Environmental sustainability is widely understood and accepted, people are sometimes hesitant and confused about social sustainability, however, it is just as important.
‘Social sustainability means the aspects of sustainability that relate to people’
- British researcher Dr Laura Spence
The use and power of social media is crucial to this (Gilsvey 2021).
We’ve all been there! Officially certified by social media (by blue tick) or not, the thousands of images on your phone, the constant editing, and the waiting game for the likes to roll in. The social pressure of creating the perfect life online all is too real.
We live in a world that thrives on pressure (Kruse 2017) some people love it, others hate it. Social pressure alone is huge, let alone bringing the digital world into the mix.
A whopping 78% of Millennial and Gen Z use Snapchat as their main communication platform, Instagram is a close second. (Mir et al. 2018). Lives are showcased online; social media has been labelled a ‘double edge sword’ (TriumphIAS 2020) beautifully depicting the highs, however, hiding the reality of the lows away from the public eye, creating a completely false image and impression.
Have you ever considered your Internal Monologue? The thoughts in your head you don’t even realise you are thinking. (Cherney 2020).
Imagine scrolling through Instagram, your school friend got engaged, Kylie Jenner is having another baby, Apple is releasing a new iPhone and Becca and Rob just got a new puppy.
What is your internal monologue saying…?
Engaged – Wow! she’s young, they’ve only been together 2 months, will they last?
Kylie Jenner – How old is she? Do I need to have children?
Apple – How much is it? I can’t afford that, perhaps I need a second job?
Puppy– Ahh cute! Let’s see what they are up to (stalks Instagram for 10 minutes), conclusion, I have a boring life.
This is perfectly normal; everyone has these thoughts, when these thoughts take over this is when it becomes a problem.
In November 2020, 63% of adults aged 18-25 reported major symptoms of depression (Clark 2020). Other studies have found that social media has been described as more addictive than cigarettes and alcohol (RSPH 2019), impacting both mental and physical health.
Bailey Parnell described Instagram as a ‘Highlighted Reel’ – it’s our personal best and brightest moments showcased, we show our wins and personal gains. We don’t show the days we are slumped on the sofa, crying our eyes out because we ate too much. Why is that? (TEDx Talks 2017).
(Furtick 2011)
Highlighted reels justify the need for us to compare ourselves to others. A bit of healthy competition is good, it becomes dangerous when people don’t stop.
Posting what you are doing is no longer enough, the pressure to include stunning backgrounds, perfecting lighting and flawless angles is the new normal (Jennings 2019).
How many times a day do you scroll through your own feed and analysing the photos you’ve shared? Some of the questions you might consider….
‘Did I get enough likes?’ ‘Do I look slim enough in this photo?’
Have you zoomed in on your face in photos to make sure you have the right angle? I do this without even realising, it’s a reflex action.
The pressure of growing up today is enough for me. I have been a victim of social media taking me down some ugly roots. I was sucked into the follower’s and editing apps, resulting in low self-esteem, leading to a severe eating disorder. As a competitive rower, despite exercising excessively, I still wasn’t good enough in my own head. I was dropping sizes quicker than you can imagine, but still not satisfied. My experience shows the power of social media to destroy logical thinking on daily life through a mental / physical disorder.
We link our self-worth to what others think and quantify it for everyone to see. – The Economy of Attention (TEDx Talks 2017). These likes, comments and shares are known as ‘Social Currency’ (TEDx Talks 2017). This is an endless cycle, and someone always has more than you.
Whilst social media continues to dominate, this pressure on individuals won’t reduce, social media isn’t sustainable in its current form.
As individuals, we need to take ownership to protect our health. Social Media is the most recent tool to do what we have always done, tell stories and to communicate with each other. The problem lies with …
The Dark Side of Social Media People
In other words, the people who use it. Every comment comes from a person, it’s not the platforms’ fault that @mark31 made a rude comment. It’s a societal change that needs to happen, we all need to focus on improving the dark side. Both individuals and society need to make conscious behavioural changes for social media to remain sustainable.
See you in my next blog...
References listed below...
AMENDOLA, Jodi. 2022. “Council Post: How Social Media Can Make or Break Your Business’s Reputation.” Forbes [online]. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2019/08/09/how-social-media-can-make-or-break-your-businesss-reputation/?sh=1ac9e0ad6dbd [accessed 25 Mar 2022].
CHERNEY, Kristeen. 2020. “Internal Monologue: What It Is, What It Means, and More.” Healthline [online]. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/internal-monologue [accessed 19 Mar 2022].
CLARK, Maria. 2020. “40+ Frightening Social Media and Mental Health Statistics — Etactics.” Etactics | Revenue Cycle Software [online]. Available at: https://etactics.com/blog/social-media-and-mental-health-statistics [accessed 23 Mar 2022].
FURTICK, Steven. 2011. “Https://Twitter.com/Stevenfurtick/Status/67981913746444288.” Twitter [online]. Available at: https://twitter.com/stevenfurtick/status/67981913746444288?lang=en-GB [accessed 19 Mar 2022].
GILSVEY, Joe. 2021. “What Is Social Sustainability?” Network for Business Sustainability [online]. Available at: https://www.nbs.net/articles/what-is-social-sustainability [accessed 23 Mar 2022].
JENNINGS, Rebecca. 2019. “Instagram’s Facetune and the Endless Pursuit of Physical Perfection.” Vox [online]. Available at: https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/7/16/20689832/instagram-photo-editing-app-facetune [accessed 19 Mar 2022].
KRUSE, Kevin. 2017. “Do You Thrive under Pressure? Here’s How.” Forbes [online]. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2017/06/26/do-you-thrive-under-pressure-heres-how/?sh=118e3b7b3677 [accessed 19 Mar 2022].
MIR, Elina, Caroline NOVAS and Meg SEYMOUR. 2018. “Social Media and Adolescents’ and Young Adults’ Mental Health.” National Center for Health Research [online]. Available at: https://www.center4research.org/social-media-affects-mental-health/ [accessed 16 Mar 2022].
RSPH. 2019. “#StatusofMind.” Rsph.org.uk [online]. Available at: https://www.rsph.org.uk/our-work/campaigns/status-of-mind.html [accessed 23 Mar 2022].
TEDX TALKS. 2017. “Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health? | Bailey Parnell | TEDxRyersonU.” YouTube [online]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czg_9C7gw0o [accessed 19 Mar 2022].
TRIUMPHIAS. 2020. “Social Media: A Two-Edged Sword.” TriumphIAS [online]. Available at: https://triumphias.com/blog/social-media-a-two-edged-sword/#:~:text=Social%20media%20may%20be%20called [accessed 19 Mar 2022].
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