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].

Face-[the-facts]-book

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Compare, and Beware!

Are you comparing your ‘behind-the-scences’ to everyone else’s ‘highlight-reels’?

“I don’t feel jealous of other people enough…I should probably go on Facebook and compare how crap my life is to others”

“You know what? I’m so confident in who I am, I really need a reality check: better log in to social media and find out where I’m going wrong in life and failing at miserably.”

“I love comparing myself to others: it motivates me to be better than them. I’m going to make sure the world knows I have a bigger and nicer house, a well-earning occupation and a damn-attention-grabbing body”

Sound familiar?

No?

So, why are you so addicted to this culture online then?

Surely we aren’t all this masochistic?

Are we?

 

Don’t get me wrong, communication via Facebook and/or other social media sites are great- it provides a platform for me to constantly be connected with friends and the happenings of the world; however have you ever noticed how everyone is always having such an awesome time?

Like, here I am, sitting here at the computer (it’s a gorgeously sunny day outside, a light breeze blows tantalizingly at my window- beckoning me to experience the world beyond my bedroom coupe) and I’m mindlessly scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed, when it hits me: Boy, am I really that much of a boring person?

The problem is you see, is that we are inundated with everyone’s so called ‘highlight reels’ on Facebook: each only posting images and comments that they are most proud or passionate about. Photos with 20 people tagged in them, all dolled up ad beautified for a night out on the town, footed by the caption “Just a casual Friday night”. Whilst I didn’t realise it at the time, I immediately felt isolated and unusual. A casual Friday night? Looking gorgeous at some exclusive club sipping multi-coloured liqueurs, waited on by well-dressed club staff was a casual Friday night?! For me, a casual Friday night is nothing better than lounging in my most comfortably outfit at home with some Thai food, a movie and my family….oh, and Facebook- have to keep up with the world after all! The point is, social media encourages us to create a separate online persona- one which is often ‘idealised’ and falsified. We create ‘highlight reels’ of our life in an attempt to compete with the rest of the world: this is what I’m doing; this is why it’s more important; I am a good person because I’m doing this; Look where I have been- I’m so cultured and well-travelled…the list goes on and on. We may deny it, but essentially social media is helping to propagate narcissistic ideology:   encouraging shameless self-promotion and creating a ‘stage’ upon which we are all performers, and it is up to our social media interactions and activity that determine our ‘performance’. Thus it is easy to see how this has manifested in youth’s as eating disorders, depression and anxiety. We are continuously comparing ourselves; the bulk of our lives to everyone’s glamorous ‘highlight reels’ and led to believe that we are somehow dysfunctional, less-than-par, inadequate. Beautiful, often photo-shopped images flood the adolescent newsfeed, girls are falling victims to their own sexual objectification. There is an unspoken competition between the female adolescent population to obtain ‘more likes’ and flattering comments on their photos of their ‘selfies’ or uploaded images. To the developing young mind then, it is no wonder we are seeing an increase in eating disorders. Girls and boys alike are being exposed to idealised, unrealistic and unattainable images of so-called ‘perfection’; teenagers no longer have to deal with the usual social pressures in school/ social hierarchies etc, but now have to also try and keep up with the demands placed on them by social media. The online culture thus supports the thinking that if you do not fit the ‘ideal’ or ‘photo-shopped perfect’ then you do not belong;-you are not desirable or attractive.

By only ever seeing everyone’s highlight reels, we become disillusioned with our own lives. Nothing is ever good enough- because someone always has it better; “the grass is always greener” Right? It’s a new American Dream; but this time played on a global, online scale. There is a constant psychological battle that takes place within the susceptible developing adolescent mind: a fight between the search for identity and the concept of self: and that of comparison with the online community as a barometer of ‘normality’. The problem is: the ‘normality’ they are comparing themselves to, is far from normal: its glorified, beautified and quite often- falsified. This continual comparison is not necessarily done consciously either; we do it without thinking, and is heightened in already insecure adolescents driving them to believe that their life, their body image, their personality and relationships are inadequate, sub-par and lacklustre. If for every achievement, or event you experienced you found out that there was someone else who was better, or made to believe that the majority of people are constantly vivacious, happy and active: you too would feel pretty dull. It is not necessarily dependent on how ‘strong willed’ or minded you are either: as long as you are on social media and interacting with others, it is inevitable (and human nature) that we will try and draw comparisons between our life and someone else’s. This comparison culture is creating a breeding ground for insecurity- especially in adolescents. It’s no wonder then, that depression rates are on the rise. It’s the American Dream all over again- happiness is only transient online, until you discover there is something better out there- others are better off, more happy and more ‘perfect’.

