YouTube, Instagram and TikTok have all become virtual diaries for many people in this generation. Why keep your deepest, darkest secrets in a flimsy journal? Instead, share the tea with everybody else, including complete strangers from all over the world.
Since its inception, social media has been known as a tool to show off all the best moments of our lives. In fact, you are more likely to see a post from someone you follow when they are at a nice restaurant or on vacation, rather than a picture of a random Monday morning. Posting and sharing your life with others when something terrible happens, on the other hand, is a much more rare case.
However, as a lot of social media platforms further integrate themselves into our lives, we are beginning to see many people sharing everything—including the worst moments possible. For those who do not have a public account or prefer to keep their dark times private, taking your phone out, filming, editing, adding captions and then posting the video on TikTok is such a curious behavioral process. If you are thinking that maybe the things they share online are not that bad or serious, there are actually numerous videos of people sharing information that seems too traumatic and too personal to share. So, why do people film themselves crying and share it with others? Is it beneficial or harmful for our mental health?
For people who share images of themselves crying, shedding their tears on the Internet might have the same effect as sharing them with friends. We live in a largely individualistic society, and a lot of times, we don’t have someone by our side during our most emotionally and mentally distressing times. Especially when many people experience feelings of emptiness and sadness late at night, rather than calling a friend or parent and waking them up, talking in front of the camera as if speaking to them could be a better alternative. Also, one of the main features of social media is the comments and the interaction that comes with it. Maybe your friends and family cannot relate to what you are experiencing and hurting from. However, somewhere out there, an individual who stumbles upon your video may empathize with your feelings and can perhaps leave a kind comment. Despite the risks of strangers criticizing or bullying your actions and tears, revealing the core of your emotions can be mentally liberating.
Another reason is that people are tired of unrealistic filters and standards circulating around social media. Many people are aware that people are intentionally portraying themselves as happier and more successful than they genuinely are. They
no longer want to compare their perfectly ordinary lives with the rose-tinted lives of others and are grasping the toxicity and unfairness of it. The urge to reveal one’s true self in order to awaken others to reality is a courageous attempt worthy of acknowledgment. Even the most envied celebrities have shared their struggles with millions of people online. For instance, one of the most famous fashion models, Bella Hadid, has opened up her struggles with mental health on her platform by sharing selfies of herself in tears.
We all have our own ways to overcome struggles and hardships. It can be avoiding our feelings by keeping ourselves busy with other activities, seeking a mental health professional or simply sharing it with as many people as possible. What’s important is to find the best and healthiest coping mechanisms that work for our well-being. Now, we have the privilege of utilizing technology to expand our support network and connect with individuals and communities who can offer valuable advice and comforting words. Instead of criticizing those who prefer to use such methods, we should try to acknowledge the benefits and reasons for it. Let others be their authentic selves in both reality and virtuality.