Meet Essena O'Neill, a 19-year-old Australian model who became famous through social media, particularly Instagram. She made headlines in November last year when she announced that she was quitting all forms of the very thing that propelled her to fame-- social media.
TL;DR-- O'Neill, through all the success, modeling contracts, fame, and money; claimed that she felt like she was putting on a facade while she was on social media. She always felt the need to impress others with the way she looked; and spent hours making herself look picture-perfect so she could keep up with that false identity. She did not know who her true self was underneath all the makeup and clothes, and she lost herself. There were many times that she starved herself in order to achieve a flat tummy so that it would look good during her photoshoots. She used her friends and family members to capture the perfect angle she would look good in. She became obsessed with how she appeared on social media. In the end, she decided to shut down all her social media accounts and used them instead to promote veganism, a lifestyle she invests her time in.Social media was my full time job and took up majority of my life. I would spend eight hours a day photographing, styling, editing, filming, scrolling… Finding people with similar passions was incredible – eating out for free, every little moment could be a perfect candid snap or silly vlog, we’d talk about my nonstop boy problems, and bitch about other youtuber’s/instgaramers that I knew personally. That was my life. Constant shoots, photos, editing and an artificial smile. I am not one bit proud of my actions, if that’s not already clear.I was able to fund travels to Thailand and LA off Youtube payments and paid posts… Of which I deceived and acted like I bought the products of free will.I made a video saying I was going to travel to these places and thousands of people offered their homes to me. The girl I mentioned above that was less known (of which I pushed asides, spoke ill of and was a completely horrible person to) was travelling to LA at the same time. She was talking to all the same people but she didn’t get any invites, even when some that were originally promised.I guess I felt entitled with how everything was just handed to me… I had followers and people wanted to be my friend.Being as caught up and superficial as I was, I chose only the people that were in the same industry as I to stay with – vegan and social media famous. I house hopped for three months. I am firstly extremely grateful for all the hospitality, but the girl they knew was not someone I am proud of, let alone someone I even liked.During this time I became so caught up in pleasing people, getting more success in my career, becoming thinner (fitter was my excuse), dating countless guys at the same time, meeting with lots of different agencies and having proposals for major modelling and YouTube deals. All I talked about was my social media, getting a new fancy car, getting a fancy flat in LA, new cute clothes, my growing followers, brand deals…. This was everything I did and talked about each day.I did shoots most days with everyone I stayed with, giving them all my social media tips, bikini photos, brand deals, cute selifes, perfectly arranged smoothie bowls. I gave lighting, caption and editing tips. It was my life and what I did for fun, not to mention my entire career.This 2D perfect world was my life – it felt like it was my true worth, I somehow convinced myself ‘this is what I owe them for their hospitality… they didn’t host a small instagramer… this is why they want me…’ I know that may sound ridiculous, because it so is.Is that just how it works?I couldn’t help wondering, if I had 500 followers not 500,000+ would I be staying here? If I was a size 16 not a size 6, would they still like me as their friend? If I wasn’t this famous, slim blonde – would I be at this party? At this place? With these people?Would I still walk into a shop and the owner say ‘take everything you want, let’s just do a little shoot out the back for insta yeah?’I don’t blame anyone for my actions or how much I was absorbed by social media, my appearance and this 2D world. It was me, I was being deceitful, I was lost, I was sick and I needed serious help.But of course I didn’t know that at the time. At the time I thought more money, more of these friends, being thinner.. that would solve this internal misery.What’s ironic, during all of this struggle I was getting more and more followers, thinner and thinner, better and more visually appealing pictures… online it looked like I had the perfect life… yet I was so completely lonely and miserable inside. I hid it from everyone. I smiled and laughed in pictures and vlogs. No one knew I had what now is described as social anxiety disorder, depression, body dimorphic… whenever I met someone I instantly thought ‘they hate me’ or ‘they make fun of my videos’ ‘they think I’m stupid’… I felt exhausted trying to keep up this bubbly, funny, happy façade.So at the height of several major proposals with modelling and getting close to signing new agencies in LA I started freaking out – why am I so unhappy? Why do I feel so lonely surrounded by so many people? Why do I hate myself so much? Why do I feel this lost and upset with myself? What is wrong with me?What I saw in LA, especially at social events and how much I changed to please people… shocked my core. The celebrities I met at events – how they use social media and marketing seriously stunned me. The things I saw and heard and was even apart of – hardly many people know. I believe these things should be made public – hence the book.So I started seeing myself in others, hearing horrible things and realising that’s what I say… do… I had a kind of epiphany that may be obvious to many, but at the time this freaked someone who had ‘everything’ out- I realised I didn’t know myself without my looks or social media fame… the young aspiring 14 year old writer was dead to me… I hated who I was. I hated everything about myself.
O'Neill is just one infamous example of social media anxiety disorder (SMAD), a yet-to-be-recognised disorder that is affecting many of us active users of social media. It is usually characterized by a person's obsession with social media interactions and bringing digital devices around everywhere. For O'Neill, consciously putting in immense amounts of effort every single day to maintain a facade for her 500,000 followers on Instagram triggered this anxiety. For the rest of us who do not have that sheer audience number, how can we get SMAD?
A layman's example of SMAD may manifest in you if you find yourself bringing your smartphone everywhere you go, including the bathroom. You may also have SMAD if you develop symptoms of anxiety when people do not interact with what you post; be it a tweet, picture, or status update. Being upset over a drop in followers on social media can also be an indication of SMAD.
