If you have access to a computer, you have seen it, probably thousands of times. If you have a phone with a camera, you have done it, probably hundreds of times. They pop out every second on social media, and psychiatrists and mental health professionals are linking them to mental health conditions related to narcissism and a person’s obsession with their looks. We’re talking about selfies.
This self-worshiping obsession is time consuming. People might take several selfies over and over again until they find the right one. Picking out details about their eyebrows, skin, noses, smiles, teeth, hair and so forth, all in an attempt to find the perfect angle to make the perfect picture. Over time, this creates great forms of self consciousness and false sense of confidence. Instead of being okay with who we are no matter what, we strive to find the right picture with all the perfect details. The more likes we get on social media sites the happier we feel. Crazy!
The video below is a perfect example of this disorder. While this is in public, I can only imagine how far she will go behind closed doors.
How far can the selfie obsession go? A British male teenager went to the extent of trying to commit suicide after he was unable to take what he felt was the perfect selfie. Danny Bowman became so obsessed with capturing the perfect shot that he would spend roughly 10 hours per day taking up to 200 selfies trying to get the perfect shot. As things got more and more intense for Danny, he lost nearly 30 pounds, dropped out of school and did not leave the house for six months as he kept trying for the perfect picture. During his suicide attempt, Bowman was saved by his mother.
“I was constantly in search of taking the perfect selfie and when I realized I couldn’t, I wanted to die. I lost my friends, my education, my health and almost my life,” he told The Mirror.
Facebook is designed for us to ride on the happy wave. It has a “like” button and not a corresponding “hate” or “dislike” button. According to our Facebook timeline, we also never falter─we are wise, optimistic, as beautiful as we can possibly look, and always very happy! Can this be sustainable? Basing our happiness on a social media “like”?
An advice for the frail-hearted people who take things to heart: don’t go crazy, use Facebook with caution.
H/T Huffingtonpost, The Mirror
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