Thus, we are faced with a tyranny of worries when uploading pictures or posting comments on social media; particularly for adolescents who are seeking validation or approval.

Will my photo be liked? Am I pretty enough in this image? What if someone says something ‘funny’ about the picture? I hope no one tags me in that picture Sarah uploaded- I look hideous. Should I post that funny joke I heard this morning? Others might not find it as funny, maybe no one will comment back-will that mean I’m annoying and unpopular?

Still think social media and anxiety are not linked in the adolescent population?

In the instant we log in- BAM! A million and one reasons why you aren’t good enough! Think about how many times you may have felt guilty after seeing someone’s ‘Fitspiration” Instagram pictures, or Gym progress shots. We compare inevitably; because it’s what we are programmed to do. And it’s made worse because social media provides us with an addictive catalogue of people to compare ourselves to.  Now put yourselves in the shoes of an adolescent or young adult, looking for ways to validate themselves, and understanding who they are and how they fit into the world: how on Earth are they supposed to compete with the idealised onslaught of glory on social media?

Enter stage left: Depression, Anxiety, Eating Disorders- ahh heck; bring the whole load on stage!

 

Comparison creates this destructive cycle; whereby we assure ourselves that “at least I’m not like him/her” and at the same time wallow in misery because “we can never be as incredible and attractive/popular as him/her”. This sort of polarised, judgemental thinking establishes a breeding ground for insecurity, distrust, and superficiality in the developing adolescent character. When instead: we should encourage comparison only with who we once were, and who we are now. This promotes self-reflection, growth and psycho-emotional maturation; as opposed to self-loathing, perfectionism and discontent.

So something needs to be done for the current and upcoming generation of young people if we wish to avoid an even greater explosion of mental health problems than we are experiencing already now. The quick fix? Delay social media participation. The reality? Not a chance, Mum. We need to educate and equip youth with the tools necessary to deal with, cope and recognise the dangers and pressures of social media. Bullying and social pressure is not confined to the schoolyard anymore folks, there’s a whole world online dedicated to it, and its disguised as a benign communication platform. Encourage ‘healthy’ online habits: ‘add’ only your closest friends, surround yourself with positive people, remove those you find make you miserable (be it intentionally or indirectly), and limit your online involvement per day. Sometimes, dare I say, the day outside beckons actual face-to-face engagement, and perhaps we can hope to grow more as individuals if we try and increase personal interaction as opposed to damaging and destructive online comparison cycles of thinking.

Someone has a bigger, nicer house, a better job, a better wardrobe, a better body. They had a way better holiday than I did, I didn’t go to all the places they did, they looked like they had so much fun. Gosh, I wish I was as amazing as Jane Do and go volunteering in an exotic location; I did nothing but work in a humdrum job all uni-break. He has a nicer car, a hot girlfriend, and way more money than I do- he must be so happy.

 

“We struggle with insecurity because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.” – Steven Furtick

What do you think? Is Social media creating a compare-focussed culture? Do the psychological detriments outweigh the social benefits?

Does an adolescent’s chance of depression/anxiety/eating disorders depend on their pre-existing personality and other risk factors – if so, what are the potential predisposing factors? Perfectionism? Insecurity? Isolation? 

Connected, but more alone?

Perhaps the first question to ask regarding to the debate on mental health problems in adolescents and youths follows:

                Is technology and social media to blame?

Most of us would be able to argue defiantly against this point, being users of social media itself. I, myself am depend on social media to keep me informed, up to date and connected with my peers, colleagues, family and friends. It has become my diary, and my personal secretary;  linked to my calendar, it tells me which Events are on, which ones I am going to, when my Friend’s birthday are. I am always connected, ‘in-the-loop’, and assured that answers are always one click away- given Wi-Fi is available.

Certainly I am aware of the insidious potential of social media to turn ugly-taker cyber-bullying as an example. However, many people will claim that they have never experienced, seen or partaken in denigration of another online; so what is about social media that remains potentially psychologically detrimental to the developing adolescent, or young adult?

I can think of two significant factors. The first; Addiction. Social media is undoubtedly addicting. I feel disconnected, isolated and withdrawn from society and deprived of communication if I do not ‘log-in’ to Facebook for two or 3 days in a row. Like any addiction, this has the potential to manifest in dependence; which, when you consider the second point: the use for identity validation, encouragement, self-esteem inflation, and personal promotion, becomes an area of serious concern.

