Are celebrities making us depressed?

Is this constant pressure to look good toxic for society? Celebrities have a huge impact on our lives whether we choose to read their gossip or not, you will most likely hear from them as they even appear on the world news. Young people look up to celebrities by following them on every social media account invented. Although this seems harmless most young people are easily led astray and copy the behaviours of these celebrities. With Britain’s depression and anxiety rates being one of the highest in the world. It is no wonder why people feel pressured to look good with the constant posting of selfies on social media which never existed years ago. We see becoming a celebrity a way of finding wealth or to feel recognised. But we forget that there is negativity in their lives as well. We watch interviews and stalk their instagram pages hoping one day we will be as popular and pretty as them; making us feel more depressed about our own lives.

Why do we use social media then?

Social media profiles are a way to present a life which you want people to think you have. If you think about it social media is so narcissistic and fake. People post on Instagram edited selfies and the likes are the only way people feel self fulfilment; people also post materialistic objects like cars and designer clothes to give the impression of wealth when in reality their bank could tell another story. But as long as they have a large social media following they feel a sense of achievement and popularity. There is then the pressure for people to post their own pictures displaying a life they desire, so they are seen as ‘socially acceptable’.

We’re all charged… guilty!
The question is when was the last time you went anywhere and didn’t post on your snapchat story or Instagram? It used to be the case that we’d take photos for memories to look back on and show our families in years to come. But now taking and sharing photos has taken a more sinister turn, with people desperate for likes and followers. Waiting for the approval of people who make no difference in their real lives. Scrolling through the pages of others with envy, making ourselves more and more depressed. But this is a habit that will keep happening as this has turned into the sad culture of today. So the next time you post on social media remember what really matters and not the click of a like from insignificant people.