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Social Media, Comparison, and a Materialistic Mindset
“Comparison is the thief of joy” is a quote by former President Theodore Roosevelt. Social media wasn’t a thing back then, but humans have been comparing themselves to strangers, friends, family, and whomever since the beginning of human consciousness. Perhaps you compared yourself to your neighbor and how perfect they’ve made their house and lawn look. Or maybe you measured your success on how successful your parents or siblings are. Comparisons have always been there. But now, it’s constantly in your face — and from people you don’t know or don’t care about.
It’s no secret we live in a materialistic world — it seems most capitalistic countries tend to be. Every app now has a section where you can shop in some form or fashion. It’s all about what to buy next and how much of a “deal” we can get. We want what the celebrities and “influencers” have, and for what? A slight spike in happiness, only to be later replaced by numerous negative psychological impacts?
Social media has only expedited this issue. Some people live in misery — unhappy in their relationships, jobs, and with themselves. Yet you’d never know it based on their social media. They make their social media look like a Pinterest board. Everything has to be so aesthetically perfect, yet numerous things in their life make them extremely sad.