This brings me on to my next question:

Is social media making us more or less lonely?

To begin with, we must not forget the benefits of social media.

1. It has become the most widely used form of communication in young adult, adult and adolescent demographics in Western society, and thus non-usage has the effect of isolating the individual, and preventing the establishment of relationships and connections to others.
2. It provides support and encouragement to those who may be recovering from illness, or are geographically isolated.
3. It enables separated family and friends to keep in touch and remain up-to-date with their loved-ones lives.
4. Following from point 3, it thus has the potential to decrease loneliness and isolation.
5. It provides a common platform from which events and groups can be formed, allowing for efficient communication and organization.
6. Its large social demographic range provides an effective medium for promotion and advocacy.

So what is it about social media sites, like Facebook, that are causes for concern and increased loneliness?

In their 2013 paper reporting a longitudinal study on Facebook users, Kross et al² found that “On the surface, Facebook provides an invaluable resource for fulfilling the basic human need for social connection. Rather than enhancing well-being, however, these findings suggest that Facebook may undermine it.” Past investigations have correlated Facebook usage with heightened/ more prevalent experiences of jealousy, social tension, isolation and depression¹. However, as the The Economist post on the topic mentions: these past studies^3,4,5 have all been “cross-sectional”—and as such, “risk confusing correlation with causation: perhaps those who spend more time on social media are more prone to negative emotions in the first place.”¹ The study conducted by Dr Kross and Dr Verduyn² is the first to follow Facebook users for an extended period, to track how their emotions change and what they found was that the more a volunteer used Facebook, the worse he/she reported feeling the next time he/she filled in a questionnaire. Volunteers were also asked to rate their satisfaction with life at the start and the end of the study. Those who used Facebook a lot were more likely to report a decline in satisfaction than those who visited the site infrequently^1,2.

The analysis indicated that Facebook use predicts declines in the two components of subjective well-being: how people feel moment to moment and how satisfied they are with their lives². Furthermore Cacioppo et al in their 2011 study found that people’s perceptions of social isolation (how lonely they feel) are a more powerful determinant of well-being than objective social isolation⁶. The Kross et al study results were in keeping witht his finding and overall concluded that “rather than enhancing well-being, Facebook undermines it.”²

These studies raise more questions than answers.

For example, what mechanisms exactly undermine the deleterious effects of Facebook usage on well-being?

Why are we so susceptible to succumbing in the participation of damaging social comparisons?

Why do feel it necessary to ‘out-compete’ everyone and where does this competitiveness stem from?

Or,

Does the problem reside within the upcoming generation itself? Are the new wave of adolescents and young adults more susceptible to the superficial nature of social media? Do they possess an inherently lower self-esteem: or are we encouraging them to use Facebook as a means of negating loneliness and isolation and thus propagating a negative cycle?

 

References

[1] Get a life! Using the social network Facebook seems to make people more miserable. 2013. The Economist Science and Technology, [blog] August 17 2013, Available at: http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21583593-using-social-network-seems-make-people-more-miserable-get-life [Accessed: 21 Mar 2014].

[2] Kross E, Verduyn P, Demiralp E, Park J, Lee DS, et al. (2013) Facebook Use Predicts Declines in Subjective Well-Being in Young Adults. PLoS ONE 8(8): e69841. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0069841

[3] Forest AL, Wood JV (2012) When Social Networking Is Not Working: Individuals With Low Self-Esteem Recognize but Do Not Reap the Benefits of Self-Disclosure on Facebook. Psychol Sci 23: 295–302. doi: 10.1177/0956797611429709

[4] Manago AM, Taylor T, Greenfield PM (2012) Me and my 400 friends: The anatomy of college students’ Facebook networks, their communication patterns, and well-being. Dev Psychol 48: 369–380. doi: 10.1037/a0026338

[5] Kim J, LaRose R, Peng W (2009) Loneliness as the cause and the effect of problematic Internet use: the relationship between Internet use and psychological well-being. Cyberpsychology & behavior : the impact of the Internet, multimedia and virtual reality on behavior and society 12: 451–455. doi: 10.1089/cpb.2008.0327

[6] Cacioppo JT, Hawkley LC, Norman GJ, Berntson GG (2011) Social isolation. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1231: 17–22. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06028.x

