Social media influencers: dangerous or harmless?

OPINION

Heriberto Rodriguez

Chronicle Reporter

Today’s youngest generation loves social media. This non-existing world is capable of developing psychological damage to its users because of the content it presents them – particularly the so-called “influencers,” whom young people tend to idolize – presenting the “best” pictures of themselves. Presenting them to who? Good question. Why? What is the purpose of showing pictures of yourself and updating followers on what you are currently doing? Narcissism, perhaps.

The perception of virtually seeing others living the “happiest” lives takes other users to start comparing themselves to whoever the poster was, that way ending up feeling down as an obvious consequence, since they get the impression that their own lives are not as interesting as theirs. Unfortunately, teenagers utterly fall for this.

Moreover, social media rewards the individual with dopamine: a neurotransmitter that is responsible for giving pleasure. If human beings lack it, then depression arrives. With this said, any substance – in this case, metaphorically, it being the social media world – that brings euphoria, is likely to be abused. Abusing your time by being an active user equals an unhealthy mind. This takes one to ponder the following question: why would a single person wish to arrive to a state of life in which depression is present thanks to a non-physically existing place? Come to your own conclusions.

This all ends up creating a non-ending course of suffering to teens, and whether you face it or not, social media user, you wish to fulfill the desire of getting more likes, but since that wish has not been reached yet due to the concept of numbers being infinite, you have started to suffer.

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