Quoted in Mid-Day on Undertanding Social Media
22nd July, 2024
Consultant psychiatrist at Insight Clinic, Nahid Dave, says it is important to recognise why people post on social media and there are many aspects to it. To begin with, the virtual world provides a platform to express yourself, but has over the years, also become the space for validation. "When you see a hundred likes for your post, it gives you a dopamine kick and so, you keep engaging in it over and over again. Social media also gives you the opportunity to project your life in the way you want others to see it," Dave elaborates, adding that sometimes, people rely on the happy-go-lucky nature of the virtual world to fill the void in their real lives.
From the consumer angle, she explains, it works such that following someone with a relatively more exciting life helps open up a window to places, foods and experiences missing in your own. "It's not just the words, the pictures, too, have a radial and olfactory impact on your senses."
It's this allure that often keeps us uncontrollably hooked as users and consumers. This impacts our psyche in a strange way, often leading to unnecessary introspection. "Sometimes, people lose touch with their reality because they're so engrossed with their phones and in observing the lives of others. For example, when you see a couple on their honeymoon, it creates the impression that they're happy, with no ups and downs. And then you question your own happiness" she adds. These thoughts of self-doubt disappear, when you receive admiration online, too. "It is then that you start treating every instance as a photo opportunity, whether you're travelling or out for a family meal. This further leads to dampening personal relationships," Dave warns, pointing to the vicious and cyclic nature of Internet obsession.
Damage control
It follows then, that much of who we are online is not even real, and being addicted to it could lead to a blurring of lines. "It's almost like an alternate personality," Dave shares, So, in the spur of the moment, she perhaps, didn't account for the backlash or the way things would play out as she was more fixated on getting the post out.
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