Crying Cyber

• Mental health is the number one health issue facing young Australians aged 12 to 25 and contributes to almost all the burden of disease in this age group. [1]
• Around 75% of all severe mental illness starts before the age of 24. [2]
• Over half of young people will have experienced a diagnosable psychiatric disorder by the age of 21. [2]
• In Australia, young people in the 16-24 age group have the highest prevalence of symptoms of mental health problems and disorders ; with 26% experiencing mental health problems/ illness each year [3]
• WA has an even higher prevalence of mental disorders than the national rate, with 31% of young people experiencing mental health problems annually. [2]
• Suicide accounts for 17.8% of all deaths in the 15-19 year age group, and almost a quarter in the 20-24 year age group.
• Only 23% of young people who experience mental health problems nationally actually access mental health services.
• Suicide is responsible for the death of more young men in Western Australia than any other individual cause. [2]
• Around 1/10 young Australians will experience an anxiety disorder in any given 12 month period, with at least one third of young people having had an episode of mental illness by the age of 25 years [3]
• Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health problems [4] with approximately 1 million Australian adults and 100,000 young people living with depression each year [5] and anxiety disorders estimated to affect about one in every 10 young people aged 18-24 years [6].
• On average, 1/5 (20%) people will experience depression in their lives; ¼ females and 1/6 males.[5]

 ….What’s going on?….

We often dismiss mental health as an innate flaw in the individual or attributed to some disturbance in their psyche or way of thinking. The stigma around mental health persists despite the numerous programs, promotion strategies and research into mental health problems/ mental illness. It is more comprehensively understood that mental and physical health are not mutually exclusive, but are rather intrinsically linked, and that mental illness is not a product of some internal flaw or personality trait, but rather a complex, multifactorial issue that results from environmental, socio-cultural, physiological, and genetic risk factors. Mental illness is like any other physical illness or injury- debilitating, disabling and not a result of choice. It is alarming to note that Mental illness is fast becoming a national and global epidemic, with Anxiety and Depression currently rated as having the second greatest burden of disease in Australia, second only to Coronary Heart Disease, and is predicted to reach number one spot by 2020 [7].

In particular, mental illness is becoming more and more prevalent in today’s youth. This is particularly concerning, as like physical disease, mental illness is especially detrimental to youth who are still developing socially, emotionally and physically and can severely impair their quality of life during the duration of the illness. The development of a mental health problem or disorder can seriously disrupt and impede social development, education, the establishment of familial and peer relationships, and the concept of self-identity. Furthermore, mental health problems in youth extend far wider than just the affected individual, with families and friends often also suffering as a result of the child or adolescent’s health problems.

So, why is it that mental illness is on an exponential rise in today’s youthful demographics? What has changed that has resulted in mental health problems becoming so much more of an issue in developed societies? Why are we, as young people, so fixated on appearance, body-image, self-worth, achieving continual validation and constant gratification more so than the generations before us?

 

The Internet.

 

More specially, the explosion of social media and networking. Our generation is wired. We are more connected than ever. In this rapidly progressing age, it becomes a competition to simply keep up with the advancements in technology, to establish ourselves from a young age in the all-important realm of cyberspace. This is how we communicate. Constantly logged in to the happenings of the world, the onslaught of status updates, the newly uploaded pictures, what Sue had for lunch, what James did on the weekend, what’s trending, what we should be wearing, saying, filming ourselves doing… We are never alone. And yet- we are more alone than ever.

From a young age we start to learn…the internet is a magical thing. Answers at your fingertips, the world’s information at your command, unlimited entertainment and a world of infinite alternative realities! It is not surprising that we have chosen to live our lives here in cyberspace.

Social media has created a medium in which, as individuals, we can remain constantly connected, wired into the world- ensuring that not only are our voices heard amongst the storm of competing cyber-identities, but also provides an avenue in which we can freely express opinion and offer commentary; connect with those in a way we may otherwise be isolated from; interact with individuals from different cultures or geographically unique places in the world we may otherwise be isolated from.  As much as we beg to differ, and deny the fact, it is inescapably obvious that social media has now become an integral component in our lives; our day-to-day functioning and interaction and ultimately, in the development of our own identities. If identity is shaped by our experiences, our values and belief systems, education, culture, and the society around us, then it is not surprising the impact and weight that social media has in shaping, contributing to and developing youth identity. But beneath the superficial smiles of ‘selfies’, the filtered-food-photos of Instagram, the saccharin status updates of Facebook and tweets of Twitter, lies an insidious psychology, that is contributing and manifesting as mental illness in today’s youth.