Anxiety UK, a non-profit organization committed to helping those suffering from anxiety, in a survey, found that 51% of Internet users claim that social media has changed their lives for the worse-- because when they are not on social media or technology, they become anxious. We all know that the very existence of social media is derived from the human need for interaction-- but what happens when these interactions become addictive, and can trigger psychological problems like anxiety and depression?
A common solution to this problem is what is called "unplug", which is, as its name suggests, unplugging oneself from social media and technology, and instead, focusing efforts into real-life interactions and activities. However, the risk is that it is so easy for us to relapse into our social media addiction-- and in turn, that can re-trigger SMAD. What do you think? Is SMAD a legitimate disorder? If so, would unplugging help? Or is SMAD a disorder that needs to be psychologically treated? Leave your comments below.
References
Anxiety UK study finds technology can increase anxiety (2012). Retrieved from https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/news/for-some-with-anxiety-technology-can-increase-anxiety/
Fitzgerald, B. (2012, July 11). Social media is causing anxiety, study finds. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://huffingtonpost.com
McCluskey, M. (2016, January 5). Essena O'Neill breaks silence on quitting social media. Time Magazine. Retrieved from http://time.com
Spira, J. (2013, January 11). Do you suffer from social media anxiety disorder? Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://huffingtonpost.com
Written by,
Natalie Ha Siaw Ching (42623)
In today days and age, I think that social media anxiety disorder (SMAD) exists commonly thou the society, the only different is only on the degree of anxiety one have.
ReplyDeleteOnce we done update our social media, regardless whatever post or photo we posted, on the next second, what we do is catch up with how the "development " of the particular update as in how many people like it, how many people react to it or even wondering have people view it or not. Besides, when we send message to one and especially when we knew they have seen but no reply or have no yet seen, we would like keep on checking to the phone anxiously. Sound ridiculously, some of us even heard the phone rang or sense the vibration but actually there are no any incoming phone call or messages. Actually all these are also symptoms of SMAD that happens to us today, just we, the "patient" did not realise the existence of this disorder.
As everything are correlated to our emotion changes, therefore in my opinion, I think that SMAD is a disorder that needs to be psychologically treated as every thing that changed us psychologically but not physically significant. We become happy if people reply us with fast; we become sad if someone did not reply our message; we become depress because no one like our photo; we become lonely because no one post comment to us. So probably this is one of the significant impact of social media to human beings.
SMAD sounds just like any other addictions you could have out there. For example, another addiction that sounds similar to that is addiction to watching television, and this addiction also poses the same solution, which is to unplug. To unplug without relapse, the best way to do so is to unplug for a longer period of time.
ReplyDeleteIn the documentary My Digital Addiction, Phil Leve, a journalist cum social media addict, went into a 3-day retreat without any form of technology. He seemed to be doing well, until he came back into the real world and relapsed back into his addiction. IF a person's job isn't dependent on social media, it is easier to unplug and the effects would be much more prominent if they were to unplug for a longer period of time to wean off their addiction. It takes longer than 3 days to stop addiction completely, therefore, I would suggest to have a rehab period longer than 3 days to completely kick out the addiction, or any other forms of addictions.
In my point of view, SMAD needs to be treated psychologically and unplugging would not help much without treated it psychologically. This is because of the users of social media with SMAD are typically addicted and relying on the social media in sharing and showing off their lifestyle with the others. Social media anxiety disorder is becoming the illness to the people of the modern society currently. The emotions of the users with SMAD are influenced by the responses on their posts and became unstable which in turn causing depression. Therefore, the emotions and psychology aspect of the users with SMAD must be overcomed in order to be recovered from this syndrome.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I think that SMAD is a legitimate disorder because there are increasing number of active users of social media being affected.
ReplyDeleteIn my point of view，SMAD a disorder that needs to be both unplugging and psychologically treated as it is not a normal disorder that can be treated in a short term period. Neither active users of social media who have SMAD is treated by only unplugging method nor only psychologically is effective enough in order to help those SMAD victims to be completely kicked out of the addiction to social media.
I think that social media anxiety disorder (SMAD) can be a legitimate disorder with the emergence of various unbelievable technologies. Personally, I feel that unplugging would help. But it is not the only way to help them. They should get treatment both physically and psychologically. It is because, unplugging may make the heavy user or I would like to call them as "patients" more desperate, anxiety and lost at the beginning.
ReplyDeleteSMAD disorder is just like smoking. They need counselling, need someone to help them get rid from it. Of course it is very important for those who suffering in SMAD to get support from family and friends.
I agree that SMAD can be a legitimate disorder when we are now in a world where technology is so advanced and our need to connect and engage is so powerful and instant that we often expect others to react to our digital correspondence immediately. If they do not do so, we will often have various negative thoughts in our mind assuming that they are mad at us. In fact, they are just busy and cannot make it to reply every minute. From this we can see how technology has gobbles up us without us even noticing. As for me, I think unplug is workable but the time taken for it depends on the situation just like what has mentioned above. Also, determination matters a lot in the unplugging process.
ReplyDeleteI think that it exists in everyone - especially in today's generation. The likes, the followers and comments make people feel praised, wanted and accepted in society. I had a friend who would delete a picture on Instagram if it did not reach at least 50 likes, no matter how long it took for her to edit the picture. She said not reaching 50 likes hurts her reputation. We all have that little excitement when someone likes our photo or comments because that's human nature but it seems that some has taken it to the next level.
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