Fifty years ago if you had asked someone what the year 2019 will look like, they would probably have said that people would be happier, working professionals would work less and everyone would have better lives because of inventions like Jetpacks, 3D television/gaming, Robotics and so on.
They wouldn’t have guessed that communication and online technology would have created such a massive increase in mental health issues, ones which are continuing to grow. Many people would agree that it’s hard to be an individual in today’s digital driven society, but it was also difficult years ago, when society adopted a more ‘tough love’ approach to life.
There was something to be said for this tough love type of attitude. There are a lot of lessons we can learn from driving on and learning for ourselves. For example, a 20-year-old would have been a bit more naive but a lot more resilient in the year 1969 than 2019. As nowadays when someone is down, they are sat down and asked if they want a hug, a stark contrast from the previous response which would have been to get on with it.
Of course, there are positives to an increased awareness of mental health, and this should continue to help those who are in need. The problem is that social media has swept in and put those with milder mental health issues on the same level as those with severe problems, something that needs to be sorted. It starts with people not allowing them to care so deeply about what others think of them and their life, because it’s more than likely that the influencer profiles they are admiring aren’t always what it seems. However, social media has made perfect look realistic, so now normal has become disposable.
Everyone is completely obsessed with what others thinks of them, today’s culture seems to live by the motto ‘it’s better to be liked, than to be right.’ Why is this? Because people are too afraid to speak their mind in fear of being disliked. Most millennials put more emphasis on looking happy on their profile’s than actually being happy, which is negatively impacting their mentality. What should society be doing to help a generation who are constantly becoming more concerned with getting a social media ‘like’ than being their own person?
In this age of distraction, it’s vital to pause and pay attention to what’s truly important. We live in a world focused on phones, internet and emails. As a society we must ensure that we don’t lose the ability to experience. If you want to live a creative and content life, the first thing to do is start paying better attention to it …