Ingrid Goes West (2017), starring Aubrey Plaza and Elizabeth Olsen, follows an unhinged social media stalker named Ingrid who becomes obsessed with an Instagram ‘influencer’ and moves to Los Angeles in order to insinuate herself into her idol’s life.
It presents a satirical view of how people use social media as a form of self-actualisation and a whole bunch of cliches, jabbing at avocado toast and #blessed among others. While the events that take place are exaggerated and [hopefully] highly unlikely, it did get me thinking about the addictive, toxic qualities of Instagram and its effects on the mental health of those who use it.
As a millennial, social media plays a big part of my life. I post to my feed multiple times a week – all filtered, captioned and hashtagged to within an inch of their life – and to my story pretty much daily. I also spend hours upon hours scrolling through the feeds of my friends, bloggers, celebrities and the odd ridiculously cute baby animal. Most people would consider me a “social media addict” and they’re probably right.
Pink as fuck just like my soul #pietronolita #soho #americandays
A post shared by Bec Oakes ? (@bec.oakes) on Jul 3, 2018 at 5:25am PDT
I also struggle sometimes with my mental health, although that’s in no way caused by social media. It started long before I even knew what Instagram was.
That being said, I’m not ignorant to that fact that it is more than likely affected by it. While social media is undoubtedly a great force for connecting with friends, sharing memories and as a tool for self-promotion, it can also take a serious toll on our mental wellbeing. There are many levels to this discussion but overarching everything is the curse of comparison.
With so much value seemingly being placed on our social media presence, it’s far too easy to get sucked into a vortex of negativity – constantly thinking things along the lines of: Why can’t I look like her? Why doesn’t my camera take pictures like that? Why don’t I have as many Instagram followers as them? Why I am not interesting/beautiful/witty enough to follow?
After enough of these thoughts have traveled through your mind, they can start to bring about intense feelings of simply not being good enough and certainly, for a person with mental health issues, exacerbate existing problems.
So, just like you may take medication or practice mindfulness in everyday life, extend your self-care to online. Aim to fill your feed with people and content that make you feel good. If a blogger/friend/anybody else makes you feel bad about yourself, just unfollow them, or block them if you feel the need. You can also always ake some time away from it all if you’re having a tough week. It’s not that big of a deal – it’ll still be there when you get back.
And lastly, always remember, a post on social media is not always an accurate depiction of the owner’s day. For example, in order to take the picture of the Gucci bag above, I got dressed, had my mother take a series of images against the garden shed, then immediately put my pyjamas back on and returned to the couch for a nap.