[MatBell]

How do you feel about social media? I think some people there can be so vicious and cruel I can’t even begin to imagine what drives them. For people like us who are vulnerable already, harrassment can hit extra hard. It feels like you can be reeling for days afterwards all because you opened up or expressed yourself in a way another person didn’t like.

It’s so easy to be cruel towards another person when you can hide behind a screen. I guess the best you can do is just ignore, block and report the person. But I think it’s really frightening putting yourself “out there” in any way. It’s takes far too much energy and positivity out of me for such a long time. All because of a person I don’t know and never will. Ugh...

[Wild Coyote]

I am not into FB and other sites. I feel like they are not authentic. I feel like they bring out the worst in many people. I am very uncomfortable with social media.

I am sorry you have had some tough experiences.

Please try to get to know your own limitations and take good care of yourself!


WC

[Candy1955]

Believe what you believe and de-friend liberally. I don't use much social media but i have seen it hurt many, all because the users hide behind the screen, as you put it. Don't let them get to you.

I'm considering deleting FB. I just mostly watch what others post, don't post much that's personal, as that would be opening up myself to harsh opinions of others that aren't even close to me in real life. I like having contact with family in Europe though, otherwise, I don't think I'd use it. It's not reality. People post the best of their lives usually, and that gets sickening because no one is very real about themselves. hugs

[MickeyCheeky]

Luckily for us, we don't have to use social media like FB if we don't have to.

I have mixed feelings. I am very open on Facebook and get a lot of support there from friends. I also take breaks though when I feel overwhelmed. I deactivate and hide. My friends just let me do my thing, recharge. It about knowing when you need a break I believe.

Originally Posted by MatBell

How do you feel about social media? I think some people there can be so vicious and cruel I can’t even begin to imagine what drives them. For people like us who are vulnerable already, harrassment can hit extra hard. It feels like you can be reeling for days afterwards all because you opened up or expressed yourself in a way another person didn’t like.

It’s so easy to be cruel towards another person when you can hide behind a screen. I guess the best you can do is just ignore, block and report the person. But I think it’s really frightening putting yourself “out there” in any way. It’s takes far too much energy and positivity out of me for such a long time. All because of a person I don’t know and never will. Ugh...

Social media is not toxic - you just need to find the good bits in it
Even people in here can be toxic

[Fuzzybear]

Originally Posted by Wild Coyote

I am not into FB and other sites. I feel like they are not authentic. I feel like they bring out the worst in many people. I am very uncomfortable with social media.

I am sorry you have had some tough experiences.

Please try to get to know your own limitations and take good care of yourself!


WC

I often feel the same. FB etc tends not to be authentic, not always though, like here, there’s “good” and “not so good” I guess

(((((( Wild Coyote ))))))))

[Smileonmyface]

I have mixed feelings about facebook. A few years ago I got overwhelmed by it and deleted my account. Then I missed it a little and made up a new one. I like it for keeping pictures in one place because I always end up losing pictures that I take on different phones over the years. Even if I make the pictures private so that only I can see it, it's like a photo book for me that way. I also need it to know what is going on with my daughter's girl scout troop because they have a private group on there. For things like that I find it useful.

In other ways I hate it. It's hard to see all the amazing things people are doing when you yourself find it really difficult just to get out of bed or get showered or put on anything but pajama pants. It's not inspiring, it just makes me feel like crap. Another thing I can't stand is the political crap that people post, especially my own mother, who is on the opposite side of me. I swear she puts some of that stuff there just to get to me.

The times I try to use it for something I believe in, like posting an interesting article about something mental-illness or health related, I feel hurt when nobody gives a damn.

I think it is good for some things and really hurtful for others.

[scarlett35]

At the moment I'm really struggling with social media. I'm thinking about deleting Facebook and Instagram as they seem to be the places I struggle most with (Twitter I can see some use for!)

The reason I struggle is because I never feel like I'm doing enough or being "enough." Everyone else seems to have amazing lives that they love showing off on Facebook and Instagram. They're always doing "great" stuff like eating at amazing restaurants, being super healthy, showing off their exercise habits etc. Only recently I've kinda realised about this idea of it being a "highlight reel" and people only showing what they want you to see. You don't see all the regular mundane stuff or any of the bad stuff.

I think people do this to show off and to try and make out like their lives are just as good as everyone else's on social media, and in turn other people are doing the same like a never ending spiral. It's social comparison at it's finest. It's like we don't do things for ourselves but to show off about it on social media. I find it exhausting trying to live up to what everyone else is doing.

An example from my friends list is a guy i know from university. He met a girl online who lives in another country to us. He updates his status and Instagram constantly saying how perfect she is, how perfect their relationship is, how much they love each other etc. He's having to apply for a visa to go and try and live with her and has proposed to her after quite a short period of time (I think to help the visa application). As well as his engagement and moving plans he also constantly updates his Instagram with selfies of his semi naked body due to wanting to show everyone how much weight he's losing, with captions about how great he feels at the moment. Everytime he updates his status I get this feeling of rage, why can't he just enjoy his life without sharing every single thing he does? It's obvious he thinks these things have no value unless he has an audience to approve of them. I find it so tiresome. I've noticed I feel so much worse if I've seen anything he's posted.

I don't know. I just get this big impression that social media is not "real" it's full of rubbish basically and is no way representative of real life.

I don't post anything about my life anymore. No photos, no statuses really. It's the only way I feel comfortable using Facebook now. I want to get rid of it but it has it's uses (like messenger and my choir group has a page on there) so I feel a bit trapped.

Haha sorry for the rant. At least we can be real here though.