Happy Friday once again, Mirror readers. You, like us, are probably plummeting into disbelief and chagrin that we are already halfway through January. Maybe like Caroline, you’ve already given up on 16 of your 17 resolutions (the only successful one being to keep a daily gratitude journal, which is rapidly becoming illegible). Or maybe like Hayley, you completely forgot to make resolutions and are still in denial that is already 2016.
What better way to forget about failed (or nonexistent) resolutions — or anything stressful, really — than scrolling through social media? It seems to be the ultimate coping mechanism these days for Generation Z (or even millenials and Generation X). Lots of homework? Stalk people’s profiles on Facebook. Relationship troubles? Scroll through your Instagram feed. Editor’s note to write? Now’s as good of a time as any to post a funny yak.
Why are we so addicted to social media? Does it actually hurt our self-esteem, inevitably making us compare ourselves to the carefully selected and filtered photos of our friends and classmates? Will Hayley ever get 300 likes on a Facebook profile picture like her peers???
When discussing the theme for this issue, Caroline instantly went into a passionate tirade against social media, describing how much she disliked the superficiality of Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat — and her absolute loathing for LinkedIn, which she vehemently described as “a place to publicly brag about your resume”. After she took a deep breath, she said to Hayley, “By the way, what are your Instagram and Snapchat usernames, so I can add you? I think we’re already connected on LinkedIn. ” Hayley looked at her in confusion. “Wait, didn’t you just say you hated social media?”
This week’s issue explores just that — the “why” behind social media and whether participating in the hype is better than just unplugging completely. Happy reading!
