Facebook Depression

The Apostle Paul said: For we will not make comparison of ourselves with some of those who say good things about themselves: (2 Corinthians 10:12 BBE)

Google the term 'Facebook Depression' and 80 million results will appear. The links show sites regarding depression in teens and adults that can result from excessive use of Facebook and other social media sites. Some of the postings are the result of academic and medical studies. Other postings are anecdotal articles from those in the medical and mental health professions.

As with any academic study, research, polling and observations, there are differing opinions as to causes, factors and contributors to depression that at times accompany Facebook and social media usage. The discussion often centers on the question of cause and effect. Does excessive social media interaction cause depression or is the depression the outcome of people who are already prone to depression?

One of the common themes that comes through clearly is the downside of comparing lives to others. The comparing that happens in social media is not just one person comparing their life to their friend's life. The comparison is between image and reality. It is between avatar and reality.

The comparison is between one person's Facebook life to another person’s real life. There is constant "'in-your-face friends' tallies, status updates and photos of happy-looking people having great times'"

All too often the reader compares their life to the other person’s Facebook life and their actual life may not even come close to comparing. They look at another friend’s posting and the comparison is again not pretty. Over and over the comparison goes. Their actual life compared to a 'friend's' Facebook life seems shallow, uninteresting, even ‘depressing’. The comparison is not good.

Comparing life with the lives of another person usually has little benefit. Each person's journey is unique. No two lives are the same. There are people that will have a ‘better life’ and there will be people who have a ‘worse life.’ What good does that comparing do?

Comparing actual life to media-portrayed or social-media-image-portrayed life is never good. Most people in media and entertainment undergo silicone, Botox and plastic surgery in order to get the spit shined look that they have. Hollywood is not actual life. Hollywood is image- managed.

The same can be true of social media. Hardly anyone puts a bad picture of themselves on Facebook. There is very little honest confession about the trials of life. Even when the trials are shared, they are shined, polished and displayed in the way that the person posting the status wants people to see. Avatar to avatar is often what social media is.

We can’t get caught in the trap of comparing our life to the image that anyone else portrays in any setting. We are accountable to Jesus. He is the one who loves us and from whom we find our identity. Social media can connect us, but beware of avatar to avatar temptation that is inherent in connecting through social media.