DEPRESSION

WARNING: Offensive language ahead.

A question we should ask ourselves as social media citizens is: are we using our freedom of speech to spread hate and negativity online? As depression topics gain traction and more people are finding the strength to share their previously painfully lonely journeys, it is equally important that we also confront how we contribute to people’s anxiety and insecurities. How are our ‘jokes‘ compounding the feelings of people fighting their own demons of self-worth and dragging those people deeper into the dark space that is depression?

We all have our own lives to navigate and most of us are not equipped with the know-how to deal with complex issues of mental well-being, we’re not online as social workers and psychiatrists – we post what we like. But what we like and what we find funny is sometimes damaging. What we share lands on the cellphone screens of people who, because of their circumstances and experiences and head space, take it to heart and live with it, piling it on to other baggage that already weighs heavily on them. What we share in anger when we vent can fuel hateful ideas and deeds.

Look, it’s your personal account but know that your words not only have wider reach through social media, they have a bigger impact too. It’s not a bad idea to think twice before clicking send and unleashing hate on social media.