Social media profits off keeping people depressed.
I wake up. My brain is ready to start the day, but my body is not. I let the exhaustion wash over me, and stay in bed for 2 more hours, while I think about what I can eat today with the least effort possible. I turn off the sleepy rain sounds on my phone and try playing lo-fi to give me a gentle boost. After many probings by my cat, I reluctantly rise and stand with my walker. It's noon now. I hobble to the bathroom.
I complained to one of my friends about how much I'm sleeping in the wake of this surgery. I don't like it. I prefer to be awake and aware. He said something along the lines of "Don't feel bad, you're literally healing. What really grinds my gears is when these kids talk about bed-rotting." He does care work with teenagers so he sees firsthand how unhealthy a coping mechanism it is, and how other aspects of pop psychology have infected the teenagers' perceptions of their own minds and feelings.
I think in an effort to destigmatize mental illness we have actually normalized being mentally ill. As in, many people no longer see a problem in their depressive behaviors and thus do not seek treatment to heal and change. We got whole friend groups out there normalizing and joking about being mentally ill together. Consistently running to their fellow mentally ill friends to hold the dark weight of their mind, rather than professionals, keeping everyone involved exhausted and vulnerable. I know because I was in one of these groups, even though I actually, thankfully, pursued treatment.
It can be so enticing to find people who accept all the nastiness that can come out of being mentally ill. People who can relate to the empty days, the dark thoughts, desperation, sluggishness, and poor hygiene. But our "supporting each other" looked more like bathing in our misery together. It took me a long time to realize that I was the only one getting better, by taking care of myself, staying in therapy, and replacing my unhealthy coping mechanisms.
Some people take longer than others to heal, and some people come to the party late. Sure, sure, of course. But I think what has been normalized, at least to my Generation Z and these Alpha kids, is to stay in this mode of "healing" practically forever, which actually looks like rehashing your trauma and negative feelings outside of a safe, therapeutic space, and needing to endlessly cope because of the repercussions. I really think it's holding people back from experiencing joy in their lives.
The social media is driving this. GOD DAMN THE SOCIAL MEDIA! It was so bad when I was on Instagram. I did not need to be getting someone else's thoughts about their dad, targeted to remind me of my own dad, based on my text messages, on my "For You" page. What is being presented as "relatable content" is actually designed to keep you in that negative headspace so they can keep profiting off of your engagement with shit that depresses you. It's a cycle that traps people and makes them so defensive about it that they cut off people who encourage them to change. Nobody wants to hear "it's that damn phone!", but darling, sweety, it is that damn phone.
I've switched my browsers and search engines all to DuckDuckGo to prevent data tracking and targeted ads. I only use YouTube now. And yet, still, when I use YouTube, what ads am I recommended? Shit for mental illness! Pop psychology words with a sing-song AI voice. Online therapy from an organization that is focused on profit and enrollment numbers rather than meaningful wellness.
This is what they're trying to sell to me, a person they don't have data on to know what I would like to throw my money at. Is this the default that they're advertising to users of social media? If you're not already mentally ill, they will try to convince you that you are.
There is a strong reason why the rich and powerful want to keep a mentally ill population. It makes us easier to manipulate and control. The more depressed you are, the more you escape into your phone, and the harder it will be to form in-person community and resist oppression. We should heal for personal reasons, but also for political reasons.
Technology is the new opiate of the masses. Remember that. Protect yourself, protect your loved ones, and save the children.
Thank you for reading! This is kind of a sequel to an essay I wrote last year: Do you have anxiety, or are you just being a coward? in which I contest the idea that fear should be a medicalized experience. Check that out too if you’re interested <3