As a digital environment, it is often impossible to distinguish fact from fiction. Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, all contribute to the culture of self-promotion, encouraging individuals to gain ‘likes’ as an indicator of popularity; often friend requests are based on appearance alone. We have created a society which bases its self-worth on the comments of strangers. And no matter who you are, or how ‘strong-minded’ you may be, social networking is a drug. And we are all addicted.

How many Likes did you get on that picture you uploaded last week? How many ‘Facebook Friends’ do you have? So do you know all your ‘friends’ personally? Really? All 1500 of them? Impressive.Why aren’t you a part of the #Fitfam movement yet? Are you working out? Better upload your gym progress photos, and your healthy meals too so everyone knows how amazing you’re doing. OMG did you see that Rachel is engaged- she tweeted it as Sam proposed! Wait, aren’t you subscribed? How do you even know what’s happening? Don’t upload that photo of me its hideous. Want to go out for lunch? We can take a selfie at the café so everyone knows we went out together. Did you see what Brandon and the gang got up to on Saturday? I can’t believe they posted that! Didn’t you go to Bec’s Friday night? It was posted on Facebook, everyone was there. Tag me in that picture! Don’t tag me in that picture! #fitspo #gorgeousmodel #thinspo #neknominate Aren’t you going to ‘check in’ on Facebook? Remember to tag my name #socute #omgbestseatsever #sohungry #whatsforlunch

Used appropriately, social media has the potential to provide opportunities for education, interaction and support on mental health issues.  As a public forum, it has the power to educate and raise awareness at a community level and to provide resources for those who may be struggling with mental health problems or those wishing to help others.  The anonymity of the internet allows users to more freely ask questions, divulge information and experience, protected behind a screen name or avatar. It has allowed individuals suffering from similar conditions to come together and form support groups, proffer assistance, advice and share experiences, where previously, these individuals may have felt isolated, alone, alienated and unheard. The nature of these social media websites particularly allows for the expression of emotion and thought; allowing those suffering from illness to connect, care, support and more effectively manage their ailments. Indeed, as Associate professor Jennifer Martin of RMIT University states: ““When used with compassion and sensitivity social media is a powerful tool with the potential to educate the community, and assist and support young people who may be contemplating or affected by suicide.” [8]  However,it is the subterfuge of anonymity and unaccountability of social media that also accounts for its downfall. We feel less hindered and restricted by normal social conventions in an internet setting, and are more likely to express anger, distaste, hate, and disgust towards others, be it due to a herd effect, whereby we too participate in the denigration and bullying of another in order to feel accepted by an ‘in crowd’, or simply because, as individuals we feel the need or satisfaction to do so. Jennifer Martin further remarks that “With (the) rapid advancements and vastness of the Internet, coupled with the limited censorship of teen usage, it is possible that negative influences have the power to overcome the positive for some. Of particular concern is the infiltration, or amalgamation, of pornography with suicide awareness, music, lifestyle and culture sites.”[8] Certainly, often obscured from view are the numerous negative sub-cultures that brew and fester from these social internet platforms, acting to increase levels of distress, anxiety, self-harm, eating disorders and depression in youthful users.

Certainly, as a user of social media, I cannot help but notice what I deem to be an ‘amplification’ effect: whereby, one comment (often a negative one, as these usually are elicited by more controversial and polarizing issues) leads to an amplified response, stemming from the negative ‘seed’; ultimately resulting in a ‘poisonous tree’ of criticizing and negative remarks, that may not even be related to the initial comment. As the original negative remark is commented on, or ‘shared’, more people express their opinion (often, it too will be negative in form to either agree with the original comment or disagree strongly) essentially ‘adding fuel to the fire’, culminating in an explosion of negative comments directed towards the original issue/topic/person. It is from this ‘negative amplification cycle’ that we see how ‘trolling’ has become a mainstream social media problem, recently highlighted by the suicide of News presenter Charlotte Dawson. Described as being the ‘anti-social act of causing interpersonal conflict and shock-value controversy online” [9], trolling no doubt, when directed towards an individual, or group of people, has contributed to the increased rates of self-harm, depression and anxiety in youthful social-media users.

