What’s on your mind?
Feeling anxious in the Facebook age
When Facebook debuted in 2007, it prompted users to create a “status update” with “(username) is ” where users would then fill in the rest with what they were doing. In late 2007, Facebook eliminated the “is” prompt and replaced it with “What are you doing now?” In 2009 the prompt was changed again and now asked users, “What’s on your mind?”
For media and communications professor Sean Smith, this change has significant effects on the way people interact with the social media site.
“‘What’s on your mind?’ sounds like a fuzzy and abstract opening for the human senders and receivers of the messages, but also disguises precisely what a closure this has on discourse and meaning. There is literally a net closing every time we give voice (text or image) to what we are thinking about: which friends see what posts, personalized advertising, anticipation of desires, etc.”
Smith sees a future with more intense saturation from computable processes across all aspects of our lives.
“We are well into the generations of young people who have spent their entire lives sitting in front of computer and television screens, connected to the Internet and social media channels, and constantly exposed to cameras for both spectacle and surveillance,” says Smith. “Every year, fewer and fewer people will have been alive who have witnessed the transitional moments that were before and after the explosion of Internet and digitality.”
It’s no surprise that the world’s largest social media site consistently makes headlines. Facebook recently signed a European Union agreement against hate speech, an action necessitated by the blurring of public and private space. (It appears the adage you don’t talk about politics or religion has gone out the window.) It’s no wonder more and more research is proving the negative consequences of being constantly connected.
Lucy Hopkins is a 22-year-old social media intern who believed that the social media site contributes to higher levels of anxiety. She’s had a Facebook account for almost 10 years and is part of a demographic of people who have grown up online.
“When I first opened my account, most of my friends didn’t haven’t it,” she says. “It hadn’t become fundamental to anyone’s lives at that point, but that has changed. It’s about business now, and about promoting yourself as an entity.”
Hopkins says she was taught in school to market herself and to create an online brand. Recent changes to the site have caused confusion that she feels cause people distress.
“We’re in this time where people haven’t been taught to create a divide,” says Hopkins. “It’s a mixed message: Do we get in touch with our friends on the same account that we get in touch with business contacts?”
Her question would ring true to many people struggling with the boundaries Facebook encourages us to tear down.
“Facebook subtly transitioned into a very branded place and I think that creates a lot of anxiety because when you post something, you are adding to your brand identity, and you’re not always the same, so that’s hard,” she says. “If they post something that isn’t such a big deal and they don’t get that kind of response, then that creates more anxiety because they don’t know what they should be posting. They want to get the high, but if they are only getting those off of the big milestones then they will get anxiety over their day-today lives.”
If you are going through a tough year, social media can feel all the more difficult. If you are feeling overwhelmed, there are ways to create a healthier relationship with your life online. Remember people are showcasing the best aspects of their life. Think about your intentions before posting something and speak genuinely to your experience. Research suggests social media is as addictive as cocaine, so take a break or set limits for your use.
Smith warns about the dangers of overuse and says social media processes can cause serious psychopathologies such as anxiety, exhaustion, eye strain and feelings of a “schizophrenic” or fragmented self. If the site is causing distress, Smith suggests decreasing use.
“Like any drug or medicine, there is a tipping point at which healthy benefits mutate into toxic outcomes. It’s my belief that the body needs to balance this.”