Why Is Everyone Else So Much Better Than You?

“Facebook is a constant bombardment of everyone else’s great news, but many of us look out of the window and see grey skies and rain…”
 — Earlier this week an especially incisive commentator, discussing the awfulness of the Internet, noted that while in the past one at least needed to seek out the sadness of everyday existence, now it arrives directly to your person each second of each day. This is especially true of social media, but in an even more perverse sense, because what it delivers to your door is the constant confirmation that you are a failure. Everyone else has more fun, makes more money, is advancing further in their career and is loved more deeply or more often than you are. This may very well be true, but previously the reminders were only confined to the tiny voice in the back of your head that pops up now and again to tell you how terrible you are. It is much more difficult to ignore the endless onslaught of photos and updates that continuously taunt you over how humdrum and joyless your life really is. There is good news and bad news on this score. The good news is that even a week away from Facebook results in a sizeable reduction of loneliness, stress and dissatisfaction with life. Unfortunately, you probably won’t let yourself take a week away from Facebook, because you suck so bad. No wonder everyone else is doing so much better than you are. Loser.

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