There is no argument that we need to find ways of increasing public discussion about suicide, mental health and how to seek/provide help. We need to educate not only adolescents, families, friends and health services, but also governments and societies on a global level as to the increasing risks of mental health problems in youth due to bullying, and the various negative sub-cultures that persist and promote/support mental health problems like suicide and depression. Action needs to be taken in not only treatment of those currently suffering from mental health disorders, but also in ensuring the adequate delivery of support services to all corners of the planet and demographics of web-users. Furthermore, there needs to be adequate preventative strategies in place to not just educate youth today to be aware of the dangers social media possesses, but also to equip them with the skills necessary to be able to deal with negative societal pressures and comments, or at the very least provide support to those who are at highest risk of depression and related disorders, such as adolescents. Further still, why not promote positive interaction and the importance of social etiquette online? Discourage ‘trolling’ behaviours and focus on empowerment of voice through positive strategies.

Despite the lack of empirical evidence research, there is “a need to act immediately to develop principles to guide our policy, clinical and community decisions about how to manage online communications, not only for young people but also for the services, families and social networks that support them.  A core and fundamental consideration is how to do this safely, ethically and with the interests of young people and services in mind.” [10] To do so, we require the global implementation of a collaborative approach aimed at minimizing the risks and enhancing the benefits that social media may provide to young people in distress. Such an approach will require identification of both the advantages and disadvantages/risks of engagement with young people through social media and how the mental health sector, technology partners, website hosts, the media, schooling institutions, researchers and youth themselves can interact to promote a positive mental health online (and subsequently offline) environment and to further increase individual resilience towards negative online attacks or behaviours.

There is little advantage to establishing a physically ‘healthy’ society if the collective psyche is one of depression and anxiety. The psychosocial health of a community has massive implications on that community’s functioning, behaviour and growth. We cannot expect to progress as a society or develop and mature as individuals, if we cannot feel secure in our own identities. It is all too easy to partition ‘health’ as a physical thing, with mental illness viewed then as a flaw or fault in the individual themselves; a weakness of character that they may be swayed by negative comments, actions or behaviours on social media.  We must aim to remove ourselves from this damaging, polarized paradigm of thought, to one where ‘health’ is acknowledged as being a holistic amalgamation of physical, mental, spiritual and cultural aspects, and begin to accept that social networking/media is now an intrinsic part of Western culture and must thus be considered in the diagnosis, treatment, prevention and education of young individuals.

References

[1] National Youth Mental Health Foundation. Position Paper – young people’s mental health. [e-book] Melbourne: headspace.org.au.; 2011. Available from: http://www.headspace.org.au/media/10064/Young%20Peoples%20Mental%20Health.pdf.

[2] Government of Western Australia – Mental Health Commission Mentalhealth.wa.gov.au. Youth mental health. [Online] Available from: http://www.mentalhealth.wa.gov.au/ournewapproach/youth_mentalhealth.aspx [Accessed 17 Mar 2014].

[3] Australian Bureau of Statistics. National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing: Summary of Results, 2007 Cat. no. 4326.0. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2008.

[4] Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Social Trends, ABS Cat. No. 4102.0. Nov 2013 Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics.

[5] beyondblue. beyondblue Annual Report 06/07. The National Depression Initiative. 2007.

[6] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Young Australians: their health and wellbeing 2007. Cat. no. PHE 87. 2007, Canberra: AIHW.

[7] Murray C, López A. The global burden of disease: a comprehensive assessment of mortality and disability from diseases, injuries, and risk factors in 1990 and projected to 2020. [e-book] Published by the Harvard School of Public Health on behalf of the World Health Organization and the World Bank, 1996.; 1996. Available from: http://books.google.com.au/books/about/The_global_burden_of_disease.html?id=uAo6AQAAIAAJ&redir_esc=y.

[8] Martin J. Suicide and social media: Youth mental health. Mental Health Blog: Australian and New Zealand Mental health Association, Weblog. [Online] Available from: http://mentalhealthaustralia.org.au/suicide-and-social-media-youth-mental-health/ [Accessed: 17 Mar 2014].

[9] Gil P. What is Trolling. Internet for beginners, Weblog. [Online] Available from: http://netforbeginners.about.com/b/2014/02/22/what-is-trolling-3.htm [Accessed: 17 Mar 2014].

[10] Hughes M. Social media, suicide prevention and young people: Time for collaborative action. The Crikey Health Blog, Weblog. [Online] Available from: http://blogs.crikey.com.au/croakey/2013/02/27/social-media-suicide-prevention-and-young-people-time-for-collaborative-action/ [Accessed: 17 Mar 2014].