Instagram’s most liked egg, or well, the most liked photo on the platform which happens to be that of an egg, has cracked. The photo which apparently dethroned a photograph of social media influencer and model Kylie Jenner, as the most liked photo on Insta, is being used to spread awareness on mental health. With more than 52 million people liking the original picture, the egg was "feeling the pressure" of all the attention it's received, and thus it cracked. Isn’t it something many social media users are experiencing these days? The pressure of being in the public eye, to project yourself in a certain way. The result is that many social media users often “crack” under this pressure.
SOME TAKEAWAYS
- The egg which set a record for being the most liked photo on Instagram is being used to create awareness on mental health.
- Exposure and fame on social media can induce anxiety in people.
- We put in a lot of effort to grab attention on social media. But that comes with its own baggage.
- It is a great idea to use the very platforms which can trigger anxiety or depression to create awareness on mental health.
With more than 52 million people liking the original picture, the egg was "feeling the pressure" from all the attention.
A research published by NCBI in 2016 says that social media use was significantly associated with increased depression. Another study by Health.com from 2014 says those who used seven or more platforms had more than triple the risk for anxiety and depressive symptoms, compared to those who used between zero and two. Now there are many people, who are visible on more than two or three social media platforms. These people put in a lot of energy to remain visible and gain popularity in the virtual world. But when this digital fame comes your way, it comes with its own baggage.
It is hard to be in the public eye 24 by 7. Especially in times when everyone takes it upon themselves to scrutinise every syllable that comes out of your mouth. People watch all your posts, all your uploads and all that you like or share, like a hawk. They are quick to pass judgement not only on your personality but even your likes, dislikes and political affiliations. The bareness of this experience can induce deep anxiety in any person, triggered by endless stress and fear of being disliked or worse becoming irrelevant.
The bareness of the experience that is social media visibility can induce deep anxiety in any person.
It can easily push a person in an abyss of mental health issues which can prove difficult to cope with. Which is why using the most liked photo on Instagram to spread awareness on mental health is commendable. We need to tell social media users why it is necessary to seek help when facing mental health issues. Especially on a platform like Instagram, which was voted the worst platform for mental health and well-being in the 2017 #StatusOfMind survey. (Published by the United Kingdom’s Royal Society for Public Health.)
There is an immediate need to address the growing mental health crisis around the world. Social media plays a pivotal role in this crisis. But what are we doing about it? The best thing would be to use these very platforms to spread awareness about mental health. To use Instagram, Twitter and Facebook as a medium to reach out to people in distress. To form a solid help network, to provide all the necessary information and to even tell vulnerable individuals that they are not alone.
We can only hope that people will share, support and like this campaign as much as they liked the now cracked egg’s photograph. Because that egg is basically all of us. Too fragile and unprepared to handle this mammoth pressure.
Picture Credit: Instagram/ world record egg
Also Read : How Extensive Use Of Social Media Is Affecting Mental Health
Yamini Pustake Bhalerao is a writer with the SheThePeople team, in the Opinions section. The views expressed are the author’s own.
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