification/validation cycle of Social Media Addiction

 

 

What are your thoughts on Facebook?

Are we an addicted society?

What needs to be done?

 

References

[1]Sifferlin, A. 2013. Why Facebook Makes You Feel Bad About Yourself. [online] 24th January. Available at: http://healthland.time.com/2013/01/24/why-facebook-makes-you-feel-bad-about-yourself/ [Accessed: 26 Mar 2014].

[2] Krasnova, H., Wenninger, H., Widjaja, T. and Buxmann, P. 2013. Envy on Facebook: A Hidden Threat to Users’ Life Satisfaction?. p. 92.

The Reality of the Unreal

Think back for a moment, back to just a few months ago. On the 1st of December of 2013, what were you doing? Perhaps you were looking forward to the holidays, or getting started on organising Christmas gifts for family and friends. On that day, there was something very different happening to Dakota Moore, a 21 year old Ontarian university student, and the 200 people who chose to witness the event unfold online. Goaded and cheered on by internet users from the website 4chan, Moore attempted to commit suicide ‘live, ‘ via a webcam chat room. Nobody thought to stop him. In fact, they encouraged him and made fun of him, made memes about him, and joked about him. The video taken from the incident ran for a full 40 minutes, and nobody in that time thought to alert authorities as Dakota swallowed pills, hid himself in his dorm room, and set fire to his surroundings.

Moore’s friends hit back at the perpetrators, saying,

‘Anyone making a joke out of this is absolutely disgusting. Pretending that this wasn’t real, sharing, making memes…this is someone’s […] life. You all should be ashamed of yourselves. 

Dakota Moore: Urged on by internet users to commit sucide.

‘You’re living in an altered reality where something like attempted suicide has become ‘fun’. You people need help.’ 

Moore’s friends are right. The tendency to view what happens on the internet as being outside of the ‘real world’ can have consequences that extend beyond mere jokes about not venturing outside because you’re socially awkward. Forgetting that the person on the other side of the screen is a real person, with thoughts, feelings, and dreams –having that dissociation from that person via the expanse of the internet– shows that the mental health of both the perpetrator, and the victim, are at harm. Psychologists note the phenomenon of ‘group death instincts.’ It has been observed that crowds that gather where suicidal individuals are standing on tall buildings often incite them to jump. Internet communications studied by psychologists have been shown to mirror this, and mental health specialists worry that the internet is making it easier for self-destructive individuals to incite others to kill themselves. The internet has huge potential for a powerful, destructive, collective force to develop, that encourages an ambivalent view of increases in suicide[1]. The only reason why Moore was saved was because someone who lived in his building noticed it was on fire, and called emergency services.

Let’s have a closer look at the perpetrator, the cyberbully. Let’s look deeper into their psyche. Research shows that while cyberbullies demonstrate high levels of moral competence, they severely lack moral compassion[2]. In other words, the cyberbullies understand what moral behaviour requires, but they are unable to translate that into feeling for the other person, the victim –frighteningly, the cyberbully can easily switch their mind to ‘disengage-from-all-feelings’ mode, and evade any feeling of guilt. What they understand about the moral implications of their actions has little bearing on their actual actions[3]. The internet, then, appears to also provide another layer of dissociation and disengagement from their actions – it’s that ability to avoid what’s ‘real.’

Tyler Clementi: Committed suicide due to being embarrassed online by peers.

Cyberbullying has been found to triple the suicide risk among teenagers[4]. The news is filled worldwide with young people driven as far as suicide due to cyberbullying. The BBC reports about a 14 year old Italian girl who committed suicide this February due to users on the website Ask.fm writing her hostile messages telling her to commit suicide, when she had posted on the website seeking relationship advice[5]. Similarly, a 15 year old American girl committed suicide in January due to cyberbullying attacks from school peers. The high-profile cases of Amanda Todd and Tyler Clementi, both driven to suicide through avenues of social media, show the effects of the cyberbullies’ inability to see that even if the harassment is over the internet, it is still very real, and very harmful.

Tyler Clementi Committed suicide by jumping off bridge at 18 years of age when he was a university student in New Jersey, USA. Fellow students used a webcam to secretly stream personal footage of Clementi live online, and used Twitter to send inappropriate messages to urge others to watch.

Amanda Todd  High school student who was blackmailed, bullied, and physically assaulted. Abusive messages and media footage of abuse were continuously circulated online by her highschool peers. Todd was found hanged in her home at 15 years old.

A further issue is the anonymity with which cyberbullies can operate. Charlotte Dawson, an Australian former model and television personality, recently committed suicide due to the torrent of vicious attacks against her via social media by anonymous cyberbullies[6].

Charlotte Dawson, former model and television personality, committed suicide after vicious attacks from online trolls via Twitter.

Kate Carnell, the CEO of Beyond Blue points out that “Because people can bully anonymously, it makes it more likely and more dangerous.” There’s even the concept of the ‘keyboard warrior,’ someone who isn’t afraid to speak out harshly against others because they can hide behind the anonymity of the keyboard – it’s something they wouldn’t do in ‘real life,’ because they don’t want to hurt the feelings of others, or they can’t bear the confrontation that would befall them if they accosted someone in the same manner face-to-face.

The internet has changed the way we communicate, and therefore the speed and intensity at which we can pepper others with what we want to say. We can contact people virtually 24-7, send messages daily, hourly, even by the minute. Before the proliferation of social media, young people might be bullied at school, but then could often escape from it physically, by going home[7]. Cyberbullying is seen by workers in mental health as being more problematic than traditional bullying, because it can happen at anytime from anywhere.[8] As victim Amanda Todd’s mother wonders,

‘I shake my head and I think, ‘Are kids really that nasty, do they really not think, what if it was them?’[9]

Please, learn to realise that the person on the other side of your computer screen is just as real a person as you are. Remember to exercise your empathy, and ask yourself, would I want to be treated in this way? No longer can we think of the internet as an ‘unreal’ place, as opposed to the ‘real’ outside world. Cyberbullying is still bullying, whatever the method to deliver it may be.

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[1] Baume P, Cantor C, Rolfe A. Cybersuicide: the role of interactive suicide notes on the Internet.. Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention. 1997; 18 (2): 73.

[2] Gini G, Pozzoli T, Hauser M. Bullies have enhanced moral competence to judge relative to victims, but lack moral compassion. Personality and Individual Differences. 2011; 50 (5): 603–608.

[3] As above

[4] Boschert S. Cyberbullying triples suicide risk in teenagers.. Pediatric News. 2014; 47 (6):15.

[5] http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26151425

[6] http://jezebel.com/5939225/next-top-model-judge-hospitalized-after-twitter-bullying-leads-to-suicide-attempt

[7] https://sites.google.com/site/cyberbullyingawareness/traditional-bullying-vs-cyberbullying

[8] http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2014/03/22/suicidal-ideation-cyberbullying/

[9] Shaw, Gillian (October 20, 2012). “‘She shared everything with me’: Amanda Todd’s mother talks about her life with her daughter”. vancouversun.com. Retrieved October 21, 2012.